It doesn’t appear to be much in the way of life changing, this photo of a small cat running into the woods in fear. But this was the first photo of Aqaba back on 25 July, 2023.

I wasn’t sure if he was feral or dumped, but I know the dangers here are legion; hawks, owls, venomous snakes, alligators, dogs, bobcats, raccoons, and coyotes, all of these are real and present dangers for a small cat.

One day this creature trotted up my mama’s wheelchair ramp like he was going to come in if I opened the door. I did open the door but he fled. I named him Aqaba. It’s a port city in Jordon on the Red Sea. Long story on why this name came to me, but it did.

Aqaba would eat dog food off the porch, and would let me watch him, but he wasn’t trustful at all. If I opened the door he would run, but he began to undertand me calling out, “Aqaba! Aqaba! Kitty, kitty, kitty!” meant the bowl was full.

I thought we had lost him during hurricane Idalia, but much to my surprise, Aqaba returned right after the storm. Attempts to trap him were futile. I would set a trap and he would disappear for a couple of days. But it was clear after the hurricane, Aqaba wasn’t doing as well. I was afraid something would happen, and sure enough, it did.

At five in the morning, on September the 18th, 2023, I heard Wrex, my resident hound and hunter, barking in the woods. I went to investigate and my heart sunk. Wrex Wyatt was standing at the base of a small tree, and Aqaba was about halfway up, hanging on for dear life. I called Wrex and he broke off, and followed me inside, instantly.

My worst fears were realized. Aqaba had two wounds, one other either side of his neck, and was bleeding. He was eating, drinking and still running from me, but the clock began to tick. A small mammal with a neck wound was going to die quickly in the woods. I had to get Aqaba into a trap, and inside a vet’s office, and quickly. I bought another trap that day and set it the next morning. I had to go to work, but was willing to wait until I could catch him. An hour after I set the trap, I went outside to check it. The gate was closed. What was inside? It might be a raccoon, or an Opossum, or maybe a stray dog.

Or Aqaba. A wounded, and unhappy, and pissed off cat.

I bundled the trap up, not knowing if this cat had rabies or some other disease. This is where it began to get hard. He had been through so much, and now, finally, I could get him to a vet. I took Aqaba to Valdosta Animal Hospital in Valdosta. They would run tests on him to see if he had Feline Leukemia, Rabies, or something else that would doom him. If they could save him, I wanted him fixed, vaccinated, wormed, and basically anything that they could so, they would do, to save Aqaba.

I went to work and waited. A stray would likely have half a dozen diseases. I thought Aqaba was female at first so I worried about pregnacy. But at the end of the day, I just wanted Aqaba to be alive, and we would work on getting him healthy. Two hours later, a call from Valdosta Animal Hospital came in. It seemed too quickly for it to be good news, and my heart sank. But all the news was good. The neck wounds would not kill him or impair him. No diseases lurked inside this cat. Aqaba was clipped and ready to be shipped. I could take Aqaba home, and hopefully, find someone to adopt him soon.

I set him up a tiny box in the bathroom, and introduced him to mama. Aqaba had been a pet at some stage of his life, and mama is good with cats. Clearly.

This was a cat in search of a family. Aqaba Thomas, as he was named, was looking for love.

The injuries looked bad, but were healing.

Whatever happened to Aqaba, it had been a close call.

The search was on for a new home. Aqaba clearly could not stay here. Wrex Wyatt, resident hunter, had nearly killed Aqaba once. I could not allow it to happen again.

So Aqaba hired a defense attorney to defend Wrex. Okay, what actually happened was a friend of mine of social media, who actually was a defense attorney, was carefully watching the story of Aqaba and what happened to him. She asked me a simple question, “Did you see Wrex attack Aqaba?” and the answer was no. We talked about the evidence. Wrex didn’t have a scratch on him, and Aqaba had cleary fought his way out of the jaws of death. Wrex had left the scene of the crime easily, not like a dog with treed prey. And finally, I measured the canine teeth marks. The scars on Aqaba’s neck were just shy of an inch and a quarter apart. Wrex’s canine were over an inch and a half.

Wrex Wyatt was innocent.

Moreover, Aqaba was throwing a full court press into diplomacy.

Aqaba made friends with The Queen, Lilith Anne. This wasn’t amazing because Lilith loves everyone.

And finally, we achieved integration.

Honestly, it’s hard not to love this cat. Aqaba Thomas is fearless and daring, and wants to be part of this pack, to be a member of the family. After all, I rescued him. Why shouldn’t he be?

Mom bought Aqaba a tree. He approves.

A couple of days after we got Aqaba inside, this random raccoon walked around the backyard. Was this what nearly killed Aqaba?

We may never know where Aqaba Thomas came from, what happened on that early morning in September, or anything more than we know right now. There’s still no photos of Budlore Amadeus with Aqaba, snuggling and being pals. There may never be.

We also know something else. It’s been over twenty years since I adopted a cat. The time, effort, and energy to make this work since September has been significant. However, Aqaba Thomas is happy. He loves me. I love him. Those things we do know.

Aqaba Thomas Firesmith is home. This is where he is, this is where he will stay, the Hickory Head Pack now includes a cat.

Before I close this out, this happy ending to an odd journey, I would like to mention all four of my dogs were adopted from USA Rescue Team, based in Valdosta Georgia. Aqaba Thomas didn’t go through them like everyone else, but at the same time, that group of hardworking people have contributed so much happiness to my life, at this point time, I would like to ask you to donate to the rescue. Any amount will do. Tell them Aqaba sent you.

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/usarescueteam

https://www.facebook.com/people/United-Saving-Animals-Rescue-Team/61550620899547

Thank you,

Mike