OK CoTH, start jingling those curb chains to get this kitty into a home for Christmas!
He appeared a few days before Thanksgiving. At first I assumed he was someone’s pet who had just gotten out and was looking for a handout. He was too friendly (almost pushy for attention) to be a ‘feral’ and was in good weight. He seemed confused about how to interact with the colony cats and was not street savvy. I figured he would be on his way to wherever he came from in a few days. Nope.
We get plenty of cats just passing through here, so I waited a few days and kept an eye on him. He had a big personality and is very vocal - all of which might be symptoms of him being an intact male. But as the days passed it was clear that he was not a street cat -the colony cats rejected him so he found a solo hiding spot between my trash bins and the hedge. After about 10 days he was acting depressed and spent most of his time hiding. It was clear then that the cat distribution system gifted me with another wayward soul - so I posted him in found pets, and took him into a vet and sure enough - no chip.
I found rescue backing for him, so he is now recovering from his neuter surgery. He is now fixed, vaxed, flea treated and living in my downstairs bathroom. I paid extra for a snap test, and he unfortunately is FIV+, which is disclosed on his adoption bio. Vet thinks he is about 3. Poor guy is just SO shut down - it will take some time for him to come out of his shell. He has the BIGGEST, blockiest tom- cat head ever. He did purr last night while I was brushing him, so I’m sure he will come around eventually.
Tell Santa Claws that my Christmas Wish is that there is someone out there who wants a fluffy, silky long hair boy who is fine with a FIV+ situation. 
. Actually, Black Bob per my granddaughter. Once he decided he was not feral, that got switched to Belly Rub Bob as he loves belly rubs.
