Joshua

DOB: 3/21/2024

Joshua and his sisters, Joanna and Judith came to rescue having been found under a tree during a thunderstorm. Joshua was almost unresponsive and needed immediate medical care. Early in life, this poor little guy has struggled with maintaining his weight and staying hydrated. While in rescue, he was diagnosed with seizure disorder, but happily, he has responded brilliantly to his daily anti-seizure medication and hasn’t had a seizure since his medication was started in summer 2024. Joshua is a quirky lil guy. When overstimulated or stressed, he becomes overwhelmed and easily upset and always seeks food as a way to sooth his anxiety (don’t we all?). He has kitty OCD, which makes him highly focused on daily routines and habits. He is extremely linked to the daily routine of his human family. Joshua’s typical daily pattern is: When the family wakes up, he can immediately be found sitting on his kitchen stool waiting for a treat and his morning meds. Then he’s off to his “man-cave” his own little cozy heated hut, where he naps the day away. When we return from work, he runs to the door to meet us, then he quickly runs back to his kitchen stool hoping for a treat. He will join you on the couch in the evenings for some pets and company, but he’s just as happy to snuggle back into his cozy cave. Whenever he is stressed or his routine gets broken, he quickly seeks out his food bowl and eats until he feels better.

There is some work involved for any family who is interested in adopting this special lil guy. In addition to needing his antiseizure med twice a day, he also has obsessive compulsive behavior in the litterbox. After doing his business, he will scratch around the ENTIRE box, like he’s stirring a soup. He will do this for several minutes, during which time, he’s likely to get his excrement on his paws. So, when he finally leaves the box, he tends to track litter outside his box. And this can be frustrating as a homeowner. His foster family has adapted to this peculiar behavior by putting an extra-long, shaggy carpet off his litter box, in an attempt to clean off his paws before he walks around the house, it’s not a perfect solution, but it definitely helps. Joshua is very used to needing his paws washed, he even helps by splaying his toes so you can get between each one.

You can learn more about his special story on our Kitty Korner Blog!

But given all of that, Joshua is simply the sweetest lil guy and everyone absolutely adores him, especially those who share his psychological and emotional challenges. Because inside, they know he is just trying to understand this big, confusing world.

Joshua is a medium hair length tuxedo (almost an identical twin to his sister Judith) with a tubby tummy, because Joshy is a firm believer that “food is love” and in his case “food is comfort”.