Homeless Cat -- Now Spotacus' Legacy

[Wanderlost]

On 18 Dec, a very large cat showed up at our house. It was late and cold, and he looked in the door and made it clear he wanted inside. Well, since we have two cats already and he was a stranger, we could not let him in the house. WLToo walked out and the cat ran to him, so he walked the cat into the garage and into the climate controlled room out there.

He was extremely hungry and thirsty, but in otherwise good condition and very clean. We fixed up a bed for him, set up the feeding and elimination stations, and went to bed.

Next day, we worked in the garage all day, while the big guy slept or supervised. We found him to be an intact male, no sign he's ever worn a collar, and he has a strong need to be in the general vicinity of humans. For an intact male, he's remarkably mellow - I don't think he was the alpha cat in his previous home.

Have had zero responses to the "found cat" notices around the area and online, so we'll be working with the local rescues to get him neutered and all his shots, then find him a home. We can't keep him because he's just too big for our two cats to share our small house. Alex would have another emotional meltdown, and I don't want to go through that mess again (long, ugly story).

For now, we're calling him Spot, not that he answers to it (does answer to "Kitty, Kitty"). No idea how he travels; we'll find out when we take him to the vet on Tuesday.

If anyone knows of someone who would like a large (about 15-18 pounds) cat who needs to be with people, please let me know. No cat novices, please; this cat needs someone who knows exactly how to handle an adult cat of this size, especially when he's feeling frisky.





We're at Canyon Lake, TX, so if there are any Winter Texans nearby who would like to meet him and maybe give him a home, that would be great.

[dogcomestoo]

Have you been back to the heart doc for a check up? I hope everything is going well there.

[Wanderlost]

I love living where I can wear shorts all March. Another glorious spring day, with bluebonnets galore, and more and more wildflowers as far as the eye can see. Texas has the nicest looking ditches in the country. :B

Solo was across the fence a while ago, snorting like mad and beating his nose with a hind foot. No idea what he got into to make him snort/sneeze like that, but he was pretty uncomfortable for quite a while. Hope it's not serious.

WLToo is pretty sure the main body of hummingbirds hasn't arrived yet. We only have one occasional visitor to the feeder for now.

The resident roadrunner stood out in the meadow and blew raspberries at us on the porch yesterday. It was pretty funny, watching Spot try to sneak down the slope, as the roadrunner watched his every move and said "Pbbbbt!" periodically. He finally strolled away, just as Spot started the butt wiggle o' doom (not that Spot had any chance at all of catching the roadrunner).

Right now, Spot the intrepid bug hunter is stalking a beetle alongside the pool. Alex is doing his impression of Monorail Kitteh on my chair arm.

Ah, Dancing With The Stars elimination is on. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

A new critter's in the neighborhood. Spot caught a lizard today. It slipped away from him, and he grabbed it again. Then he let it go, and it played dead. I got a closer look and I realized I was looking at a horned lizard (known in my youth as a horny toad)! The little critters are a protected species now, and I've not seen one in over 40 years. So Spot got stuck inside the house until I was certain the lizard got away. He's still asleep in his chair.

It's a glorious spring day here. Lots of purple (looks purple to me but locals call it blue) lantana and so many different yellow wildflowers are all in bloom. The past two years of not mowing the meadow until after the last wildflower has thrown its seeds is bearing "fruit" this year. We have many more plants growing and filling in the bare spots. We'll start work on one of our rocky ledges this year, adding drought loving trailing plants to cover the rocks and create interest.

The barn swallows are having a very serious discussion on the north porch. No sign of anyone moving into the south porch nests yet, but when they do, it will be very, very noisy here.

I hauled stuff out to the compost heap this morning, and Mama Doe and Solo came along. I don't know if they found it palatable, but they didn't come back to the house with me.

Time to head down the slope under the pool and clear away the old Mexican hat stalks. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

Thanks, Susan, I'll look there and see if they have something I can use.

Sue Bee, there are lots of turkeys around here, and I'd love to have some wandering about our property, but Mama Doe's a bit too territorial, apparently. Or we don't have anything they want to eat. A good tom turkey could sure keep Spot in control, and Alex would probably never go outside again.

Today was the first day Spot went all the way to the mailbox and back with me, since I was in the hospital the first time. He walked behind me most of the way back, in my shadow. It was pretty warm, and his coat is super dense, so he looks for shade wherever possible. It was funny to watch.

He and Alex spent most of the day on the porch, where it was shady and pleasant. I joined them for a while, reading and in general just being mellow. Sometimes the medication makes me very sleepy, and today was one of those days, so not a whole lot happened. I finished the play yesterday and sent it back, and will start on WLToo's third book tomorrow, assuming I don't fall asleep over my keyboard again...:Z

Just before sundown, I went out to close the gate and watched Spot patrolling out in the meadow. He's so diligent about earning his keep, and such fun to watch. But when he came inside for the evening, he had a scratch on his nose. Not serious, but I have to wonder who or what he encountered, as I've not seen black kitty or the seal point Siamese mix in several days.

Going to be a beautiful night, so I'm off to stargaze. Later, y'all.

[Sue_Bee]

Wanderlost wrote:
A neighbor just killed a scorpion in her house, and another killed a rattlesnake on her porch. Interesting--we haven't seen a single snake since we moved here, and now she had one on her porch.

I saw an interesting show about a fellow who raised a flack of wild turkeys (story here). He would take them flock out walking around his many acres, and apparently, the turkeys were quite adept at finding every. single. snake. Even as poults. He noted that he had never seem a single snake before on his walks, but realized how they were all over the place, all of the time.

(Shudders some about rattle snakes and scorpions)

Not that this has anything to do with Spot or Alex 🙂

[Code2High]

My favorite new thing is a company called "Cat Faeries." Here's a link.

http://www.catfaeries.com

They make flower essence blends, like Bach Rescue Remedy but their own blends of different flowers. I've been giving them to my cats, who have been dealing with issues since bringing Cleo back into the household. They work very well there and have really improved the overall energy of the cats, as I've been backing off on other things I was using. It's a pretty complicated situation with five of them, but I'm very happy with the results. Happier, mellower kitties with less conflict.

What's been more remarkable is that I have two bunnies, and Bonka is bigger, stronger, younger, and rowdier than Wuzzy. When she gets wound up, she'll mount him and gets very rough. He's got some problems with his back end and his urinary tract, and that's the last thing he needs. But he doesn't want to be separated from her, they are a bonded pair of bunnies, take them apart or even put a fence between them, he gets depressed. I was actually considering putting him down in part because of this problem.

So I decided to try the drops on them. First the blend called Houshold Harmony, then I added Territorial Rescue. Both improved matters. Then I added "Calm and Serene" and BAM... in the three months since, I've only had to deal with her jumping on him twice. It's like a miracle. I think it's more obvious because there's just the two, not as many players in the situation. In any case, I'm very happy that I found the stuff. It's allowing Wuzz to be with his friend and not get jumped on.

They also make a senior support formula and some others. Definitely worth a look. If I were going to get just one, I'd get the Calm and Serene, for sure. Because if we're all calm and serene, we're all good.

[Wanderlost]

We have three yearling fawns in the meadow today, and there are a lot of signs that we're about to become the fawn nursery again. Mama Doe is allowing other pregnant does to come into "her" meadow, so I'll not be surprised to see more than just Mama Doe's newborn this year.

Moved the mineral block from the meadow to right beside the water trough. If deer are going to live in our meadow, I'd prefer they be healthy ones.

Spot's getting awfully rough with Alex, so I'm having to intervene a lot. Spot just doesn't seem to understand gentle, possibly because of his previous people being rough with him, and also because he was an unaltered tom for nearly two years. Latest was Spot jumping Alex in the litter box, requiring me to clean up cat pee all over the floor. I put the cover back on Alex' box, so he can at least pee in peace.

Then I put Spot outside, where he dashed off after a bird. A little while later, he wanted back inside (pretty windy today), and a few minutes later came over to suck up. Making him go outside, rather than him choosing to do it, seems to worry him, so I may use it as a disciplinary method to keep him off Alex. Between that and a spray bottle, he might eventually learn to not get so rough with either Alex or us. But it will be a long process. Good thing we have tile floors....

We need a less breezy day. Time to spray all around the house, to keep the scorpions and assorted other creepy crawlies from joining us inside. Until then, I'll keep my "flip flop of doom" handy.

A neighbor just killed a scorpion in her house, and another killed a rattlesnake on her porch. Interesting--we haven't seen a single snake since we moved here, and now she had one on her porch.

Only 13.5 more days before I can get back into the swimming pool. I'd be there now, except the doctor said not for the whole six weeks. I soooo want to swim.

Time to finish working. I'm editing a play and really need to finish it.

Later, y'all.

[dogcomestoo]

So sorry to hear about your health scares. I'm so glad to hear that the heart and the eye weren't serious issues.

Thanks for the updates on Alex, Spot, and your neighborhood birds, flowers, and critters.

[Wanderlost]

Sigh. I hope third time is charm. Had a scare with my left eye, where I was getting lightning flashes in the perifery, with some floaters in both eyes. So off I go to the eye doctor. Luckily, it was just normal aging. But after reading about Richard's (Dixieflyer) detached retina, I was not about to take any chances. I'd like to be done with doctors for a while...

The cats stayed inside most of today, going out only after we got home late in the afternoon. A cold front arrived, so they were not out for long. They are now sleeping in my lap or next to me.

Mama Doe came to the house for some grapes a bit past prime human dining. Another pregnant doe was with her, and managed to snag a few grapes from Mama Doe. Mama Doe doesn't look very pregnant, but the last two years, she's dropped her fawn(s) in early June and late May, so there's plenty of time for her to get much bigger. Still, I'm betting it's another single fawn, since we're not even close to being out of this drought.

We have a new critter. Seems the Rio Grande chirping frog is expanding its range and we have some. The sound is like a small bird, or like tennis shoes on a wood floor. Initially, we couldn't imagine why a bird would be chirping at night, and we were surprised to find out it's a frog. Unfortunately, I identified it because one of us squashed one just inside the garage door, and I found it this evening. Well, where there's one, there are more. They don't need water to reproduce.

Time to give the boys their nighttime treats. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

More wildflowers blooming. It's not going to be the massive spread of 2010, but quite respectable.

Saw another hummingbird a few minutes ago. This one has a very, very long bill and is really tiny, so I know it's not the one I saw last week.

Not much deer sign today. They might be taking cover, as we're due for some big thunderstorms shortly, running into tomorrow. We even have a flash flood watch, not that it bothers us, but it does affect the roads we might travel.

Alex and Spot are still a big jumpy, since yesterday was Advantage Multi day. For a few days after, they get nervous if one of us picks up a cat, then the other approaches. Spot did morning patrol and is asleep on his tree. Alex is trying to get me to give him more treats and is being a bit of a pest, but if WLToo approaches when Alex is patting me on the face, Alex boogies.

Wind just came up. Time to finish securing the outdoor stuff. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

Our neighbor, who ripped out junipers with a bobcat yesterday, burned the pile today, starting at 0800. It was still glowing and blowing off cinders until about 2100. Luckily, the wind is from the south, so we weren't in danger.

Since the weather has warmed, Spot is making two or three patrols per day. All must be ok, since his returns are generally leisurely strolls into the house. Alex' patrols consist of walking about the driveway and porch, then sleeping on the porch furniture until I bring him inside for the night. Both cats know that if they come inside before a certain time, they get treats, so they're pretty good about showing up well before that time.

WLToo recently helped one of our writers' group members get his book uploaded to Amazon Kindle, and tonight did it again for another member. Our little writers' group is fast becoming a group of published authors, all of quite different genres. Amazing what the internet has done to fulfill people's dreams.

Spot's still on patrol this evening, walking from room to room. He's making sure those nasty flying bugs get a good paw smack, and chittering at the barn swallows trying to sleep on the north porch wind chimes and in the nests. Poor guy's going to exhaust himself. 🙂

Mama Doe came up the slope as soon as she saw me this evening, but only ate part of the carrot. One of the green plants in our yard tasted much better. Hope she didn't destroy it, if it was one of our wildflowers. The two little yellow ones that I can't identify yet are blooming, a blue lantana is out there, and the Mexican hat is growing like mad. No bluebonnets in our neighborhood, since the deer just love to eat them, but all around us are fields of them.

Well, two cats are demanding my attention. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

Woke up to a cacophony of barn swallow chitchat. Man, can those little things talk. Spot was laying next to me, while Alex was on the north porch, looking in the door and calling.

All morning a bobcat has been in use just across our north fence, some mockingbirds got into a tiff, and Spot spent some time laying on my chest and chittering at a barn swallow tail he could see. The barn swallow was sitting on one of our wind chimes.

Then the wind suddenly became very strong, ripping the pool thermometer string away. WLToo retrieved it and put on a new string, while big raindrops fell for a few minutes -- not enough to register, but nice anyway.

It's been right noisy today. I'm exhausted already -- not used to so much noise. Think Alex and I will go lay down now.

Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

Thanks, Gary. Doing fine now, and like WLToo, I'll keep up with the meds by alarms on both computer and cell phone.

Today was go to town day. Stopped into Petsmart to get more cat food, and I saw a big cardboard scratcher that looked like something Spot could use. Alex' scratcher is too small for him. Brought it home and the very first thing Spot did was to claw it, sniff the catnip, then pee a little on it. Then he sniffed a little more and laid down on it. Talk about claiming something as his own...

Not that it stopped Alex. Just as soon as Spot got off it and wandered away, Mr. Passive Aggressive promptly went over and thoroughly sharpened his claws on it.

Just at dark, I gathered Alex from off the north porch loveseat, then went out the south porch door to see Spot run at something. I couldn't see what it was, but it sure didn't stay around with the big guy coming at it. He was in full watch cat mode, so I got a little scratched getting him back inside for the night.

We haven't seen the deer right around the house in a few days. Just this evening, Mama Doe strolled past the house, with all three fawns pacing her on the other side of the fence. She didn't stop, just walked on by. I don't think she approved of our rosemary plants...

While we were re-potting an aloe plant, the barn swallows sat on the wire above us and complained. Loudly. Tough, they'll just have to get used to us. So glad they're here, though, since we have lotzo bugs already.

Oh, well, break's over. Back to filling out a 133 page survey... Note to self: don't accept any more similar challenges. They don't make the text big enough for older eyes. :R

Later, y'all.

[Dashonthedash]

That must have been quite a scare. Glad to hear it wasn't serious and you're recovering. Be sure to take your meds, listen to the doctors, stay away from the wine and get well soon.

[Wanderlost]

Thanks, dogcomestoo. We do love it here.

Had all my plans totally upset very early Monday morning. We're all four in bed, two humans and two cats (Spot stretched almost the entire length of the foot; Alex was up against my knees). Suddenly, my heart starts pounding as if a full bass and tenor drumline were warming up, and at least two bass drums are trying to pound me in the back. When the snares joined in, I knew it was not good. Woke up WLToo and had him open the gate, while I called our EMT friends at the fire station just a half mile away.

Agreeing that my latest parody of Barry Manilow's "New York City Rhythm" is not the best ("Heartbeat's Out of Rhythm"), the EMTs give me a long ambulance ride to the nearest big city hospital with a cardiologist on duty. A little medication, many tests, and far too many blood draws later, I'm home today. My arms are so punctured that if one more blood draw had been necessary, I've no idea where they'd have found a vein.

Various parts of me look like "Attack of the Killer Octopus", and I'm still peeling adhesive off, even after a long scrubby shower. Those glue happy people even stuck the wrist band to me with museum putty!

Atrial fibrillation diagnosis, no trigger seen from all those tests. Got some pills for it, meet up with cardiologist again in a couple weeks. Not really serious, most likely triggered by the wine we drank Sunday evening. Take Maltaq and aspirin, add a vitamin, and eat low carb diet. OK, no sweat.

I expect a slimmer me by autumn...

Spot's already slimmed to his spring/summer/fall weight. Alex doesn't do the weight gain/loss game (I'm envious).

Flying insects are numerous now. Several like to dive bomb my armpit as I sit here and type -- moths and mosquito hawks mostly. Spot's on the hunt, though, and this deadly bugkiller intends to get his bugs, even if he has to knock over the light (I've caught it each time so far).

Wow, time flies when one is catching up on things. Time to take my meds already. Later, y'all.