Name: Cookie Guzdar
Family: Dinsh, Sally, Maya, Nate, Ruby, and Yogi
Age: 16 going on 17
Breed: Unknown — “Buffalo grayhair”
Adoption story: On a cold autumn evening in October 2009 in Buffalo, NY, our eldest daughter Maya, who was 9 at the time, found a little stray kitten in our backyard. Because it was getting colder, we brought him inside to save him from freezing. None of us originally wanted a cat; we had been preparing to get a puppy. But the next day we took the little kitty to the vet and he had every bug imaginable — fleas, worms, ticks, and ear mites. The vet took care of him, and Cookie soon had a bed, litter box, and toys — all gathered by neighborhood kids to create a new home for Cookie. We shared his story with all the neighbors and tried to get anyone to adopt him. But by the time folks were interested, we’d already fallen in love with the little guy. And today, three houses and 17 years later, he is happily living his best life with us in Piedmont.
Favorite napping spot: Outside in the sun
Favorite toy: Any dangly toy he can try to catch
Interesting fact: He ran away from home once when we had a cat sitter and lived wild in Piedmont for 21 days. Once we came back, Dinsh went looking for him and Cookie immediately leapt into his arms from a bush.
Anything else: Cookie has had two dog brothers — Baloo, whom he tolerated, and now Yogi, whom he avoids. Cookie is very shy and many of our friends don’t even know we have a cat.
