Thomas in the House

 Street cat, Thomas is sleeping in the house tonight. He was injured in a fight about two weeks ago and showed up limping badly with an abscess on his right front leg and some infected wounds on his body. Tom is tame enough that after a proper cat greeting, I can pick up without a struggle. I put him in a carrier and brought him to the vet.

 He spent the day at the vet's office getting his wounds treated and receiving vaccinations. It has become my standard practice to keep cats in a large dog crate overnight to allow a full recovery after anesthesia. Thomas did really well in the crate and was easy to usher out of the house the next day. He stayed on our back porch and made a show of hobbling around on three legs all day. 

 

My wife and I discussed our options to care for him. We are at our personal limit of pets in the house and will not take in any more. Tom is special though. We decided that he can remain a street cat, but is now allowed to sleep in our house in the dog crate on cold or rainy nights. I give him and four other cats (Bobbie, Terry, Patrick, and Smokey) regular flea and tick treatments, so he's not bringing bugs into the house. Tonight is windy with the temperature in the low 20s. I offered him the open door and he walked inside, allowing me to gently usher him to the crate. He is comfortable and warm with no resistance or complaints. Tomorrow morning at feeding time, he will return to his outdoor job of Boss Cat and Defender of the Colony.