We had a kitten show up at our back door once. Our current cat liked her also so we didn’t try too hard to find where she came from. We just loved her and spoiled her for many years.
Our kitty was found by our son at the recycle/trash dump. He works there and the kitten would come sit with him in the loader and share his lunch so he gave kitty to us and we have had him 3 years, sweet little boy and sometimes as crazy as Luddie is in this strip.
One I just lost after 17 years was found by friends while horseback riding in the woods in the middle of nowhere. She was very tiny, no sign of mom, no idea how she got there.
Our two cats were adopted from a local rescue group. We think they were barn cats in West Virginia, but they were picked up at a very young age (we adopted them at about four months old but we have photos from the rescue group when they were about one month).
About 14 years ago, my brother called me up. He said there was a tiny kitten in a bad way hiding in an open shed in his neighbors back yard, and he couldn’t get the kitten to come. I told him I would get the kitten for him in five minutes. I went over with a can of tuna. I opened the can and held it up to the fence. That poor little kitten could barely move, but he tottered on over to the fence. He was so tiny he squeezed through one of the holes in the chain link fence! I scooped him up, carried him to a chair and held him in my lap, and hand fed him bits of tuna. He is still with me 14 years later.
I absolutely love kitten Ludwig in P.3.Almost every cat I’ve ever owned was a rescue of one sort or another, either from the shelter, side of the road, or just dumped on my steps.But I did have one that moved in with us on his own volition. He was ‘owned’ by neighbors across and down the street. They let him and his sister roam at night, even as young kittens. I met them when I came home at 10:30pm and they were playing in my driveway. We live in a small town in the mountains. Coyote, fox, bobcat, cougar, hawks, owls, eagles and ringtail are all common predators. The sister disappeared at about 3 months but the little male survived. He would come over to our house and, being so small, he could get into the enclosed cat run I’d built for ours.One day, at about 6 months old, he came into the house and started devouring kibble. He had a very nasty wound on his back and was missing a lot of flesh. We cleaned and bandaged the wound and when I returned him to the owners I told them they had to keep him indoors at least until it healed. Well, 2 days later he cam back into my house, wound open again and getting infected. This time, after I doctored it, I did not take him back and for the next 17 years he never left our house or the cat run and I was his person, rarely letting me out of his sight when I was home.Oh, we also put the family on the ‘do not adopt’ list at the local shelter.
Our first two turned up in the woods, just before Christmas, fifteen years ago. They decided that they were moving in with us and that was that. We were just as half hearted about looking to see if anyone had lost them. Our vet reckoned that they had been deliberately abandoned. We still have one of them, our dear old girl. She, and her much missed sister, have been a total joy to have in our home.
Alondra over 5 years ago
I haven’t been reading this long so it’s nice to get the backstory on Luddie!
Dirty Dragon over 5 years ago
Ha! Doesn’t look like they tried too hard to find where Ludwig came from!!
(Here’s the first appearance of “the cat”, from 1993.)
http:// arloandjanis.com /wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/1993-11-02-first-cat.jpg
(You’ll have to take out the two spaces I put in the URL there, I don’t think we’re supposed to put ‘clickable’ links into the comments.)
Tyge Premium Member over 5 years ago
Cabbage patch cats are tougher than you think.
Nachikethass over 5 years ago
Janis is hiding Luddie! As I would have too!
Ruth Brown over 5 years ago
I love the last panel.
toppop52 over 5 years ago
Are we being prepared for Ludwig’s departure?
1MadHat Premium Member over 5 years ago
So Luddie was just a normal kitteh! Love it!!! Any more more Luddie left in the Wayback machine? 8^)
nanakitteh over 5 years ago
We had a kitten show up at our back door once. Our current cat liked her also so we didn’t try too hard to find where she came from. We just loved her and spoiled her for many years.
jeanie5448 over 5 years ago
Our kitty was found by our son at the recycle/trash dump. He works there and the kitten would come sit with him in the loader and share his lunch so he gave kitty to us and we have had him 3 years, sweet little boy and sometimes as crazy as Luddie is in this strip.
mourdac Premium Member over 5 years ago
One I just lost after 17 years was found by friends while horseback riding in the woods in the middle of nowhere. She was very tiny, no sign of mom, no idea how she got there.
shamino over 5 years ago
Our two cats were adopted from a local rescue group. We think they were barn cats in West Virginia, but they were picked up at a very young age (we adopted them at about four months old but we have photos from the rescue group when they were about one month).
Joseph McFarlane over 5 years ago
Does anyone know why GoComics changed the policy on clickable links? I used to get some great music and information from those things.
Anne over 5 years ago
I thought I remembered a strip where Arlo was telling Luddie that they went to the pond to find a dog and came home with him instead?
rlaker22j over 5 years ago
It’s pound not pond
trainnut1956 over 5 years ago
About 14 years ago, my brother called me up. He said there was a tiny kitten in a bad way hiding in an open shed in his neighbors back yard, and he couldn’t get the kitten to come. I told him I would get the kitten for him in five minutes. I went over with a can of tuna. I opened the can and held it up to the fence. That poor little kitten could barely move, but he tottered on over to the fence. He was so tiny he squeezed through one of the holes in the chain link fence! I scooped him up, carried him to a chair and held him in my lap, and hand fed him bits of tuna. He is still with me 14 years later.
Laurie Stoker Premium Member over 5 years ago
I’m really enjoying this story line. Arlo and Janis are good people!
bryan42 over 5 years ago
I absolutely love kitten Ludwig in P.3.Almost every cat I’ve ever owned was a rescue of one sort or another, either from the shelter, side of the road, or just dumped on my steps.But I did have one that moved in with us on his own volition. He was ‘owned’ by neighbors across and down the street. They let him and his sister roam at night, even as young kittens. I met them when I came home at 10:30pm and they were playing in my driveway. We live in a small town in the mountains. Coyote, fox, bobcat, cougar, hawks, owls, eagles and ringtail are all common predators. The sister disappeared at about 3 months but the little male survived. He would come over to our house and, being so small, he could get into the enclosed cat run I’d built for ours.One day, at about 6 months old, he came into the house and started devouring kibble. He had a very nasty wound on his back and was missing a lot of flesh. We cleaned and bandaged the wound and when I returned him to the owners I told them they had to keep him indoors at least until it healed. Well, 2 days later he cam back into my house, wound open again and getting infected. This time, after I doctored it, I did not take him back and for the next 17 years he never left our house or the cat run and I was his person, rarely letting me out of his sight when I was home.Oh, we also put the family on the ‘do not adopt’ list at the local shelter.
pchemcat over 5 years ago
Ooo! Baby Luddie! I love hearing about his beginnings!
mountaingreenery. over 5 years ago
Our first two turned up in the woods, just before Christmas, fifteen years ago. They decided that they were moving in with us and that was that. We were just as half hearted about looking to see if anyone had lost them. Our vet reckoned that they had been deliberately abandoned. We still have one of them, our dear old girl. She, and her much missed sister, have been a total joy to have in our home.