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The exact moment I got bit…

Well, the exact moment after the exact moment I got bit. The next photo is me with a bloody thumb and puss looking radiantly innocent. To be fair, he wasn’t going for me (that time). I was feeding him off my fingers and he got confused.

Yes. We have a new cat. Maybe. Let me tell the story.

We were sitting in the livingroom last night, front door open, trying to catch a breeze and this…kitten walked in. Took one look at me, squeaked and ran off.

We called around, but none of the neighbors had a new cat. This is the country; sub-humans sometimes dump kittens or pregnant mothers. We set a squirrel trap baited with kitty glop and caught him about noon today.

He’s pretty feral. I let him out of the trap in the bathroom and he flipped out. Eventually I caught him and got bit and scratched and hissed at for my trouble. But he calmed right down when presented with food. Amazing how that works.

We took him to a local cat rescue this afternoon, where they pronounced him healthy and probably tameable. They loaned us a big cage and a tiny litter box and we’ll see.

A few may remember the Story of Charlotte, a tiny black and white feral kitten I trapped in a squirrel trap during a heat wave sixteen years ago. History really needn’t repeat itself so exactly.

She’s met him. She sniffed the box he was in, hissed at it twice and sauntered off. It’s all down to Jack. There’s something wrong with that boy and he flips his shit if another cat comes in the yard. I mean scary loses it. If he loses it over this kitten, there’s no option. We’ll have to find another option.

Comments


Comment from Crabby Old Bat
Time: July 27, 2018, 11:25 pm

Awww, we just adopted a black and white tuxedo kitten to heal the hole in our hearts left by our deceased special needs cat. We have two healthy adult neutered males (bonded litter mates), and we are blessed in that their worst reaction to kittens is to follow them around relentlessly, trying to hold them down and groom them (special needs boy came to us as a kitten). New kitty was the least cute one I visited in the (high-kill) shelter, but he had ALL the personality. I keep expecting him to start tap-dancing, singing “Hello My Rag-Time Gal.” Best of luck with your feral boy.


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: July 27, 2018, 11:30 pm

The observant reader will recall that a few days ago a certain rather dim badger wafted a paw and opined that he wouldn’t mind another cat…

Lady Bast has exceptionally good hearing.


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: July 27, 2018, 11:40 pm

Cats, cats cats. They are such goddamn drama queens.

Having had a succession of cats over the last 25 years or so, I can predict that after a week or so of threats of murder, mayhem, sulking, and promises of suicide by starvation, they’ll reach a public truce, with only occasional hissy-fits and cat-slaps, and two months later they’ll be sharing the warm spot by the fire.

The truth is that beneath all those teeth and claws, old cats really like kittens. They just don’t want to admit it.

I will say though, that once a biter, always a biter. We had a long 22 years of applied bandaids with our big white Turk. He was very lovable until it was time to bite you though…


Comment from OldFert
Time: July 28, 2018, 2:06 am

“But he calmed right down when presented with food.” Me, too.


Comment from Bob
Time: July 28, 2018, 2:18 am

I tried to save a feral kitten once. I had fed it and was holding it when suddenly it freaked out and bit through my thumbnail, near the center. A couple more incidents and I gave up. I took it to a shelter. They also gave up on that one. My thumb got a nasty infection and I lost the nail. It took a long time to regrow.


Comment from Steve
Time: July 28, 2018, 2:36 am

Uncle Badger needs to practice his “NO!”.

It has taken a population of 4 cats and 1 dog to get my “NO!” to begin go have the intended effect.

But it begins to have some effect these days.

The population hasn’t increased in months.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: July 28, 2018, 10:20 am

Uncle Badger is responsible for this, Steve. The chickens are on me, but the cats are his.


Comment from Deborah HH
Time: July 28, 2018, 11:46 am

Reckon the kitten smelled Uncle Badger’s marshmallow heart?


Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: July 28, 2018, 11:59 am

However the little fellow got there. I hope Jack accepts him and he settles in.

I’m sitting here with a ‘squirrel’ Mrs Durned found that turned out to be a chihuahua laying on a pillow in my lap. And Delilah the front door bush cat is sitting behind us at the door waiting to ambush said ‘squirrel’. So I completely understand picking up and keeping strays.

This is how wolves domesticated us you know. Best of luck. I assume we’re waiting for acceptance before we get a name.


Comment from Armybrat
Time: July 28, 2018, 1:07 pm

My last princess was dumped. We used to live out in the country and regularly had bastards that would throw liters of puppies or kitties out the car windows as they sped off. (There is a special place in hell for assholes who do this). They rarely lasted long enough to wander far from where they were dumped- owls and hawks are viscous predators. But my girl made it to my place, cowed 3 large Rottweilers and found a home in my heart. She lived 17 years with us. She’s been dead 4 years now and I still miss her terribly…not enough to get any more animals, though!


Comment from AliceH
Time: July 28, 2018, 8:02 pm

Any one here ever tried Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula Dry Cat Food? They sell a few dozen varieties for cats and dogs, some for specific breeds or other issues – best to see the website. I ran across a Twitterer who recommended it for transforming skittish or nervous or semi-feral cats into happier and friendlier pet and am intrigued. I’d never heard of it. Customer reviews on a few different sites are mostly strong positives, though all note it’s super expensive (amazon is highest price by far) and some formulas require a vet Rx.

I’m considering asking my vet about it since I feel like my rescued-from-a-thorn-bush cat could take it down a couple notches when she sees a cat or a person trespass “her” territory. Mostly I’m thinking my ankles really need no further ventilation, thank you.


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: July 28, 2018, 8:45 pm

Funnily enough, AliceH, the lady at the cat rescue to which we took boo-boo yesterday (every creature in this house is called boo-boo by Her Stoatliness, including me) suggested Royal Canin. I’m a little sceptical as I peeked into their store room and saw about four million tins of MoggieNosh. Also, a couple of years ago, another of their experts opined to us that more or less any major brand is OK these days as they all have to meet certain standards or face the wrath of outraged pet owners, who would rise up and slaughter them if it should ever get out that their beloved animals were being harmed by their products (I wish some human food makers felt the same way).

One of our local vets sells RC but I can’t help wondering whether it’s just a useful profit booster, like the overpriced electric toothbrush some dentists try to sell.

I’d love to hear some facts if anybody has them. I have an order in for some hugely expensive kittun food but until that arrives on Monday, he is slobbering down the kittieglop our local store sells.

Oh, meanwhile a health bulletin. Junior purrs like a buzz saw.


Comment from AliceH
Time: July 28, 2018, 9:27 pm

I agree all reputable brands likely meet all nutrition needs, but the RC formulae add stuff on top of that. Here’s their blurb re their “calm” formula:

*****
“This prescription kibble not only provides complete and balanced nutrition for adult cats, it also contains ingredients that have been shown to reduce anxiety and other behavioral issues in feline companions. Royal Canin Calm for cats contains the powerful, naturally-derived amino acids, Alpha-casozepine and L-tryptophan, as well as the B vitamin, Nicotinamide, all of which have been shown to have calming effects on cats.”

******
It sounds to me like it ought to help. Some customers said they mix it 50/50 with standard cat food, and still see results while limiting the budget busting. I’ll share what my vet says, if I manage to get around to taking the cat in before I forget the question.


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: July 29, 2018, 8:44 am

Thank you, AliceH. I think I’ll get myself a box, as well 🙂


Comment from Pupster
Time: July 29, 2018, 3:46 pm

Any one here ever tried Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Calm Formula

It’s a bit dry for my tastes, not a bad aroma but needs gravy or other accoutrements to reach its full potential.


Comment from Ric Fan
Time: July 29, 2018, 10:25 pm

After watching this video, I’d worry about that cat bite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4scWahNk4lU


Comment from SCOTTtheBADGER
Time: July 30, 2018, 5:15 am

I had a Siamese tom, that grew to be a 27 pound plow cat. He sounded like an idling diesel when he purred.


Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: July 30, 2018, 12:24 pm

The “squirrel” has just been swapped over to a Royal Canin diet but I don’t think it’s been long enough to meet whatever expectation Mrs. Durned has or to give you a useful report.

She’s a big one for reading the net – the result of which is we ‘hand make’ dog food for the 2 line backers about once a week before adding the miracle powder “Dino Vite!” made, based on it’s color, name and smell, from all those Sinclair brontosauruses that were kicked out of gas stations ages ago. Oh, and fish oil. And here I thought gram’s cod liver oil was gone from my life.


Comment from Deborah HH
Time: July 30, 2018, 2:04 pm

Dinovite sounds like the four-footed version of Marmite!


Comment from Wolfus Aurelius
Time: July 30, 2018, 3:04 pm

In my experience, admittedly limited, white-and-black cats tend to nip. Black-and-white, i.e., tuxedo cats, are not anywhere as likely to be nippers. I’ve had two tuxedos, and they were good; while Chekov, the Siberian cat who looks like a panda, nips and even snaps now and then. It’s why I’m not as close to him as I have been with all my other cats. He likes sitting on a pillow in my lap — but I don’t pet him until his face is pointing the other way.

As for two unrelated cats getting along, it might happen quickly. Chekov and Wolf made friends quickly; in an hour they were sitting in the window together, watching birds. Or, of course, it might not happen at all.


Comment from Wolfus Aurelius
Time: July 30, 2018, 3:19 pm

Comment from Armybrat
Time: July 28, 2018, 1:07 pm

My last princess was dumped. We used to live out in the country and regularly had bastards that would throw liters of puppies or kitties out the car windows as they sped off. (There is a special place in hell for assholes who do this). . . .
*
*
Wolf, aka Wolfus Aurelius (the inspiration for my screen name), was left behind outdoors when his “humans” got evicted. None of them made any attempt to find him a home before they left; they just turned him loose to go from door to door, begging handouts. He was social and friendly. I’d known him a while, and when it became obvious he’d been abandoned, I took him in. He hadn’t been in fights, or if he had, his size and reach had kept him from being injured . . . and he was lucky. He hadn’t been noticed by coyotes or run over by a car.

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