Onward and Upward

Tucker’s improvement after his traumatic dental surgery continues. He is eating a great deal more soft-food than previously, but of course is consuming no hard-food right now. He keeps trying; I was instructed not to allow him to eat hard-food for five to seven days after the operation, but I am loathe to discourage him. On the other hand, I don’t want him to discourage himself. He finds the kernels painful in his mouth, of course, and, if he wants to eat them, will have to learn to swallow without crunching. I don’t know if he can, but Raleigh has learned.

Raleigh is the real subject of this entry, more encouraging news of progress. I love watching this peachy-cat’s confidence build. He spends more and more time out of the library, preferring to curl up on the hammock between two tall bookcases in the sitting room. I suspect that he feels a little hidden and out of the way there. But he has several times come up on to my lap when I sit on the couch a few feet away. Sometimes, I have invited him; more than once, he has invited himself.

Other signs of Raleigh’s growing courage is how he reacts to sudden movements. Early on, if I was reading with him on my lap, he might suddenly notice a book in my hand and leap away, retreating behind furniture. Yesterday, he was startled by a turning page and jumped off my lap – only to return twenty seconds later. He no longer hurries away every time I approach him, and I see him strolling out of the library to visit the sitting room twice or thrice a day.

Raleigh, like my wonderfully long foster-cat Bear-Bear, who died in 2014, is an ugly brute. There’s no sense in denying it. His eye runs with a thick goop now and then, and though I clean it, it stains the fur. His drooling is much reduced since his dental surgery, but food still clings to the fur about his mouth, and he sometimes leaves his spittle on his enormous feet when he snoozes. But, also like the BB, Raleigh is a determined and affectionate fellow; his spatula-paws flex with happiness when he is brushed or petted, and he squeaks his delight when a dish of food heads his way. Perhaps some day, he will be the cherished member of a loving family. Until then, I will watch him grow, onward and upward.