Caring For Abandoned and Feral Cats

Good idea, Ranger!

 

I have gotten dozens of cats homes over the years and here's why. When I was a mere stripling,my friend Richard had 2 or 3 cats. I can remember completely ignoring them and never touching them. Just didn't care a lick about them. My gramma who raised me, liked cocker spaniels,so dogs it was.

Skip to 20 or so years later. I was on Maui riding with some friends heading up into the back country where I lived with two room mates from San Diego and as we were driving along,I saw a little fur ball ahead in the middle of the road dodging cars and trucks. I hollered for him to stop and I ran and got the little kitten out of the road. Ahh. My first little cat. One eye was hanging out--it seems she must have had a close call at some point before I got her,so I took the poor little thing to a vet and he removed the ruined eye,so only having one eye left,I named her Peeper.

The girls I lived with had a couple of large dogs and when they started to hassle that little kitty,she stood her ground and put some serious scratches on their noses,so the 3 of them reached a detente. I loved that little ball'o fur and admired her bravery when confronted by those dogs ,which were huge when compared.

Not long after, I get a call from Honolulu from a roofing company--they have work for me on Oahu,so off I go. The girls promised they would take care of Peeper for me and I knew they would.

Here's the strange and sad part. I was sitting on a roof in Honolulu nailing some wood roofing and I got the weirdest feeling. I said "something happened to Peeper". I felt it and I knew it. I put my tools down,drove to a pay phone(no cells in '69) and called over to Maui. One of the girls answered and immediately began to cry and apologize. She had started my car,started to back out and little Peeper got scared and hid behind the tire. Only the second time in my life that something came to me like that and I can only attribute it to how much I had learned to love that little friend that didn't get to have much of a life.

And that's why I admire and love cats and kittens and continue to find homes for strays when I can. And definately intercede if I see animal cruelty.

Haven't forgotten you,little friend.

 

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life:
music and cats.” ~Albert Schweitzer.:2thumbsup:

 

That Albert Schweitzer fellow (whoever he is!) sure knew what he was talking about! lol

Music and Cats are the only things in my life that keep me going. So that quote is so true for me.

 

I love cats but there have been one or two really special cats whom I've shared a soul bond with. I know exactly what you're talking about, Scratcho.

:grouphug:

 

This thread makes me think of one thing, and one thing only......

 

My son, who lives next door, told me that he left his car window partially opened last night and that when he went to the car for something at 2AM, one of the feral cats was in the car and completely spazzed out when he touched the door handle. He said the poor thing went wild flying around the inside of the car trying to find a way out, knocking off windows, etc.

Poor kitties...they get into so much stuff.

 

Super-Kittys! :2thumbsup:

 

Missy, our mama cat doesn't allow other cats than her family into our yard so in case of dogs or mainly coyotes we leave the windows partly open as a refuge in time of need.

 

Haha, I used to have a cat-door set up in a high window for just such a purpose...I called it "Sita's escape" I miss Sita.

 

I just remembered a cat I had in Hawaii. She had kittens and was so protective that when a man came walking by where I lived ,with his dog(a big sucker),she started growling and I wasn't sure what she really wanted -she seemed to want out because she went by the door,so I let her out and when I did,she immediately ran and jumped right in the middle of that dog. He/she yelped and hauled out of there! That was a brave mama. The guy was flabbergasted--he couldn't believe his big 'ol dog had gotten run off by a pissed off cat. I quite it enjoyed,myself.

 

Thats exactly what my Sita was like, she would chase dogs down the street. She was a stubby Manx, she only went after big dogs ever since she was mauled by a giant german shepard as a kitty.
, I once came out of the house to see her swinging by her claws from the snout of a most disconcerted Wolf-Hybred!

 

When I was about 11 we had a Carolina island calico we had tamed as a kitten. We moved to Crystal Lake,Ill. and Tiger became a mom. Their was an elderly airedale. He and Tiger normally got along fine. When she had kittens there was a spot where she would take kittens up in a tree and teach 'em to jump down on Tony and ride him as he ran in a confused panic.

 

When Spooky was a kitten he would ride on Thor's back... Thor didn't mind either... I think he kind of enjoyed it.




Man, I miss that dog.

 

I had to break up a fight between my young "pit bird dog" and my fiance's cat once. I grabbed the closet thing, an aluminum base ball bat, and drove it between them. The poor young dog kind of jumped at the cat to play with it. That cat opened up a big can of whoop ass on that dog. Then the cat ran under the bed and the dog followed. (Soon to be) Hubs freaked out trying to save that dog. He said the cat would have messed the dog up if it had stuck it's head under the bed.

lol, Fun times...

 

This is the feral kitten and the Catitat box I made for her.

 

Oh thats a cutie!

 

In Denver we had a guy on the block who had 2 Rotts that he had either trained to be mean, or they turned out that way from neglect. They were both kept in a small kennel at all times. Except one day they got out. They had my Springer Spaniel (Molly) cornered against our house. They were closing in on her and when I yelled at them they seemed to get more pissed off. The cat (Hobbes) was inside, and started going ballistic trying to get out the screen door. When I opened the door, she instantly leaped 10 ft off the porch onto one of the Rotties back. She tore the HELL out of that dog and chased them both out of the yard....with Molly bringing in the rear!

Hobbes was the coolest, toughest, most loving awesome cat I've seen. She even nursed one of Molly's litters. She lived 20 years.

 

Kittyland Love Center!

 

Oh,I love those cat stories!!