Meet Hank & Sophie and the Moo Clan
Author’s Note: I started out with an interview about Hank & Sophie Moo but then after hearing about the rest of the Moo clan, I couldn’t just leave out the rest of the Moos. So here is my very first group article. I hope you enjoy it. =^.^= Thanks to their guardian for answering the questions. Photos as always were used with permission.
Hank, Wally and Sophie Moo
Meet the Moo Clan;
Hanky Moo, he is my little man. He loves people. He loves to cuddle and will lay on me as I hold him tight. He loves Sophie dearly, always playing, cleaning and giving her cuddles. He is assertive. I believe being male he had a natural instinct to dominate. Often he just wants to be close to Mini. Mostly trying to cuddle but they are weary as he often tries ( many time successful) to push them off whatever perch they are on. He loves food! His whole day is centered around when he will eat and how he can eat everyone’s food.
Sophie Moo, she is gentle, sweet and smartly cautious. She can also be tough and puts Hanky and anyone in their place if needed. Even though she is more cautious than Hank, for example she will take longer to explore something new, she shows more bravery than Hank. Where Hank will always climb down back legs first as most blind cats do, Sophie will take a moment from where she is and leaps!! It can be from the tallest perch on her tower over 6ft high. What’s impressive is when she does it for the first time, having no idea the outcome but she just goes for it. Leap of faith! She loves to play fetch and loves her Hanky Moo.
Spencer Moo is small but has attitude! Although he’s not “Top Dog” any longer he doesn’t take any crap from the cats. If someone swipes him, he has no problem throwing his weight around, all 6 pounds of it. He loves to have his belly rubbed and he’s a fan of food.
Morty Moo is the sweetest dog. He has always been a bit nervous and very dependent on me. If he’s not right next to me, his eyes are following me around the house. Morty always had a lot of energy, he runs in crazy figure 8’s in the backyard. I’m so glad he and Wally are best buds cause now he has someone to run around with!
Mini Moo has many names to fit her many characters. She can be sweet but that’s not the first
that comes to mind…she can be moody. Mini Moody Moo. She does’t give her love easily, I had to work for it. When I finally had her approval, there was no mistaking the love and trust she showed me. Her love has and will always feel like an honor.
Maile Moo, she is the most beautiful kitty. She is part American Boxtail with white socks and glistening color changing eyes. She loves outside. We’re lucky to have a big backyard with 10 ft high ivy walls. They all can be free to explore and be safe. Sorry to say, she’s quite the hunter. Lizards are her specialty and I’m lucky she brings the in the house alive and kicking.. We had an incident with a bird that fell out of its nest. We saved it, just as Maile had it cornered. It stayed with us for 5 days. We called her, Mochi. Mochi Moo…ha!
Walter Moo, our newest family member. He was found on the street and was brought into Baldwin Park Shelter with his right eye bulging and severely infected. They removed his eye immediately. He was severely depressed and scared. The first week at Mootopia he did nothing but eat and hide in a corner. He would allow me to hold him and he would purr away. But did all that change! Having only one eye doesn’t stop this one! He is crazy. He runs around the house galloping like a horse. He wrestles everyone and plays with 100% kitten power. He is super sweet purring machine and most of all happy, full and safe.
How did Hank and Sophie Moo come into your life?
They were dropped off together at Baldwin Park Shelter in April 2012. They both had open seeping holes where their eyes should have been. They were malnorised and sick. They stayed at BPS for 2 weeks in separate cages and were transported to Montrose Pet Hospital where they stayed for 3 weeks. They received all their treatments and were spayed/neutered. The reason they were in the hospital for so long was that Hank had a URI and their surgery kept getting delayed. They came home with me the day after their surgery. They love life and seem to live it to the fullest. It’s seems as though they remember the bad days and everyday is full of love, gratitude and happiness! Hank and Sophie give me so much love and joy every day!
Where did their names come from?
We picked the name Hank, actually his full name is Henry Vincent Moo but we call him Hank for short. It just suited him, strong and kind. Sophie Moo, we picked because we felt it was a sweet pretty name for a sweet pretty girl.
Where did the name “Moo Clan” come from?
“Moo” originated with my boyfriend’s beautiful black kitty Mini Moo. She has tons of nicknames, one of which and the most used, Mini Moo. Mini is the original Moo and is the one responsible for the 4 additional feline Moo Clan members! Mini is my first cat and she moved in with me Dec 2010. I quickly fell in love with her and was the start of my “Crazy Cat Lady” badge. We adopted Maile Moo February 2011. My two dogs, Spencer (Yorkie) and Morty ( Maltese) that have been with me for 8 years, also became Moos. With the arrival of Hank and Sophie in April 2012, making a total of 6 furry friends, we were for sure a Clan. The Moo Clan. The most recent addition and making 7 in the Clan is Walter Moo. He arrived Sept 3rd 2012, as a foster but as fate would have it, he will stay in Mootopia with his Moo brothers and sisters.
Mootopia is a play on Utopia. Mootopia, is where we live and it’s a place where kitties and doggies will always be safe, loved, never hungry and healthy. They can explore outside in the large enclosed backyard and come inside whenever they chose. At Mootopia have a Moo Mom aka Cat Servant, who will give the daily brushings, kisses and hugs. They will never be short on toys or cat nip. At Mootopia, they will be cherished.
Who is the leader of the household now that Spencer was the former boss?
Mini easily dominated over the dogs. When Maile Moo arrived she moved straight to the top of the totem pole. It wasn’t until 8 months later when we came back from a trip, we walked in and saw Mini Moo sitting in the middle of the room, looking strong and proud like King Kong. She retook her roll as Queen. But that was short lived as Hank arrived 5 months later and became “King of the Hill”! He challenged Mini every chance he got. And even more surprising, little 5 month old Wally seems to be challenging Hank and it seems the rolls have changed but it’s too early to tell as he’s young and the others could be tolerating him because they understand that he’s a kitten.
How did the others react to the new additions to the household?
Every time, with a new addition it’s a challenge. We kept Hank and Sophie in their own room for a week and allowed the others to get used to their scent. The dogs were fine with Hank and Sophie but it took a few months for Mini and Maile to get used to them. They are often misunderstood as they don’t follow a lot of cat visual signals, so this was unsettling for the others. Now everyone gets along in Mootopia. There are occasional spats, as siblings do but nothing serious.
How did Hank & Sophie react to their new environment?
They loved being free! I remember the first night, they were already playing a lot! When they first stepped out of their crate, I could see they were not used to walking being in the cages for over a month. They quickly mind mapped the room, remembering where the litter, food, water, etc. was located. When I opened the door to the rest of the house, there was no stopping them. I was going to open room by room but they were determined to explore. They mind mapped the rest of the house quickly as well. They loved the space, safety and mostly delicious food that kept coming!
Did you have to do any special preparations to the house before they came home to live with you?
I bought some extra supplies but the preparation was mostly focused on integrating them smoothly with the other Moos. We kept them for a week in one room and introduced each of the Moo members sent to them. It worked really well!
Is there an address people can send fan mail to the Moo Clan?
Not at this time but I may get one if enough people request it!
And if I may ask, why a Cat Servant? Why not cat helper?
“Cat Servant” is just finding humor in the personality of cats. Mini Moo is a great example, her attitude is like, ” I give you the honor to serve me, feed me, brush me, love me… That is all. You are dismissed.” Also, I love how they can be demanding. Hank walks on my body, “Time for you to show me your love!”
How have Hank & Sophie changed your life and made you want to make people aware of how special needs/differently abled animals?
Having Hank and Sophie has changed my life for sure. I love being home so I can just be around them and the rest of the Clan. I feel more compassionate and I am more active in supporting adoptions, fosters and donating when I can. Also, I started a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/2blindcats, that promotes adoptions, animal awareness and shows how awesome special needs animals are. I didn’t expect how wonderful and heartwarming it would be to be connected so many compassionate animal loving people throughout the world. I love the page because not only can I share the Moo Clans shenanigans but reading others stories of their fur babies. The page allows me to show how completely “normal” blind cats are. Most time blind cats are put down quickly, because no one has stepped up to foster or adopt because they aren’t aware of how capable they are.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about adopting a blind cat?
At first, put them in a room so they can acclimate to their new space.
Keep the furniture is the same place. But really, blind cats adjust so well. I’ve moved furniture and it hasn’t been a problem. They know when the location of a new object by their scent ad mostly their whiskers hit the object before teir heads do!
Which reminds me, never cut a cats whiskers! Especially blind cats! It super important as it’s essential for their navigation.
As they are getting used to their new home and may bump into things, remove sharp corners, objects that they injure themselves if they bump into.
Avoid picking them up and putting them down in a different room as it would disorient them. If you do, make sure the surface is a texture they can recognize. For example, Shaggy Carpet = Living room.
I always make little sound if I’m coming towards them or to pick them up as not to startle them.
Keep food, water and litter box in the same place.
Get them toys that makes sounds!
Give them tons of love and care and you will get back the most sweetest unconditional love. .
What would you like to tell people who are apprehensive about having a blind animal?
I would encourage anyone to adopt a blind cat. In my experience t has been no different from caring for my other animals. Cats are so intelligent and what they don’t have in sight they make up for it with their sense of smell and hearing. It’s even more acute than my other cats. I see Hank and Sophie hearing a fly in the other room, where my other cats don’t notice. They are are endless amounts of amusement and awe for me. They play, jump and cause just as much happy havoc as any other cat
And how did you get involved with animals?
I have always had dogs. In Hawaii, I had 3 Golden Retrievers! The past 9 years it’s has been Spencer and Morty. Having Mini as my first cat, I quickly fell in love with her personality. I started reading cat behavior books and became more in love with the uniqueness of cats! As I became more aware of the millions of cats in shelters, either found in the street, abandoned, abused and sick, I decided to do what I can. Hence adopting 4 cats in less than 2 years! I will not adopt anymore but will foster. Milo’s Sanctuary was a huge influence. They save and give life long care for many special needs animals. Michele Hoffman, who founded Milos and has dedicated her life to saving Animals, inspires me to do more. Please visit and support Milo’s! www.milossanctuary.org or visit their Facebook page”Milo’s Sanctuary, Inc”.
I see that you want to promote spay/neuter and adoption from shelters; what would you like to mention about spay/neuter and adoption from shelters?
First spaying/neutering your animals is a crucial necessity. Especially cats who can have multiple litters a year. Not only do we not need more animals to keep safe and find forever homes for but it’s very taxing on the female cat. With the millions of animals in shelters and most of which are put to death, it’s important not to breed animals or support people who breed by buying their kittens or puppies. With so many animals needing a home it seems immoral
to buy a “special breed” especially since most of the shelters have every breed of cat/dog you can think of, cats especially. Recently I was at Baldwin Park Shelter and I was amazed by the number of perfect beautiful kittens and cats in cages. I saw Siamese, Persians, Boxtails and every variety of short, medium, long hair. Adopt. Rescue. Save a life and their love will end up saving you many times over.
Those of you in SoCal, if you’re thinking about rescuing, please go to Baldwin Park Shelter! They are overloaded with beautiful kitties! Find them on FB ” Baldwin Park Shelter Cats for Adoption” Lisa Avery is a kitty Saint who devotes her life to saving these sweet souls.
Links:
Facebook Page- https://www.facebook.com/2blindcats
yasorusproductions.wordpress.com 