Setzer the sweet cat has a ‘calm and quiet demeanor.’ He’s looking for a forever home

Setzer is a thoughtful cat who appears to be pondering deep philosophical questions.

The most pressing one lately is, “If a house cat is homeless, does that cat exist?”

This question is essential for Setzer to answer.

He came to the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services shelter as a stray, which means even his name is not his own.

His identity has disappeared and his past is nonexistent. That’s eight years of life, gone.

Now he finds himself in a confined and noisy world. Indeed, his life has taken on an existential bent.

This sweet, older gent longs to hold on to the kitty he was once — the one shelter staff and volunteers know him to be.

When Setzer arrived at the shelter, he impressed those he met with his calm and quiet demeanor. He has a snuggly and playful side as well.

Yet as his stay at the shelter has continued, Setzer has become more reserved, retreating further from the front of his kennel, as if to escape the sound of the barking shelter dogs.

Patient people can help Setzer resist his drift toward self-imposed isolation. All it takes is kindness.

This tender boy loves kitty treats. With that offering, he remembers how pleasurable it is to be petted.

Setzer needs to know he’s finally home — to once again explore the wonder of both being loved and loving a person, to monitor all the mysteries of a house, and to know he not only exists but finally belongs.

For more information about Setzer (ID No.262121), call the volunteer line at the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services shelter at 805-781-4400 or visit www.slocounty.ca.gov/aserv. The shelter is located at 885 Oklahoma Ave., off Highway 1, in San Luis Obispo.

The full-price adoption fee is $81 for cats and $115 for dogs, plus a $28 county license fee for dogs, if the adopters are San Luis Obispo County residents.

The adoption fee includes a new collar, a spay or neuter operation, basic vaccinations, a microchip and eligibility for a free veterinary check within San Luis Obispo County. Cats also are tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus, and adopters receive a carrier.