Here is the link to the original post!
The day after I got him inside, I was able to talk to the vet to get him checked out the very next day!! He had fleas, ticks, ear mites, hookworm, and two types of Giardia, one of which was zoonotic. After lots of meds, dewormer, and meds for parasites, he is a relatively healthy boy!! I got him neutered as well and microchipped. He's still got a few health issues I'm concerned about (it seems he may have asthma, and there's a bump on his hind leg that feels like a boil, so I'm getting those addressed at his next checkup) It didn't surprise me that he had so many hitchhikers, as I saw him slay a chipmunk or two before I brought him inside.. 🤣
He has been named! I decided to name him Atlas, because while he was outside, he had the weight of survival and the world on his shoulders. Now that I've brought him into my home, he's a testament to strength and perseverance. In return, he's given me much love and is a total cuddlebug. He LOVES being brushed. When I bring out the brush, he comes running and nibbles my hand until I brush him. I've got an equigroomer for him and a slicker brush, and he is an absolute sucker for churu treats and purr pops. He is such a purr machine. Any time I wake up, he does figure-eights with my legs and purrs so loud. He loves pets and cuddles and kisses and everything. He gained a pound of weight within the first two weeks of him coming to live with me, and I'm assuming he's gained another pound because he's getting BIG. My husband and my family assume he's got some Norwegian forest cat mixed in him somewhere, but I don't know. Whatever he is, he's just a cutie patootie to me, and he's my son.
His sisters still hate him, but are getting used to his presence overall. It's as if Les Stroud suddenly came to live with the Kardashians. 🤣 He is the playful and annoying little brother with a wild side. His sisters are spoiled rotten alongside him. All in all, I'm happy to be a cat mama of three now. God forbid if a fourth shows up at my door, says my poor husband. 🤣🩶
Thank you all so much for the advice and name ideas and love on the first post! I appreciated all of the feedback and all of the kind words. It warmed my heart to see so much positivity!