My Autobiography

by Orion

Hi. My name is Orion, but David likes to call me 'Rion. He says it just rolls off the tongue. Yes, that is me you just heard! I don't remember a lot about my life before David rescued me, just images and smells really. This is the story David tells people about how he found me:

On the morning of September 4th, 2003, I left for work as usual, though a few minutes late. About 5 or 6 miles out from the house, on York Rd., I almost hit a small black kitten. I swerved to avoid it, and the kitten just sat in the road. I stopped and turned around (I had traveled a bit since I was doing over 65mph) and the kitten was still sitting in the road, sort of swaying. I got out and decided I had to do something or it would be killed. I went over to the kitten and he mewed and walked slowly off the road and away from me. I had no problem catching it since it was rather unsteady on his feet and quite slow due to his size. As I picked him up he turned into a little hissing and scratching machine, and managed to put a few war wounds on my hands. I placed him in my car and decided I could not drive holding him in one hand, steering with the other and all the while trying to avoid his claws and teeth, so I let him on the floor. Big mistake! He climbed into the dash and started to cry as I drove home. When I got to the house I opened the garage door figuring to get one of our many cat carriers. As soon as I got out of the car I saw that the wild grouse were out around the garage area. (Side note: We had a family of 7 grouse that lived near or in the yard. They are very brave and would run into the garage when I opened it.) One of the damned grouse ran into the garage and I had to chase it out. I got the carrier and then struggled to pull the kitten out of the dash.

I brought him to the vet and told them to give him all the needed tests, care for it's eye (one was tearing and looked a mess) and make sure it was not hurt. I asked if they would hold it for a few days while I tried to find a home for him. At the time we had 5 cats, 3 who are sick to one level or another and just had no hope of taking in a kitten. So I needed to find a home for him, this tiny kitten who was no bigger than my hand.

Orion(at the vet's 1 hour after being caught)

I went to the vet's office during lunch and after work with Donna to visit the kitten. Our vet told us that he was only 4 weeks old at best, had worms, an eye infection, talon marks on his back (yes, it seems that the poor little kitten was taken for a ride by a hawk or eagle. The vet said hawks will commonly drop small animals to kill them. Orion must have been dropped on the road shortly before I found him. He was one LUCKY kitten.) and his digestive track was not fully developed yet. The poor guy was a mess and Donna and I decided to keep him. Oddly, this was a black cat and I walked in his path on the road. He got all the good luck and the next night I fell down the stairs and broke my foot. Seems I was left with his luck!

Orion(Donna feeds me at the vet's)

So David and Donna named me Orion. I had to stay in the big bathroom for 3 or 4 weeks while I was nursed back to health and was strong enough to have introductions to the other cats. Of all the cats I liked Hamlet and Itchy the best. Hamlet would play with me for hours and Itchy would let me chase him around the bedroom. I found a home I really liked, with great cats and humans.

Orion(my first 2 weeks at the house)

I learned to play fetch and would make David play it with me for hours. I had these little toys that were sort of like milk bottle caps and they were so fun to chase. Things were going great! I was growing into a big long haired cat and tried to be as friendly as I could. (side note from David: Boy did he grow! His size rivals Hamlets now and his size, playfulness and long tufts of fur in the ears and paws make me believe he may have some Main Coon in him. And he is as smart as a whip!)

Orion(on TV in October 2003)
Orion(on front door condo October 2003)

Things really were shaken up here in May of 2004. My friend Itchy became very sick and left us, as did Electra and a cat that lived outside the front door named Copycat. It was sad and quite here for a long time. In September David and Donna brought home 2 kittens named Apollo and Andromeda and I was no longer the darling of the house! I hated the kittens for months before I realized that they were rescued also and were not bad at all. Now I like to play with them sometimes, but I play with my best friend Hamlet a lot more.

Orion(on TV in January 2004)
Orion(on front door condo January 2004)

On December 15th 2020 at 4:30pm MST Orion left us.





My Info:

  • Gender:
  • Male
  • Color:
  • Black with long silver tufts under my arms
  • Official Birthday:
  • August 7, 2003
  • Height(sitting):
  • 20 inches
  • Length w/Tail:
  • 35 inches
  • Weight:
  • 12 lbs
  • Eye color:
  • Goldish Green
  • Favorite Music:
  • Anything soft and light
  • Favorite TV Shows:
  • Survivor, Navy NCIS (David and Donna eat while watching them and I usually steel or beg food from them)
  • Favorite Food:
  • Lettuce, vanilla ice cream
  • Likes:
  • Sitting on the top of the couch, being on TV, hiding under the litter box top while David scoops the box, being brushed, jumping on Hamlet, lettuce
  • Dislikes:
  • Being sent to the bedroom for steeling food, Scat air sprayers, strangers, lion cuts, Perseus
RoseIn loving memory of sweet Orion.
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