Gabrielle Lamontagne & Fievel
Since I was a child, growing up in Northern Quebec, I've had an obsession with cats. When I was 8, I finally convinced my parents to adopt a cat from the ASPCA. T-Rex, a sweet orange tabby, was my first furry best friend and lived a long and happy life, in which he accompanied my family and I on camping and cycling trips. Upon moving to New York, I quickly became familiar with the bodega cats in my neighborhood, knowing each of them by name. I would often go out of my way to greet them during my morning commute. It became obvious that after several years without a pet, it was time to have a cat in my life again.
In 2016, while working at The Met museum on the Upper East Side, I learned about the ASPCA location a few blocks away. Finding out about kitten season prompted me to visit the shelter one evening after work. In the kitten room, I noticed a scruffy, solitary little tabby. Fievel, then named Ivan by the staff, was a few months old and isolated due to being FIV+. Despite this, he was social, rambunctious, and playful, with a beautiful silver coat and a distinctive pattern on his white belly resembling a buttoned vest. His pink nose and dark eye outlines gave him a cartoonish appearance, reminiscent of Fievel Mousekewitz from "An American Tail," one of my favorite childhood movies. It was love at first sight. After a few days of routine surgeries and vaccines, I was able to bring him home to Brooklyn in the famous cardboard carrier.
“Training sessions helped redirect Fievel’s attention and gradually extended his tolerance for petting.”
Upon inquiring about his backstory, the staff mentioned that rescuers found him and that he might have been the runt of the litter. He didn't have siblings and because he was FIV+, he hadn't received much socialization and wasn't placed in a pair, as is the ASPCA standard. Thankfully, he eventually tested negative for feline aids later that year; it is common among kittens to carry false positives from their mothers.
Most people who met Fievel as a young cat remember him as "crazy." As he grew older it became evident that he had behavioral issues. He was tense and nervous, making it impossible to pet him. Managing a FIV+ cat required frequent vet visits, which exacerbated his anxiety. Our first vet attributed his behavior to play aggression, suggesting it was simply part of his personality. Determined to address his issues, I sought a second opinion from another vet; Pamela, who understood my concerns and referred us to an animal behaviorist. Through observation at home, Fievel was properly diagnosed with anxiety and hyperesthesia.
At the time, I was going through a challenging personal time, leading me to wonder if Fievel had picked up on my stress. He began anti-anxiety medication and adhered to a strict regimen of stimuli. We were introduced to a cat trainer from the East Village School for Dogs, who taught us that cats can indeed be trained like dogs with extra patience. Training sessions helped redirect Fievel's attention and gradually extended his tolerance for petting. Establishing a positive and stimulating routine transformed our relationship. After a couple of years of training, he no longer required medication and became significantly calmer, exhibiting the true nature of his personality, although still occasionally nibbling and attacking ankles when hungry.
Fievel is extremely social, I don't think we've had a dinner party without him trying to sit on a chair at the table. Sometimes we'll bring a high stool near the table and he will sit there the whole time, a part of the festivities. He's extremely chatty and inquisitive, he can recognize a few words like door, bird, or treat. It's easy to tell what he needs whether it's refilling his water or having the window open to observe birds.
His eyes are so big and expressive, that friends always feel very drawn to him. I moved in with my partner now husband on the first day of lockdown and they’ve become very attached. Every morning when Ilya wakes up, Fievel runs to the bedroom to lie down on his chest to get cuddles. He sits next to him when he works from home. Fievel has a few woven bowls that he uses as a bed, he’ll usually lay down there and stare at us when we are in the living room. When we return home whether it's from a trip or an errand, he'll come running to the door and require us to pick him up like a monkey and then will groom us. The vet said that it was because he was weaned too early, but we're not complaining.
Ilya and I got married last year and decided to do a city hall wedding. We had a small celebration with friends at our house afterward because both our families live quite far away, and it was hard to imagine celebrating without Fievel. We rented coupes that night to serve cocktails to our guests. Fievel is obsessed with the faucet, he will cry in an attempt for us to let him drink from it although he's forbidden. Somehow in the night, one coupe was filled with water near the sink and he started to lap the water. Weirdly, the coupe is now his favorite way to drink. It's the right height and we can freshen it up because it's on the counter. Few guests aren't taken aback by a cat drinking from a martini glass. The list of goofball behaviors is too long, it’s hard to pick. He’s had a duck toy since he was a kitten, every night he picks it up and howls walking around with it in his mouth. He usually will drop it at our feet. He also pretends to bury our food and coffee. Especially on the weekend when the newspaper is on the table. He tears up the pages next to our bowls and cups.
Although it's been a journey, it is so hard to imagine our lives without Fievel. He's so personable and peculiar, everyone who meets him just loves him. He's turned many cat skeptics into cat lovers. Most notably my sister-in-law, despite never having been interested in cats, now proudly has a photo of him as her phone background.
Gabrielle Lamontagne, a creative director and illustrator originally from the Quebec countryside, has resided in New York for over a decade. She was part of the in-house team at Chobani, contributing to their award-winning rebrand. She now focuses her practice on branding and packaging design while occasionally doing illustration. She spends her free time collecting vintage picture books, making handbuilt ceramics and stoop gardening.