Feral Cat Behavior

As I passed the first row of cages in the animal shelter, I felt a light tap on my arm. I paused and looked over at these startling blue eyes framed by a light orange face. I followed the line of the paw that was holding on to my arm (sans claws) and saw a beautiful flame point. He was lying in the cage, with one front leg extended, stopping me in my tracks. He seemed to be saying “Won’t you please take me home with you?”

I gently removed his paw and gave him a quick scratch under his chin. I was on the move again needing to check in regarding a recent litter of orphaned kittens. Sandie, one of the workers who was nearby leaned over and said- “We have never seen him reach out like that.”

I shook off the thought of adding still another cat to my group and hurried over to the exam room to reschedule an appointment.

As I turned to head out of the door, I again had to pass the row of cages, each one containing either one cat or several, or litters of kittens waiting for a home that hopefully would be in the near future. As I passed his cage again, he reached out a final time…tap…tap..tap…

I paused and looked in, fully drinking in the sight of him. I studied his card. He was a 3 year old, neutered flame point. His name…Flame. He has crystal blue eyes and he gazed at me unwavering. I slowly blinked my eyes a few times to let him know I was no threat.

“We have had him quite awhile, ” I heard behind me in a whisper. “He’s been through his vaccinations and quarantine and is ready for the cat room now.
I thought about the cat room, cages stacked on cages, cats inside each one. No room in the Inn I thought sadly- all these lovely creatures, abandoned for whatever reason waiting for either adoption day, or euthanasia.

“I can’t take him. My husband will kill me!’ Said husband was waiting patiently out in the truck for me to come out of the shelter. With so many cats at home now, I couldn’t even concieve that Mike would agree to another one. I said my goodbyes and headed out the door.

Climbing into the truck, Mike noticed my eyes. “What’s wrong?” He asked. “Anything happen?”

“No, nothing, there was just a sweet cat in there that apparently liked me a lot. But there is no way we can have another one. I looked quickly in his direction and he was grinning. “Why not? What difference could one more cat make?”

I looked at him in amazement. “Are you serious? You would let me adopt him?”

As an answer, he suddenly swung a U-turn and headed back to the shelter. “Go and get him. It sounds like he needs us.”

As I entered the shelter, Sandie looked up and smiled. “Forget something?”

“Yes, I forgot him!’ I pointed at Flame.

Her smile got larger. “Tell you what, take him home now and I’ll throw Lily in for free! Have you seen Lily yet?”

I hadn’t so she led me into the cat room. In one of the bottom cages there lay a big white cat. “Lily” was brought to the shelter by someone who had found her. A vet visit revealed that she had been pelted with pellets from a BB gun, she had either been beaten or hit by a car, and denied vet care. Her pelvis was broken, the vet suspected when she was a kitten. She was unable to walk normally and crabbed across the floor. She was in her Senior years and she just needed a safe place to call her own. Sandie said no one wanted her because of her disablity and her age.

I sat down on the floor and Sandie brought Lily out of the cage and set her nearby. I snapped my fingers lightly and Lily hopped over to me. She pushed her lovely face into my arm and tried to crawl in my lap. Because she had no traction in her backend, she kept sliding off.

Tears were flowing as I thought of what this cat had endured. How could I say no to her needs? “Okay” I said sighing. “I will take both cats.”

This entry was posted on Friday, June 23rd, 2006 at 9:13 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.