Ryder

Ryder is estimated to have been born in 2010. He came to the farm in 2011 after he was caught in a humane trap in our nature sanctuary. He was one of several cats we found in a 2-3 week period and we suspect someone had dumped a whole group of cats there. Ryder was pretty much feral and wanted nothing to do with people. He was young and we were hoping that he’d socialize a bit more after he felt safe. But Ryder taught us a lot of things. He taught us that it’s important not to have an agenda or time line. Ryder was not interested in our timeliness of things for sure. At first, he basically just hid away from everyone. But then Ryder discovered a friendship with another cat in his room named Bob the Builder. Bob was a very special and big boy. He was solid in life. And Ryder hitched up with him. We all got to see the power of friendship play out before us as Ryder suddenly felt safe enough to explore his world. Ryder still lives life in his very own safety zone. But he now sits out in the open on his favorite chair or sofa and has even let people pet him once in a while. Bob has shared a valuable lesson with Ryder about trust. It is wonderful to watch Ryder find that within himself in the manner he chooses with no pressure from us about what that will look like or how fast he has to do it. Ryder will continue growing and exploring here with us for the rest of his life. Sadly, Ryder lost his friend Bob when Bob developed a very serious heart condition and died. But Ryder still continues to carry all of the wonderful gifts that Bob left him with as he continues on his own journey all the richer because of that friendship.

To Sponsor Ryder: Sponsorships are $100 for one year. Click the Sponsor Me button above and be sure to write in “Ryder Sponsor” in the Comments section on the form. You can go to our Sponsor Page for more information.