Wednesday, September 5, 2018

More Over-night Guests



Not very long ago, three tabby kittens were sighted behind my work-place. They appeared rarely, and never with an adult. Though they may have just reached the stage when they were beginning to explore, the theory was that they had been dumped by someone who knew there was a managed feral colony here.

I never saw them myself, and as they seemed reticent to show themselves, I did not raise my hopes that I could trap them. Tonight my hopes were raised. Meet Latigo…


…and Latimer.


Tomorrow, they will be accepted into a local rescue-group and sent to a near by city with greater potential for adoption than my own. Tonight they will spend in seclusion in my home; I will provide food and water, though I don’t know if they will accept them.

Latimer allowed his transfer from the trap to a carrier without much fuss. Latigo decided much fuss was more his style. He escaped the trap as we were making the transfer, avoided the carrier and evaded our grasp. Fortunately, we were operating in a closed room with few hiding spots. Latigo was collared, but not before biting both myself and my colleague. Latigo was quite upset at being in the trap in the first place, while his sibling took it with more stoicism, though probably no less fear; it was not really a surprise that he would fight.

I will setting the traps again tomorrow. I want to catch their brother (or sister), whom I’ve named Fizbin.

For now, all is quiet in the cosy apartment, and there are eight cats present, once again. My beasts are not making a scene over the newcomers. Perhaps they are growing accustomed to the transients I entertain. With faces like these, I could grow accustomed to them myself very swiftly.

18 comments:

  1. Ohhhhh, what precious little ones! A good foster parent will be able to socialize them and get them adoption-ready. Good luck catching their sibling!

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  2. oh what sweet little babies. I hole they find lovely homes with warm beds and kind people to share their lives with.

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  3. They are beautiful...and blonde "eyeliner" too! Are you OK with that bite? I can't wait for them to find a home. What tiny beauties!

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    1. The bite doesn't hurt as much as the paper-cut I received yesterday. But Latigo was like a little helicopter with fur.

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  4. Latimer and Latigo are just beautiful. Good luck catching their sibling. But at the risk of sounding like "Nancy Nurse", please be careful, John. Cat bites can easily get infected and become cellulitis, which you don't want to play with. (I speak from experience!) So please keep an eye on the bite and get medical help if necessary.

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    1. I had a tetanus injection during my physical check-up earlier this year. I don't know if that helps against cellulitis...

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    2. No, John, a tetanus shot doesn't prevent cellulitis. Keep an eye on the bite. Any red area that quickly enlarges over a 24 hour period should be checked by a doctor. I just read Ginger's post. It sounds like that's what she had.

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  5. My goodness, these kitties are gorgeous! Those little faces! Praying they will be well socialized and in homes quickly.
    Hopefully your bite bled or was encouraged to bleed. Problem with cat bites are the thin, sharp punctures that close over quickly and entrap germs. Most likely nothing will happen but mind what’s going on with the bite site.
    Redness may be just inflammation rather than infection but don’t guess. If it looks nasty, seek medical assistance.
    (A couple of years ago , I was bitten rather badly so went for treatment. The bite worked out but I was accidentally given an injection of something I was allergic to and had an anaphylactic reaction. Another case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t, I guess.)
    Must be cat bite season, just got bit last Sunday.

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  6. You are becoming a real Daniel Boone, John! Those kittens are adorable, and I like the names. Here's hoping that you catch the remaining baby.

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  7. Such cute kittens! I do hope that you catch the third one.

    Regarding the cat bite(s): Do be careful. I am still suffering from infected cat bites that one of my cats, born feral but rescued as a young kitten by me over eight years ago, viciously inflicted last Sunday morning. She was in a fit of panic in a motel room when I attempted to pick her up and put her back in her carrier during a road trip. I knew I was in trouble due to the extensive bleeding and agonizing pain. By nightfall my hand had swollen and was hot. On Monday, the holiday, I had to go to a walk-in medical clinic for treatment that included a tetanus shot and a special antibiotic used for cat bites, Amoxicillin with clavulanate. The physician asked if the cat could have rabies; thankfully I could assure him that she did not. After three days of the antibiotic the swelling has gone down but the pain is still intense and I have to keep two areas bandaged. Let no good deed go unpunished--the good deed being taking our four cats and dog along on our trip to visit my grandchildren. The one that bit me has been missing since Monday; she may have escaped from the house. It has been a horrifying ordeal.

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  8. They are so adorable. You are lucky rabies isn't an issue like in the US. Had you been bitten here, the kitty would be quarantined for 6 months and you would need a series of rabies shots.

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  9. guyz.....take it frum me.....mackerull...a trap iz knot all wayz a bad thing....N thiz izza PROMIZE ~~~~~~~ ♥♥♥♥ all de veree veree best two ewe N we all hope ya getz yur foreverz like eye did ♥♥♥

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  10. Such sweet little faces. Hope all goes well for them and for you to catch Fizbin. After that they all will be ready to go to there furever homes. Thanks for the wonderful share. Have a great one.
    World of Animals

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  11. The kittens have such sweet faces. I hope you can trap the third one. I also hope the bite heals well without becoming infected.

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  12. John, you certainly have the magic touch when it comes to rescuing these cats (and skunks!) These two little ones have such sweet faces. I bet they will both adjust to the life of a pampered house cat when they settle into their future foster homes. I wonder what your resident cats felt about these two?

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    1. Most of the beasts were mildly curious, not doing much beyond the odd sniff at the covered carrier. But whenever I bring home transients like this, Cammie becomes very hissy and growly, with her feline roommates and with me. She doesn't like newcomers, however briefly they stay.

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  13. John, you certainly have the magic touch when it comes to rescuing these cats (and skunks!) These two little ones have such sweet faces. I bet they will both adjust to the life of a pampered house cat when they settle into their future foster homes. I wonder what your resident cats felt about these two?

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  14. Success, albeit at a bit of a cost. Glad you were able to trap them, and now they can go onto their forever homes.

    Eileen

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