Feral Cat Behavior

Been getting calls about the kittens up for adoption. Most folks aren’t what I would deem right for my cats. One friend told me my cats are hard to adopt because they are “weird” They aren’t strange,they are special because of the abuse they suffered. Not everyone can deal with cats who don’t act like “normal” cats. But four kittens have found homes so it is working.

This morning, I get a phone call from a woman wanting to adopt a kitten. She has an older cat and she thinks this cat is lonely so she wanted to get another one. She has been looking other places for awhile trying to find the perfect match. Her vet told her she needed to get a kitten instead of an older cat, but after talking with her at great length, I managed to convince her to return to a shelter she visited recently and adopt a five-year old male who has been living in a cage for four years! He has had to have his tail docked due to abuse so no one wants him.

Do I think this woman would make a great caretaker of one of my cats? Absolutely! But as I told her, my cats have free range of the house and enclosure. They don’t live in stress, they aren’t stacked in cages and some of them even go outside. This fellow that she told me about doesn’t have that option. She told me she was going to go back to the shelter after we hang up the phone and bring this boy home!

Tonight, when I lay in bed petting Pippi and thinking about the day, I can smile knowing that one older cat was rescued from a bleak life in a no-kill shelter and now has a home to call his own. That will make me smile.

Not surprising based on the cats activity level last night before bedtime, but we got hit with a major storm. The rain is still coming down in droves. Our rain gutter got plugged up and you would have laughed if you had seen me. I set up my kitchen stepstool (I am not dumb enough to get on a ladder right now) I was outside underneath where a big tree limb had fallen on the roof. I stepped on the stool the bottom rung, ok, so far, so good. Then I stepped on the top rung, the larger platform and sank down into the mud! To say our ground is saturated is an understatement.

Finally using our boat pole, I was able to pull the limb off the roof. Doesn’t look like it did any damage thankfully.

Walked Yoda back to the creek which is now a small river. He jumped into the middle of the creek and got swept into the current and into the culvert. I ran around the other side to see him emerging up the bank- another Thank God! He looked happy to be on firm land and a bit puzzled as to why Little Creek became so big! But he is fine and if this rain continues, we are probably five hours from the creek overflowing into the pasture.

Received an email from a good friend over at the coast. They are being hit with 100 mph winds and he has been on his generator since losing power 48 hours ago. Lost twin calves he writes in the middle of the storm and the dogs (two strapping German Shepherds) are refusing to go outside in this madness! He and his wife are okay he just wanted to let us know.

Pippi stopped eating last night. I have tried all the tricks and she just won’t eat. She is crying a lot but is still active. I hate this disease FIP! I suspect her time is drawing to a close although she has no fevers- just loss of appetite.

This morning, I couldn’t find Baker. I looked all over the closet and was just about to launch a full-scale search when his head popped up from behind the litter pan! I didn’t think a mouse could fit behind that litter pan! He is very ouchy this morning, back arched more than before and he is limping on his front legs. Although Tuesday is just around the corner, it seems like it is taking forever to get here. I called to see if we could bump up the appointment but was told we couldn’t.

Last night, I cleaned out our downstairs linen closet, removed all the shelving and set it up for long-term residency for Baker. Mike is making a chicken wire door to replace the wooden one. The closet is in the downstairs hallway so Baker will still feel part of the household. There are three low-sided litter pans in there, one cat carrier that I took apart to form two comfy cat beds and the little low-lying ground hammock for him to sleep in. His limping is more pronounced this morning and I can see he just has the “feel-bads.” We don’t go to the specialist until Tuesday so I wanted to make him as comfortable as possible. Now, I have no idea what to do with all the towels, cat blankets, sheets, etc… that I pulled out of the closet but I will find room somewhere.

My fear is that Ms. Pippi is now going blind. Her eye is now in full eruption mode and there are times when she acts as if she cannot see out of the eye at all. At night, if I reach out to pet her, she will turn around and bite me pretty hard. No tearing of the skin,but I wonder if she is slowly losing what sight she has and unless I announce my intentions the petting startles her. She still sits at the door looking out into the hallway, she is eating and drinking and using the litter pan. But I wonder, once this claims her eye- will it go for another foothold? Will FIP spread to her other eye?

Since he has been on pain meds for a bit they ran a second set of films on him and decided to turn us over to the University for further treatment. I dealt with this before with my horse and they are a cash-only facility. But the good news is that they are a teaching clinic and so new treatments and procedures are followed and explored.

We go in next week and so for now B stays on the pain meds. He is eating and drinking and using the litter pan and wanting out of his cage- but all I can do is just keep him confined and keep him on the pain meds and hope for the best.

Thanks to everyone for their purrs, prayers, vibes and supports. The upcoming auction will help me to get the ball rolling and get Baker some relief. Mike who is a custom knifemaker (or he used to be) will be donating one of his knives for this auction as well. I know he is really fond of Baker!

Yesterday Mike helped me rig together a cage system for B. it just allows him to have more horizontal space and not any vertical space. I don’t want him to jump on anything so he is essentially in a long extended cage. We cut boards to make a roof inside the cage blocking off access to the top of the cat carrier and allow Baker to just chill and not try to jump. We added another two-door cage for room. I am surprised but even with his injuries he tries to get up on stuff though he is quite alpha. That’s why we decided it best to millerize a cage system for him to recoup in.

He is resting quietly at the moment and he is eating and drinking. He has problems using the litter pans but we are figuring it out.

I always heard that cats land on their feet if they fall but that is only if they know they are falling and can see where they are going and righten himself. I suspect he was sleeping and rolled over and fell, or one of the other cats just startled him awake and he fell. i don’t think cats shove other cats intentionally. But since I was sleeping, I don’t know exactly what happened.

Thanks again to those of you helping out in so many ways. Sometimes, I just wonder what it’s like to have only a few cats. It is a feeling I have not known for many, many years!

I am pleased to let you know that Scotty, Promise and Reese (the formerly feral) kittens are now meeting me each morning at the head of the stairs! It’s funny you can see Scotty looking at me from above, and I am so very small at the foot of the stairs so unthreatening, but as I start to climb, his eyes get wider and wider. It’s like he’s thinking a giant has awoken. When I get the top of the stairs- he bolts for his safety spot whereas Reese and Promise come over to get their pets and love. And they both are loves. I have to smile because I remember how hard they were to trap and how long it took me to snag them. Now they are all over my feet trusting that I will do the right thing with their care. It took about two months and they aren’t ready to be put into general population yet, but they are ready to be adopted out to the right home. They are listed on PetFinders now.

I found out today that Don’s ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean so there was a father and son reunion of sorts. I wasn’t there but heard about it after the fact. I also learned about how he passed. Apparently, he was shopping for groceries when it became difficult for him to breathe, he started sweating profusely, clutched his chest and dropped. He died before the paramedics could reach him, so there was no time to say goodbye. I am glad they scattered him at sea, because after we had Jeremy’s ashes scattered over the coast of Santa Barbara, he said if something ever happened to him, he wanted to join his son.

I hope he has joined our son in more ways than one. It just hit me today that I will never hear his voice again.

A few nights ago, I was sound asleep when a crash woke me. I flipped on the lights, raced out into the hallway to find Baker lying on the floor next to our pantry. On top of the pantry was McGee looking quite proud of himself. I believe that McGee jumped up on the top of the pantry and either startled Baker or pushed him off. (They both are alphas). Baker stood up, seemed to shake himself off a bit and walked a bit unsteadily away to find another spot to sleep.

I watched him and when he started to really limp, I put him upstairs in the bigger cages for awhile, but he was most unhappy, so I just let him roam the room. Nothing high to jump on in the room.

Yesterday, I took him to the vet because he was walking with a arched back and he looked like he was walking on tippy-toes. Films revealed he has a protruding disc from the fall and needs surgery. I am at a loss, I can’t afford the surgery so for right now he is on pain management. I told Mike this morning that I wanted to sell my ivory bracelets but he pitched a fit. These bracelets were made for me by a famous Alaska carver- Lincoln Milligrock (RIP) they were a swap for several walrus knives Mike made for Lincoln. One bracelet is the exact duplicate of Lincoln’s bracelet that is in the Smithsonian. They were all three custom made for me and one of the best gifts I have ever been given.

So Baker is on cage-rest and I am using a towel-sling to help him use the litter pan. I am always amazed at how cats handle pain so well. I am going to try and work with another cage and make him a longer cage to be in as he will be there for quite awhile. Just please say prayers for him- The pantry top is about 9 feet tall and he fell on a tile floor not carpet. Just a tip, should anyone ever need to make a towel sling for their kitty because of injury or illness- take two DEPENDS- cut on in half at the crotch- superglue them together and use this instead. I was trying to figure out how to provide more padding for Bake because the towel kept curling up under him when he tried to struggle. The DEPENDS gives that padding and also when he leaks (because they do after severe injury, the pads pick up the moisture and the kitty doesn’t need a butt bath afterward.

There’s a commercial running right now that chills me to the bone. It’s a group of the elite and they are all enjoying a huge dinner out at a fancy restaurant. The bill arrives at $4,000.00 and the hostess whips out her phone and does quick calculations and announces everyone at this long table owes $37.00

The guests all whip out their phones and using the phones transfer the monies directly to the hostess’s bank account.

Mike and I sat in stunned silence. We as a society are becoming so dependent on technology. Mike has a favorite saying “Take away our batteries and we become a nation of idiots.”

I’ve noticed hardly anyone wears watches anymore. Ask someone the time, they whip out their phones to tell you. At a rare dinner out the other night- most of the diners were sharing booths and were either on the cell phones or they were texting.

On the news last night they announced that parents would be better off texting punishments to their kids rather than telling them about it! I’m thinking, “yeah you can text to your teen that their cell phone is off limits for a month!”

Mike and I don’t own a cell phone. I had one for awhile but didn’t find much benefit in it so I turned it back in.

So the question of the day is where are we traveling, and what are we going to do when we get there? And, is there anyone sending postcards along the way?

This recent story just slams home what I am talking about- and oh my heaven’s how sad for the boy on the bike and his family.

Teen dies

Ten degrees outside right now! YIKES!

I am sitting by the fire, cuddled up by cats who are highly annoyed at my laughter. Piper who is trying to sleep on my chest keeps giving me this look like “Please just stop!” McGee and Donovan sharing my substantial tummy are not amused at my chortlings. But I can’t help myself! I just finished reading Allia Zobel Nolan’s two new books I’d Rather Be A Cat and Dog Confessions! I am amused, my cats however are not!

I love the whimsy, the quick read, the wonderful photos that accompany these small gift books. In Dog Confessions, you see a big ol German Shepherd with such expressive eyes. In his mouth is a green rubber duckie. The caption reads: “I can’t sleep without my green rubber duckie!”

Small gift books, purr-fect for cat and dog owners alike- these books will bring you warmth and giggles. Just be sure your cats are prepared for the earth to move, especially when they want to lay on your tummy while you read these two books!