Jasper is a special guy for several reasons, each one being important to consider as we search for his perfect forever home. First, the basics. He's 2 and a half years old and weighs about 10lbs. Gorgeous coat and stunning green eyes that will suck you right into his trap. Gets along well with other cats, is currently skittish around our dogs but I think he'd be totally fine with dogs that ignore him.Now, for the details about what makes him so special.He had to have his rear left leg amputated. The vet believes he was born with bad hips. The remaining one isn't so great and may go bad or develop arthritis as he ages, but for now, he hops and jumps around like any other cat. He's not very fast on it, but he gets around just fine.Usually we save the best for last, but in this case, I've saved the worst for last. Why? Well, I'm hoping if you've read this far and you're still with me, maybe this last bit won't seem so bad...but the truth is, it's not great. Jasper bites. He is very easily over-stimulated and likes to bite legs and feet...and if you're in sandals, your big toe doesn't stand a chance. If you pet him too long, your hand might also be a target. Jasper has been roaming around my house for a few weeks now. He spends most of his time in the basement because of the dogs, but he usually comes upstairs for a lap around the house in the evening when we are home watching TV. He hasn't been social with us upstairs, but when I go to the basement to do laundry, scoop the boxes, or work in the office, he's right by me the whole time. When I work down there all day, he sleeps in a cat bed on my desk, and occasionally sprawls out in front of (or on) the keyboard. He's interested in what I'm doing, loves attention, pets, chin scratches, the whole thing...but do it too long and you'll get a chomp. He's the sweetest cat ever...until something in him switches on and he feels the need to put his mouth on something. Is he tearing me up and sending me to urgent care???... heck no. Most of the time it's hardly more than a scratch, but...he has drawn blood. I've never needed a band-aid for any of it, though. Not sure if needing urgent care or a bandage are any kind of scale we can use to gauge the severity of his behavior, but I'm always going to be honest about my foster animals...both good and bad.So how do I handle living with a little 3 legged alligator? Well, I know his signals. When his tail starts flicking back and forth harder, I stop engaging. When I'm trying to walk and he gets right in front of me and blocks me...I stop walking and stand still until he walks away. His bites are very predictable if you know how to read a cat, but Jasper is a cat I would never place in a home with children or an inexperienced cat person. He is very sweet 95% of the time...but that other 5% means we aren't looking for the typical cat owner for him. I suspect there will be lots of interested in him because of those green eyes and the "awwwww" factor of having 3 legs. I may have to talk to, and deny, a lot of GREAT families who are interested. Our rescue has had a couple other biters and we found perfect homes for both of them. I'm really hoping Jasper can get that lucky, too. If you think you might be the right fit for Jasper, please reach out to with questions. We do have an application process, but let's talk about him first before I ask you to spend the time filling it out. Thank you so much for reading this far.
