September Summary

 My daily schedule has been super busy. I tended to the cats same as ever, but have not taken the time to make any new posts. Here's some of what happened in September.

Little Kim has had an odd way of eating for a while and her fur became matted. 

To eat, she would find the soft canned food and scoop it on her paw, then bring it to her mouth. Sometimes she would howl in pain while chewing and run away. Although she would often rub on my leg as I put food down, she would not let me touch her - running away if I reached out. I tried over a few weeks to trap her. I finally got her with the drop trap and brought her to the vet. She had a couple of bad teeth and gum disease. The pain in her mouth made it hard to groom herself. Bad teeth were removed and she was given vitamins and antibiotics that I was told will keep her gums healthy for a long time. She is gaining weight now and keeping up with her grooming.

Jeremy Clarkson started sleeping at the back door every night. Whenever the door was opened he darted in the house. On a couple occasions he came in with visitors and was in the house for hours before we noticed. He also started following me in the yard and into the garage with little attention to the dogs. I became concerned that he would have a bad encounter with a dog if it continued and tried carrying him to the other side of the fence and trying to scare him away. On September 4th we decided to let him stay in the house. He is a great house cat. He gets along well with the other cats, immediately adapted to the litter box, and he even enjoys being with small children.

 I had thought that Bruce Lee was coming to eat every night at dusk; a Siamese cat in the fading light. One night when I was putting out the food after dark, I saw that the cat I had been seeing was not Bruce. It's a cat that has a generally Siamese coat, but a white patch on his nose and white feet. I've named him Brandon. He's an unaltered male and boss cat Thomas doesn't like having him eat with the other cats. I'm hoping that he starts showing up for morning feedings so I can trap him to bring to the vet without holding him overnight.

 Pedro is a male cat that was neutered this summer. Most of the male cats that weren't born into the colony leave the area after their trip to the vet. Binx, James, and Richard have not been seen again since their release. Pedro is an exception. At first he showed up after the colony cats had eaten and ran away when he saw me approaching. Over time he became more comfortable, retreating a short distance, but not leaving. By mid-September he was eating with the colony cats and watched me carefully if I was near. One day I reached out to pick up an empty food can by him and he rubbed against my hand. I can approach and pet him now while he eats - which means that he can get a flea and tick treatment now.