Buster from The Joy of Cats

Buster is the first cat we rescued from our yard. He also turned out to be our most friendly, social cat.

Buster’s Details

  • Highest Weight: 16 lbs
  • Gender: Male
  • Coloring: Orange and white
  • Rescue date: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2011
  • Birth Date: Unkown, but he was an adult when we brought him inside.
  • Death Date: February 22, 2024.
  • Relationships: None
  • Nicknames: Big Boy, Big Buster, Big Boy Buster
  • Favorite Human: Slight preference for Heidi
  • Health Issues: Chronic eye gunk, missing teeth

Buster’s Story

On Martin Luther King Day in 2011, my husband and I were playing a video game together as I had the day off from work. There was snow on the ground with temperatures well below freezing for several days.We saw Buster outside the window.

At the time, I thought it was another stray cat that we would see occasionally. Lina and Kilala tended to fight with each other when they saw another cat outdoors. So I decided to scare Buster away (not very Cat Lady like!).

I was very shocked. The back door was in an area that can be closed off from the rest of the house. He was extremely hungry.

We called our vet office and they said we could bring him in that afternoon! He checked out fine except for some eye gunk (which turned out to be chronic issue) He didn’t have leukemia. I am assuming they checked for FIV too, but I didn’t know about those viruses back then.

They also explained his ear tip to us. The tip of when ear was missing. We had assumed it was from a fight with another cat or animal. Nope. Turns out he was neutered in a Trap, Neutered, Release program. And then his ear was clipped so that he would not be picked up again.

Buster also had broken incisors. The vet said he was likely kicked. The 2 incisors have since been removed.

I really wanted to keep him but I did post “lost cat” online. No one claimed him.

We let him stay forever.

The room we were confining Buster too was not heated. I didn’t want him to be cold anymore!

We didn’t do ANY research on how to introduce new cat to existing cats. We put him in the house with Lina and Kilala.

That made life interesting for awhile as there was a lot of hissing and a few fights.

Eventually, they accepted each other. I do NOT recommend this approach.

Buster sleeping

Buster quickly became a lap cat and he comes to us when we call him. I was very surprised at how loving he was given for a stray cat. Perhaps, he was abandoned or maybe some cats will naturally be friendly if given the opportunity.

Buster was only 7 lbs when we rescued him. He gained weight quickly making it to 16 lbs.

Read: Buster’s Final Story: My Favorite Cat Has Died

Meet the other cats here!

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Heidi Bender is the writer and founder of the Joy of Cats. She enjoys sharing cat information and providing helpful cat tips. She considers herself a cat lady and currently cares for eight cats.

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