THE McELROY ZOO: Meet Sonny, a sweet boy who needs a home

By David McElroy · August 7, 2011

Sonny has never had a real home. For all of his relatively short life, he’s lived on the street where I live. For most of his life, another neighbor fed him so he wouldn’t starve. She also had him neutered and got him shots. But she and her husband moved a month or so ago, so I’ve taken over feeding him. He doesn’t need just another meal. He needs a real home.

My former neighbor and her husband have seven cats of their own, so they couldn’t take yet another. Sonny and another one they called Tommy were among the strays they regularly fed. When they moved, they couldn’t take them because the neighborhood where they bought their new house has a strict covenant against outdoor animals who roam free. The best she could do was continue to buy food for them — and leave it with me.

Sonny is a very friendly fellow, especially considering that he’s lived his entire life on the street. (Tommy isn’t as friendly, so I haven’t been able to get to know him as well.) If he stays here, I’m sure he’ll end up being fed — living mostly on my porch, as you see him here — but he’ll remain a beggar depending on whoever’s willing to give him something. And he’ll remain at the mercy of cars and other animals who might hurt him.

If you’d like to adopt Sonny, please contact me. The only requirement I have is that he has to go to a home where he will be inside all the time. If you prefer to have an outdoor (or indoor/outdoor) cat, that’s your decision, but I don’t place them anywhere except for good indoor homes. If he’s going to be outside somewhere, there’s no reason to uproot him from the only home he’s ever known — this street.

If you’d like to adopt this little boy and you’re either nearby or have the means to transport Sonny, please drop me a note so we can talk about it. He needs a home.

Editor’s note: If you enjoyed meeting Sonny, you might enjoy previous stories and pictures about Alex, Bessie, Molly, Oliver, Munchkin, Sam, Maggie, Henry, Lucy, Amelia, Charlotte and Emily.

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