Saturday, November 19, 2022

Cat Update

I thought that I remembered everything for the new cat. I realized when I got up this morning that I'd forgotten one thing. A litter scoop. Believe it or not, I went to four stores and they were all sold out. Craziest thing I ever heard. 

We resorted to caging the cat. Left to his own devices, he'd have hidden away forever. Putting him in a dog kennel, with a box 'cave' to hide in, he remained in his cave for all daylight hours, slipping out to eat and drink and use his litter box after the lights went out and the house got quiet. 

I've been fretting about it. The cat smells bad. He's a feral. He has had surgery. 
He comforted himself at the vet clinic by sleeping in his litter box. 

For two days. 

I knew that he needed a bath, but I hated to traumatize him even more. 
Today, I just couldn't stand it. 

So he got a bath. 

Surprisingly he was quiet. No blood was shed. No fight was waged. He simply laid there limply while I washed him in the bathroom sink, gave him a leisurely soaping and then rinsed him off. William and I wrapped him up in an old towel and dried him as best we could. We wrapped him in a soft blanket and gave him some cuddle time on the couch. He kept his face hidden, but he did purr. 

Tonight, we all watched a movie. 

I took the cat from the kennel and cuddled him on the couch for the entire movie. 

This time, he did not hide his face in his blanket. 

He was taking it all in. 



Finally, he relaxed. 


When I put him back in the kennel, he didn't run back into his cave. 

He stretched and then he wandered over to check out his cat dish. 

We are supposed to be getting lake effect snow tonight. It should begin shortly. We are supposed to be getting 5-10 inches over night. That's nothing, really. My nephew is stationed at Ft Drum, New York. Read about it here

Late Edit: 

Red, I noticed that you had a Ivan Doig book on your book list. I enjoy him as well. I came across one of his books that I'd never read. The Sea Runners. It was a dandy. Last night I couldn't put it down. I finished it. It was a very good read. I enjoyed it a lot and I think that you would as well, since it takes place in a part of the world that you are acquainted with. 

17 comments:

  1. That's a gorgeous kitty and he looks SO content. 5-10 inches of snow would close down my area completely. But then in a day or so it would probably be gone. I love Doig. He's such a beautiful writer.

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    1. I really enjoyed that book. I got so caught up in the end that I couldn't put it down. It was after midnight when I switched off the light!

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  2. If we had 5 inches of snow here the country would stop - there would be panic! Thank goodness it rarely happens.
    Good news on the puss-cat getting settled

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    1. North of us (about 2 hours away), in a place called Orchard park, they got 77 inches of snow...and it is still coming. THAT, I can't even imagine.

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  3. I've been thinking about you and the lake effect snow. Fortunately it looks like the bulk of it went north of you. But even 5 to 10 inches sounds like 5 to 10 inches more than I could tolerate right now!

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  4. You must have a gentle touch to bath a cat. My hands would be scratched to ribbons if I attempted to bathe our cats. Domino especially prefers a spit wash.

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    1. Well, he doesn't react like most cats. I'm not sure what has happened to him in his five months on the earth, but he's very traumatized. His defense mode is to just go limp, or to hide his face (as in, if he can't see us, we don't really exist). I'm sure that capturing him in a live trap and keeping him confined for a week while we waited for his vet appointment did not help. The vet appointment added insult to injury. He has quite a gentle nature though, and it shines through.

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  5. You are a true cat-whisperer, bathing a feral cat and gentling down a feral creature. Is this Ash/Mangey or am I getting muddled?

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    1. I don't know that it is species-specific really. Every traumatized thing needs to be handled gently. They cannot be rushed.

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  6. Apologies for coming here so late - it's been an odd time, for months actually, not just these last two weeks. And especial thanks for your concern for Oscar, which in its way is inseparable to how I feel too.. Meanwhile here you are adopting a feral moggie - oh, how lucky is that cat! It will soon know that its got the cream, as they say.. for love, care and consistency is what all animals need most I'm sure. You take care too.

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    1. Do not ever apologize for something like that! My gosh. Not every blog can be read every day. Not every blog needs to be. I was horrified for poor Oscar, and it was so good to see him with his head up, looking around. What a terrible accident! i am glad that the poor fellow is on the mend!

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  7. Sounds like he’s has turned a corner already. It’s so sad — our cat lady has rescued a kitten that was abandoned and curled up in the snow by a roadside. They think it was near death, and it does require veterinary care. She never gives up on a cat. She’s amazing.

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  8. Once you were in his dreams, now he's living it. As a former cat lady, I'm looking into a geriatric cat. And PS--we used a slotted spoon for years, before we learned there are real litter scoops.

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  9. What a beautiful boy he is. We had a lovely marmalade cat, huge, called Bumble. I think your new buddy has accepted you mean him no harm and you might even be Nice People!! I'm so pleased you took him in.

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