Gambit

I've written several posts now on a different topics. However, one thing I've been looking forward to sharing about our family was our boys (the cats Gambit and Maverick). Some of you have been to our house and have seen them roaming around. Sometimes they'll hide when there are a lot of guests over. But when the house is quiet and it's just my wife and I with the boys, their personalities really come alive. In this post, I hope to share some of the wonderful things about the first of our babies, Gambit.

Here he is in one of his favorite places. As you can see, Gambit loves squeezing himself into everything he thinks might hold him. That includes boxes, laundry baskets, bags, and suit cases. Maybe it makes him feel secure. Maybe he likes to think of himself as the same baby kitten that we fell in love with a few years ago. Even though he's the oldest of two cats, I think he likes knowing that he'll always be our baby.

When Tary first brought Gambit home, he was named Dimitri because his sister was named Sasha. Those were horrible names. He didn't look like a Dimitri. He was too cute, too energetic, and too awesome so he needed a name that fit him. I started rambling off names of buff characters like Ivan Drago (from Rocky 4) but that didn't work. Then I started thinking of X-Men characters when it finally hit me...Gambit!

Gambit will be turning 4 in April of this year. It's kind of crazy to think that we've had him longer than I've owned this house. They grow up so fast, don't they? I still remember when he was a kitten. I was still living at my parents' house. He came over to my chair and just sat underneath me while I was on the computer. I was scared of accidentally rolling and hurting him. I'll never forget the way he looked at me so I picked him and put him on my lap for the first time. He fell asleep almost instantly. I struggled to keep him from sliding off of my lap but he didn't seem to mind. He's a bit of a Momma's boy but he still prefers his Daddy's lap.

One thing that most people don't know about Gambit is how tough he really is and how much he had to overcome. He's a fighter. When he was about 5-months-old, Gambit got into some sort of accident while he was at Tary's parents' house. It was one of the worst phone calls. No one knows what exactly happened but the parents heard this pitiful meowing from behind one of the sofas and found Gambit hiding back there. By the time we rushed there, Gambit was already in his kitty bed but we knew something was horribly wrong. He tried walking over to us but he couldn't put any pressure on his rear right leg. We were heartbroken but Gambit tried to comfort Tary with one of his trademark licks.

We rushed Gambit to the nearest animal hospital. It was late but the time didn't matter. The doctors confirmed our suspicions of a broken leg. They gave us a quote for over $2,000 to try to operate and fix Gambit's leg. I had no clue how we were going to afford this...especially with me set to close on the new house soon.

We didn't know what to do but we knew we couldn't get Gambit treated there. It was just too expensive and we were scared that he would need to be put down. Thankfully, we got in touch with the lady who Tary adopted Gambit from. She referred us to a local veterinarian that she goes to. We paid whatever fees we to check Gambit out of the animal hospital and brought him to this vet.

A rod was inserted into Gambit's leg. It felt like the longest week waiting for him to recover and for us to bring him home. When we came to visit, he would do somersaults in his cage when he saw us. This made the vet cringe but that's part of what makes him Gambit. The vet told us that Gambit may never be able to walk the same. But Gambit sure proved him wrong.

Like I said before, Gambit is very much a Momma's boy. He knows when Tary is sick or sad and he tries to take care of her. He'll just stay by her side all day, tuck himself into a ball, and sleep beside her. He'll follow her around the house just to keep her company.

As for me, he loves sitting on my lap. Maybe because it's flatter than Tary's but it's his thing. Sometimes he'll wait for me to sit down in the mornings just to jump on my lap. If I get close to his face, he'll lick me on the nose. It's gross but I don't care. When he's really happy, he'll start kneading and drooling all over the place.

Gambit loves his Greenie dental treats. He'll come right over to you if you shake the bag and eat straight from your hand. He loves them so much, he'll eat all of the treats laid out in front of him and then run over and steal them away from his younger brother, Maverick (aka Mavi).

To pass the time, Gambit likes to look out of the windows throughout the house and just observe what's going on outside. He likes hunting birds with his eyes. You'll usually find him downstairs on the living room couch in the mornings. At nights, he may still be there or he may be upstairs looking out the window from the ironing board.

Gambit also loves to mess around with Mavi. He'll usually chase Mavi around the house and try to smack him around a bit. Gambit likes to go on offense while Mavi likes to lay on his back and counter. But I know they still love each other. It's adorable when Gambit helps groom his brother.

Gambit is a very independent cat. He won't come to you if you call his name. He doesn't normally show affection if you reach out your hand. And he definitely takes his sweet time warming up to strangers. He's content sitting inside a box or in some other room for most of the day. But in those few moments when he wants to be sweet, there isn't a sweeter cat in the whole world. That's why we love him.