HOW T MOBILE GOT "FOUND"
This is T Mobile - newest member of the team at Uusi - sporting his just arrived, super-handsome, Found My Animal collar. The crew at FMA has already posted his photo in their gallery and gave him top billing! We couldn't be more thrilled to see "T's" cute mug on this wonderful company's website. Everything they make is beautifully designed, environmentally conscious and made in the USA - hey, that's just like T Mobile!
T Mobile's Story
PLAN I: CAPTURE THE ALLEY CAT
Though "T" is now comfortably headquarted in our company's wood shop, hanging out with the guys and eating 2 square meals a day, things were not always so "posh" for him. T used to live on the streets - hunting rats and small animals at night and hiding out behind the factories by day. We spotted him early one summer evening last year as he was darting down the alley behind our shop. We soon discovered T lived there, but we couldn't tell where he was actually hiding. For an alley cat, T actually looked pretty good. He's big and super strong and street smart. By the time we had discovered him he was a full grown, male cat deftly navigating his way in a rough, industrial area. We thought he could use a little extra help though, so Peter began to leave food for him back behind the building where we knew he hung out. Our plan was to get him used to us so we could capture him and bring him in to a no-kill shelter.
PLAN II: ?
We fed T all summer long and eventually he started to show up by the studio door. He'd been watching us more than we'd been watching him and knew the door we came and went from every day. One evening as we were leaving we saw him sitting outside the door, clearly waiting for us to come out. The studio doorstep at 6pm became T's new, private diner. He'd eat his food, hiss at us if we tried to come near him and then after he'd finished eating he'd be off for his night on the town. This routine went into the Fall with T Mobile getting more and more friendly with us. Finally, in October, T gave up the tough guy act and became the super-softy, love-bug he is today. After eating, now all he wanted was to hang out with us and have his belly scratched. We could easily have scooped him up and taken him off to the shelter...but we didn't. He still didn't live with us - he kept his place out back - which in December, we finally discovered was in the roof a warehouse next door. What a smart, cool cat.
PLAN III: PROFIT!
In January T decided it was time to move in with us. He was eating his meals in the wood shop every day and many nights we would just lock him in there until we got back the next day. It was warm, there was food. Body rubs. My sister, who is an incredible Vet (she has a clinic in Kentucky called All Paws), gave him all his shots & worming stuff and took care of his bruises. T was pretty cool with the whole setup. But if the door to the shop was left open, he'd take the chance to dart out and often he'd be gone for days on end. We knew T Mobile was happiest if he could roam - he needed to come and go as he pleased, just like he did with his rooftop "apartment", so Peter built a special door for T in the window of our shop that opened into a secure, gated alley. That was it. T had his new home, his freedom and two awesome people "slaves" tending to his every need. He scored! And so did we. Alley cats are the most grateful animals around. If they choose you, you get to experience one incredibly loyal, very loving and very smart little creature. It's a win-win for everyone.
Found.