They look at me with such trust in their eyes, these kittens and cats who have endured more than they should already. I don’t want to let them down. They require individual homes where their basic needs are met and they are loved and cared for by tender-hearted people.

Regardless of their color, these creatures are special. Folks who shy away from my black kittens only deserve my contempt. To think that these beautiful, sleek, elegant creatures can command the universe to deliver a boatload of bad luck is such hogwash.

Over the group reigns Hurricane Charlie- my most Alpha of them all and also my smallest cat. He is almost two years old now and has never grown very tall or very wide. One thing you can say about my cats; none of them are fat. But Charlie is stunted by early abuse and will remain the size of a small kitten his entire life. His right eye is completely blocked by an ulcerated pupil and he sees the world differently from the others I am sure.

His favorite perches are always high- the top of the pantry closet, on top of the refrigerator where he will drop spices on Gretchen when she runs by. I swear he winks at me when I go in to pick up his ammunition and put it back. He is so onery.

This winter, so far he has ruined one raincoat and a sweater. They were innocent victims just hanging around on the hall hook. His lastest game is to leap up in the air with front claws extended and snag the zipper pull, or the drawstrings of coats. My favorite black sweater isn’t fit for an elephant to wear right now. He has snagged it so many times the sweater’s shape has long been lost. I tucked it the garbage the other day with regret.

Hope went to stay with a wonderful lady but she came back in a week. Not because she wasn’t instantly loved and accepted, but the owner of the home forbade the renter to have any more cats. They already have three. Hope is eating and thriving and she has merged with the clowder which is right now more of a herd. Mike says that every place he looks in the house, it is occupied by cats and he is right. I am sure my step-kids are thinking that Dad really married a crazy lady just about now.

Baker got into a scuffle the other day outside and is now an inside kitty. he lost all his whiskers and most of the skin on his right side of his face, plus the whiskers on his legs. Did you know cats have whiskers on their legs? They do indeed- these whiskers are crucial in hunting. They allow the cat to keep track of their prey as they hunt. Whatever Baker hunted, hunted right back! The vet says he is lucky- it could have been so much worse. Mike wants to call him Lopsided now but I won’t allow it.

I’ve been sick for the New Year’s not a good way to ring in the New Year. The cats were constantly seeking my lap and chest, but I couldn’t handle their presence. I slept with the light on for two days because of the mad dash to the bathroom between the obstacle course of tails and paws. I am a bit better now but one thing remained quite clear during this bug invasion- Mike is no longer able to provide for this group when I cannot. That makes me sad-

I don’t want to let these cats down, they trust me to do the right thing by them and I will do my best. I will find loving homes for them or they will stay here with us and be looked after to the best of my capability. Mike’s capabilities have regretably failed.

It is inevitable, no matter how cautious you are when you are working with stray cats, at one time or another, you will either get bit or scratched for your efforts. The attack may be meaningful, when you go to fill a half-empty feed bowl, the cat lunges and clamps down. Or, perhaps while handling a new Queen’s baby kitten, the Queen strikes out and you become for a short period of time, her victim.

Never blame the cat for lashing out and keep your terror, panic, anger whatever emotion is coursing through you in check or it will be the worse for you. The cat will pick up on your emotion and the battle will continue.

If your stray has latched onto you with his claws or teeth, do not pull away (although this will be your immediate reaction) Pulling away, turns your hand, arm, leg from an inanimate object into prey wanting to escape and the cat will intensify his efforts to keep you near him. Instead, draw quickly (like a lunge) into the bite or scratch, this will cause the cat to startle and drop his grip.

If your stray is battle ready and willing to take you on- find something you can put in front of you- a blanket, a broom, even taking off your shirt works to hold him off. Use the object to guide the cat without touching him into a room where he can take some chill time while you attend to your wounds. Or if the cat is used to sleeping in a carrier, place the carrier near the cat and shoo the cat into his safe place using a broom.

What to do about a cat bite or a scratch:
Statistics show that 80% of cat bites become infected. I keep an emergency cat bite box available in my cat room upstairs. Inside, I have a basin- epsom salts, betadine solution, hydrogen peroxide, small container of bleach, 4×4 squares, paper tape (doesn’t pull your hairs like regular tape does) and an antibacterial cream.

You should have your tetanus up-to-date if you do any sort of work with strays. If not, do not pass go, do not collect one-hundred dollars, beat your feet quickly to the nearest ER room and get that bite looked at as well as updating your shot.

If you are like me, the bites usually occur when the doctor’s office is closed so if it isn’t a deep gash where you see muscle or bone, you can drop the wounded limb into a hot bath of water and epsom salt to draw out the poisons. One ER tech told me once that putting your finger or hand into a bleach and warm water mixture will kill any of the bacteria that cats commonly carry in their mouth or teeth (pasturella, staph, and other critters are running around in this critter). This procedure however, hurts like the dickens and I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint-of heart.

If it is a cat bite, the doctor is obligated by law to report the bite. This means that they may come and take the cat and quarantine him for 60 days to watch for rabies. Or, in some states, they can slap you with a fine for endangering your health and the health of others.

If you choose to not go to the doctor’s, that is your choice and your risk. You want to watch the area of the bite/scratch carefully. You are looking for any type of discharge, from clear to puss-filled. If you feel heat or see swelling around the area YOU NEED A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY! Especially if you see long red lines traveling from the center of the wound to other healthy areas of your body- if this happens Call 911 as this is the first stage of blood poisoning.

Cat Scratch Fever has been mentioned in this blog several times. Possibly because I have had the misfortune of dealing with this nasty critter and almost lost my foot- but bites and scratches are nothing to sneeze at. Sometimes, neosporin, iodine, hydrogen peroxide just aren’t enough to take care of the bacteria that stray cats lug around with them.

Last night when I unlocked the front door, Gretchen about jumped into my arms! Somehow during the foolishness of the fireworks and M-80’s going off in celebration, she had managed to get out of her cage and wreak havoc in the living room. Her victims: 4 socks, a bath towel, a bandanna, a pillowcase and a pillow all ruined beyond repair. The cats were also upset and I was up till really early trying to restore a sense of calm to the house. I am sorry, but I fail to understand why people shoot off fireworks for New Years Eve. All it does is terrify the animals and this morning there were several dead animals on the road when I went to town.

I had to laugh though last night at work right after eleven-o’clock this lady comes bustin into the store and announces to no one in particular that she is drunk. She weaved her way around the store demanding my attention as she searched through the stack of movies for sale until she found what she was looking for. What she was searching for didn’t become clear for a few minutes because she was so drunk. But she located her treasure and bought it and stumbled back outside to celebrate what? Only God only knows.

Right now I am watching the Rose Bowl where the Oregon Ducks aren’t doing very well, but I have faith they will persevere!

I leave for work soon and i hear we are quite busy today-