When we came back from England after Christmas, we noticed a cat huddled under the rubbish bins in the recycling area where we park the car. A new cat - a long-haired dark tortoiseshell. It came towards us in a friendly fashion, so not a wild-cat. But, we thought, probably belonging to a neighbour.
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| Scruffy |
Every day when we came back from shopping, or when Neil came back from the studio, the cat would be sitting on the side of the road, beside the path to our house and would try to follow us home. We tried shoo-ing it away - cats love second homes, but we didn't want to poach someone else's cat. Then we noticed that it was hanging around our house and getting into big fights with our two resident wild-cats. It was so desperate for food that it would risk being mauled to pieces just to snatch something from their saucers.
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| What? Me? |
We realised that it was starving and had either strayed, or been abandoned. Given that it was near the rubbish bins and didn't have a collar we suspect the latter. He (appears to be neutered male, but his hair is too long to be sure!) is stick thin under the long coat and thoroughly domesticated - has probably never had to fend for himself in his entire life. He skulks in the house and we feed him inside, since our two feisty females savage him the moment he goes out.
We're about to leave for New Zealand and Cambodia at the weekend and will be away for 6 weeks, so our new refugee will just have to take his chances. A friend is house-sitting and cat-feeding. Will he be there when we get back? How many more starving cats are we going to end up feeding? Neil's beginning to think that I'm something of a cat magnet!
Your new cat looks like my Hen, who came to us via the woods behind our house. She was a little wild, but has since cleaned up her act. At least she doesn't hiss and spit at us anymore. Best of luck with him/her.
ReplyDeleteCats know a soft touch when they see one!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid so Al!
ReplyDeleteAnne - you're very fortunate with your feral cat Hen. I fear our two females are from too many generations 'born wild' and will never be tame enough to be friendly!
On holiday in Ireland, at a popular picnic spot, we witnessed a small dog being thrown out of a car with tinted windows, which drove off at speed. The dog wouldn't come near us, but he liked our border collie and when we cycled back to our holiday cottage, both dogs ran along behind us. The small dog came in. He was trembling all over, plainly traumatized. Eventually he allowed us to stroke him but every time we took him out of the house he ran off. Every time we headed back to the cottage however, he reappeared and after two weeks of this, and of enquiring locally to no effect about who might be his owners, he officially became ours when we decided to put a collar on him and bring him back to England. We had him for a couple of years. He was terrible with sheep, and not much better when it came to obeying commands, but in all other respects a loving, friendly and delightful dog. Unfortunately he died of lukemia. It's surprising what life throws up. Sometimes you just have to go with thing. I hope you find your cat still there when you get back, and I hope you enjoy New Zealand and Cambodia. CAMBODIA. Lucky you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pauline - what an amazing story. I once had a rescue Alsation, thrown out of a car and abandoned when he was about 8 mths old. He was so thoroughly traumatised that he used to start shaking and whining whenever he thought he was going to have to go in a car. Taking him to the vet was a nightmare! But he was the sweetest natured dog I've ever had. People can be so cruel. Perhaps they think animals don't have feelings.
ReplyDeleteAh, another fine-looking fellow. I reckon cats know when they're onto a good deal...they know whose house to lurk outside to get looked after!
ReplyDeleteI have been to Angkor Wat in Cambodia-one of the peak experiences of my life-allow at least two hours just to see the huge murals-I have an enlargement of a picture of a small detail of the murals on our wall-The Lonely Planet Cambodia is good on the temples. I flew from Bangkok to Siem Reap. The country side is beautiful. There is a gap in the population-not to many people over 50 due to the tragic history of the country. I am confident you will love it and get wonderful pictures.
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