Happy Tail: Gerald
Sometimes, all you really need is a good buddy, whether that buddy walks on two legs or four. Of course, snacks and cuddles are great, too. But if sweet brown tabby Gerald could talk, he’d likely swear by the good buddy theory, which has been the dominant throughline of his story since coming in off the street.
The first buddy to assist Gerald was amazingly dedicated trapper April, who rescued him from “a very problematic colony” in the city’s north end. “Gerald was hard to trap,” April recalls of the ordeal. “It took me about two weeks of nightly trips in the cold before I finally caught him. He was the last one at the colony at that point.”
Finally caught and vetted, Gerald was assessed as a good candidate for transitioning indoors, judged to do best “as a buddy to a chill adult cat,” according to foster notes from that period. Gerald was placed with Tyler and Marlee in spring 2024.
He had hit the foster jackpot. Not only did Tyler and Marlee have two adult cats at that time, notably Gilbert, who was indeed chill, but Tyler is a registered vet technician currently working with an east end clinic. Past work with Toronto Humane Society gave him heaps of proficiency with formerly homeless cats. And he and Marlee have fostered extensively.
“Gerald was very sweet, a little nervous but never showed any aggression whatsoever,” says Tyler, who adds that Gerald and Marlee bonded. Gerald and the couple’s other cat, a female tortie named Todd… not so much. “For some reason, Gerald was the cat Todd wanted to chase around,” Tyler laughs, “but they eventually came around.
“Gerald clearly wanted attention and did like people and other cats. He just wasn’t finding a good partner at my place. It’s funny but when I worked in the behavioural ward of THS, you’d sometimes see cats that were quite aggressive. Then you’d hear that cat was eventually paired with another cat and now they’re friendly and outgoing. It’s all about finding the right living situation with the right cat.”
For Gerald, the right cat — his forever buddy, as it were — turned out to be Luna, living with Lauren and Maielle. Luna was Maielle’s cat. “But the more time I spent with her,” Lauren says, “it became apparent she was lonely and bored and wanted a friend.” Maielle knew from previous experience that Luna was amenable to other cats, so the couple began their search.
“Gerald was described [on the ACR website] as a cat that would thrive with another cat,” says Lauren. “He really does love other cats. When I went to visit him, he was sitting under a shelf and wouldn’t come out. I couldn’t even pet him!
“But something about the way Tyler was describing him and the pictures they had just broke my heart. He was the sweetest-looking cat in the world,” Lauren says, noting with a laugh that Gerry’s tongue often hangs out because of extracted teeth. As for keeping his name, “He just looks like a Gerald,” she says. “It’s the perfect name for him.
“He came out of his shell way quicker than I thought he would. All Gerry cares about is being near us, giving us head butts, meowing. He’s just so funny and silly and sweet and loving. People shouldn’t hesitate to adopt a street cat.
“At first, I was a little nervous. I don’t have any experience with street cats. But Gerry has changed our lives. The payoff has been amazing. He does something new every single day, like jumping up on a windowsill, which he never would have done before. And he and Luna play together all the time. We are just so proud of him.”
-Kim Hughes
