A cool cat with an identity crisis

A few years back, both my wife and I noticed that Lexie and Lucy, our two dachshunds, were paying special attention to the door to our daughter’s room. It didn’t take long for us to discover the kitten inside the room. I’m pretty sure the dogs knew exactly what was in there long before we did.

We carefully introduced the kitten to our dogs. Lucy, then about 4 years old, thought that the kitten was for her. She immediately took to cleaning the kitten, giving her a thorough tongue-bath. She was so excited she was smothering the kitten wanting to be closer to it. Lexie, our older dog was completely uninterested in the new addition to the pack. She shot us looks of betrayal and wanted nothing to do with the kitten.

Our daughter named the kitten Razzle. For the week or so at the house, Lucy and Razzle continued to bond.

After a week or so we got into the vet to get the proper shots for the kitten. It was only then that we discovered that Razzle was a male cat! On the spot she changed the name to RAMBO!

I guess Rambo never had an identity crisis at all. It was the rest of us that were confused. No real crisis for him other than having to learn a new name.

It all made sense now. He was a lot more aggressive when playing than many of the female kittens I’ve been around. This cat loved going outside and would often be gone for long periods of time. I suspect that he was cheating on us, going down to the Johnson’s for tuna treats, then over to the Patterson’s house for more random food scraps and head scratchies.

University of Georgia, working with the National Geographic Society, are revealing the hidden lives of cats.:
“BLOCK: I think one of the more interesting things you discovered was that some of these cats had a secret life that their owners didn't know about. They had another family that they'd adopted.
LOYD: Right. It's pretty hilarious. Cats are fascinating animals, I'm telling you. And both myself and the cat owners were pretty shocked to see their cat going into a whole another household and being pet by another family, eating there, basically cheating on their original owners.”

NPR - 'Kitty Cam' Reveals The Secret Life Of Roaming Cats

This cat grew up around our dachshunds and would behave just like one of them. He would eat the dog food right out of their bowl all the time. He also loved to get 100% under the nearest blanket in the room, often cozying up to whomever would tolerate him. He would also sit up on his hind quarters and beg like my dogs do when offered a treat. Maybe Rambo had an identity crisis after all?

Rambo was a great cat but he liked to wander. Cats that wander in my neighborhood are usually preyed upon by the local coyotes and foxes. A distraught woman and her son stopped by my house with some sad news. They had struck Rambo with their van about a mile and a half from our home, killing him instantly.

This woman and her son had the courage to check his tag and bring him back to me in a bag so that I wouldn't need to see him if I didn't want to. They had also taken off his collar to hand to me personally.

I was able to bury him in the spot where he like to hang out in the backyard.

I still get choked up thinking about the strength it took for them to come ring my doorbell to let me know the bad news. I wish I could let them know what that meant to me. I think many people might have just continued down the road. We lost a family member that day but also learned that there truly are good people out there with courage and love in their hearts.