Chosen: The Story of Lucky Magoo
I wasn’t always a cat person. In fact, I had never considered owning one because, growing up, my mother was highly allergic to cats. That all changed late one summer afternoon when I spotted a small, wary kitten slipping through my mother’s vegetable garden.
Mysterious Visitor
A flash of movement among the tomato plants! At first, I thought it was just another squirrel or rabbit, but then I saw her—tiny, gray tuxedo with white paws. She saw me first and had been watching me with her large, piercing yellow eyes. She was impossibly young to be alone fending for herself. Worried she might be lost, I put up notices around the neighborhood. Days passed, and then a man and his son arrived, hoping she was their missing cat. “Nope,” they shook their heads. “She’s too young,” they said. Just like that, she was back to being no one’s cat. Also, she was skittish which led me to believe she was wild.
A Dance of Trust
Therefore, bringing her inside wasn’t an option first because of my mother’s allergy, and secondly, our two dogs had never been around cats. At the same time, I couldn’t just let her be either.Twice a day, I started leaving food and water under the bank of pine trees at the edge of the yard lining the driveway. I would set her dishes down and walk back, watching from a distance as she ate her meal. She’d slink forward, eat quickly, and vanish again into the undergrowth or jump up on the wood pile to clean her face. Nonetheless, her mealtime became our ritual time together.One evening about six weeks later, something remarkable happened when I walked outside. As I approached the sport under the pine trees, the cat remained fixed - waiting for me to set her dish down. That moment, as small as it seemed, meant everything to me because she trusted me, at least a little. We were mere inches apart.I named her Lucky Magoo—Lucky, because I knew I would make her mine, and Magoo because of her enormous, yellow eyes. It was at this moment I finally admitted to myself that Lucky had already chosen me.
Secret Shelter
As summer faded into fall, I worried where Lucky was sleeping at night. The weather was turning colder quickly.Then, one evening while doing laundry in the basement, my mother and I noticed something in the window well. Lucky! The clear plastic cover over the window well trapped warmth from the dryer vent, and there, curled up in the sheltered space, was our kitten. She had found the warmest spot she could and this “den” had a roof. Smart girl!Seeing her nestled in this safe spot pressed against the window, melted any hesitation my mother had about helping Lucky, allergies aside. We sprang into action. A cardboard box fitted with an old duvet, and a hot water bottle underneath the duvet, turned that window well into a proper shelter.From that night on, my mother and I took turns going outside in the cold, wee morning hours to refresh the hot water bottle, making sure Lucky stayed warm. She had chosen her place, and we had chosen to care for her.
Snow and More Snow
Winter arrived in full force, and the snow piled up. The window well would soon be buried. I had already made a path behind the bushes to the window well. I knew it was time to bring Lucky inside. Two problems - Lucky was still feral and she needed to be spayed. Trusting me enough to eat treats from my hand, but not enough to be caught.I got creative and asked my vet for a mild sedative after explaining the situation. A large meal laced with this medication gave me the tiny window I needed to capture Lucky. At first she rejected the medication hidden in wet food because she could smell it. I hadn’t hidden the pill well enough. Second time around I pulverized the pill and added more food. As soon as she relaxed, I carefully grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, just like a mother cat would do, and popped her in a carrier. Off to the vet to be spayed!The vet agreed to keep Lucky post-surgery to recover—giving her warmth and safety for ten extra days as we continued to get pounded with snow. I missed her and it felt strange not seeing her outside each morning, but I knew she was in good hands.
A New Beginning
When the worst of winter had passed, I brought Lucky home. By now, our bond was unshakable. I was moving into a carriage house near my graduate school, and taking Lucky.The real question was whether she would adjust to being an indoor/outdoor cat. I set up food, a litter box, and a soft pet bed in my room, That first night, I expected hesitation, maybe even a desperate attempt to escape. Instead, Lucky jumped up on my bed, curled against me, purred and slept. Lucky Magoo was home for real, forever.
A Good Life
From feral kitten to loving cat, Lucky never lost her wild side, but she came in every afternoon for the night. As we walked down the hall to the kitchen she would turn look at me and run into the living room for her daily somersault before eating. Her way to express joy.Some rescues happen in an instant. Others, like Lucky’s, unfold, over weeks and months. This rescue left a forever imprint on my heart. I eventually adopted another rescue, an orange tabby named Leo, who became Lucky’s kitten.