Fairly early in the morning of April 30, 2007, I went outside to check on a feral momma cat. My next door neighbors and I had been putting out food and water for her, as she was bulgy with kittens to be. This morning there was a light drizzle and there in my backyard she was trying to shelter two kittens.
Momcat wasn’t scared of us, although we didn’t try to pick her up. But this morning I picked up the two kittens and moved them to my covered back porch where I had a nest prepared for her, as did the neighbors in their porch. When I checked later there were two more kittens, two black ones and two yellow ones. Mom was protective of the kittens but she let us handle them and get them accustomed to humans. I loved playing with them.
When they were about six weeks old Mom moved them to the neighbors place. Not sure why, but we all kept an eye on them. I eventually put an ad in the paper. By this time two kittens had disappeared, but the other two were adopted out.
A week after this I heard a knock at the door and it was the young boy from the neighbors. He’d been outside and a car drove up, and in it were two women who had adopted the yellow kitten. They told the kid they had changed their minds, handed him out the car window, and sped off. As I didn’t want the kitten jerked around anymore I decided to keep him, wondering how my older cat would react. They got along well enough. Over the years two other cats came and went, and at one time the cats in the house numbered three. There have also been three dogs, although only one remains now.
I miss all the pets but I love Atilla so much, I’ve know him since his eyes were still closed. He has always gotten along with me, but there have only been two other humans he tolerated. My mother, when she visited, would have Atilla come out. Also my sister. All the folks in our family are cat lovers, even children, and he’s missed out on a lot of loving. But at night he likes to lie on top of my legs, mostly the thighs because they are cushy. He’s still pretty healthy and I hope it stays that way for awhile.
Happy birthday to your little friend! Also, how dare you mention a fuzzy beast and not pay the pix tax?! How am I supposed to adequately gush over him without visual aids?!
Truly sorry about no pix but I honestly don’t know how, or have the equpment. Atilla is a shorthair orange cat, with golden eyes that match his coat. He has gorgeous white whiskers. He was getting kind of thin but I took him to the doc and he got this stuff I drop on his food and it’s helping.
Catmom had a cat named Vel(cro) a decade or two ago. Catmom was the only person she would tolerate. When I came up from L.A. to visit one time, Vel climbed into my lap and let me pet her.
So you know the cat drama Saturday? When I was playing messenger at the neighbours’ house, their cat Lewis (and another cat I hadn’t met named Ivy) were on the porch. They both came up to me for pets – especially Lewis. Later, during the rescue of Blue, the woman was telling me how unfriendly Lewis is to strangers.
May you set longevity records for healthy happy cat!
(If he starts losing weight again: have the vet. check thyroid levels. Thyroid problems are very common in older cats and it’s often possible to get them several more years with the aid of a very small pill twice daily.)
[ETA: Early twenties is unusual, but not extremely so. Older than that is quite unusual, but not unheard of. The record I believe is 38.]
He did have an exam just a while back, which included a blood test, and he is getting a med I drip on his food twice a day. Most of his blood levels were normal, with two or three a bit low. Since the exam, with that stuff in his food, he’s gained a little weight, I can tell his backbone isn’t as prominent, although overall he isn’t bulkier. It’s about time to get the blood tested again.
From the vet this morning there was an email congratulating him on his birthday!
I just bought a new couck, dark blue, and I am keeping a throw on it, as Atilla is golden. You should see how his hair shows up on me!
I have four cats in different colors. Doesn’t matter what color the throws or my clothes are; cat hair is going to show. (And, of course, it’s going to be there.)
