Today you get a picture of a time cat, because Izzy was perfectly lined up with the grandfather clock in the background and it made me snicker. Izzy was not amused at my antics.
Time cat
Category: Cats
I met him on Main
I had just picked up coffee from my favorite coffee shop, and was driving down Main headed home, when I saw something dart across the road. It was the size of a squirrel, but didn’t move like a squirrel, was a streak of gray and white, but wasn’t an opossum. I slowed down to look as it ran toward a tree and saw the outlines of a cat. I pulled off the road and approached. It ran away and I could tell it was a kitten. Oh dear. I cornered it in a rose bush (or something with thorny stems, I didn’t even feel the scratches) and pulled it out by the scruff of its neck. It is amazing the problems that can be solved in the heat of the moment; I dumped all the items out of my car organizer and had a make-shift carrier, complete with zipped mesh top. (I’ve had it for years, never considered that it was appropriate temporary containment for small critters.) I took him (definitely a he) by the vet’s office and they said he was about 2 months old and yes, a boy, and did not seem to be harmed by his flight across four lanes of traffic. I took him home (the local cat shelter is full up with bottle fed babies), brushed out the burrs, clipped his nails, and gave him a bath with baby soap. One of the vet techs suggested the name “Thorn”.
He is set up in the spare room, which is where I usually put ferals to recover from getting fixed. We’ll see how he does with some kitten food and cuddles, get him an official vet visit and get him neutered, then see about finding him a home. My husband is allergic to male cats (our working theory is they don’t tend to be as fastidious about grooming as some females), so he is safe and cared for now, but can’t stay here. I guess I’ve been selected to foster.
Be careful what you wish for
I thought it tragic that the long haired outside cats didn’t get brushed, all those stickers and burrs caught in their fur couldn’t be comfortable! I slowly convinced Mr Tom that brushing was a good thing. I started with a little brushing before treats, now he would rather be brushed than get treats. His Shadow was harder to convince, after all, Mr Tom had already provided payment (letting me brush him) and he collected the treats. It took longer to convince Shadow that brushes were good. At first he would only accept because he thought the sensation was coming from Mr Tom as the cats rubbed greeting. Then he figured out it was me, then he figured out it was OK. Now he also demands brushings, so I am grooming two long haired outside cats who are not technically mine. Be careful what you wish for.
Happy cat
I threw a couple fuzzy blankets onto my chair as I was picking up, and Izzy took it as an invitation to settle in. She is particularly pleased because she won the spot battle and over Missy the dog, who has decided a cushy blanket on my chair is The Place To Be.
So in the nap spot wars, may the fourth be with you.
Reunited
The feral long-haired calico cat stayed in isolation (a spare bedroom in the house) for over a week after her spay. She turned out to be advanced in a pregnancy when I took her in (hard to tell under that long fur). Since that is a risky operation with a high probably for complications, we kept her calm and resting afterwards. She ate, drank, and used the litter box, so I felt OK keeping her inside, especially since we had cold wet weather for that week. When the weather cleared we took her back to her territory. Getting her back in the cage was tricky, but my eldest, the cat whisper, managed it. The cat bolted from the cage into the woods, but within five minutes I saw her in the meadow reacquainting with her family, which includes Mr Tom, Shadow, a gray tabby that is one of her adult kittens, and a short-haired black female that have also been through the TNR process. I’m hoping this is my last trapping for awhile. The other cats seemed to have cleared out.
Critters and Craft 