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.

[Wanderlost]

Ahhh, warm weather. Should be warm the next five days. I think I'll plant some cauliflower.

MDL came up by herself this morning, so she could eat her corn in peace. I had an appointment, so I couldn't stay out there and chat, which she seems to like.

Had to get out the Feliway spray again. Spot tells me he wants to go outside at o dark early by clawing the bed frame, the screen, the chair and a half, or the window bench. WLToo has been letting Spot outside after yelling at him to stop clawing. Well, I don't reward bad behavior. Instead, I got up, sprayed everything he's been clawing, and went back to bed. He gave up and went back to bed, too. He went outside when I got up for the day.

Ah, it's supper time, for both cats and human. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

Thanks, Stephany. Handy hint to have.

We had lovely warm weather all weekend, in the 60s and 70s. Today we didn't reach 45, and tomorrow will only be 38. The pattern for the next 10 days looks to be cold, cold, cold, warm, warm, cold, warm, warm, cold, cold. Must be February...

A doe came up to MDL's dish and tried to take it away. She put her hoof in it and yanked, and the corn flew out. MDL was a tad disgusted with the other doe.

Spot is a bit frustrated with the weather patterns. He doesn't mind the cold so much, but when it's mixed with high winds and a bit of moisture, he'd rather stay inside and insist I play with him. Well, he'd like to play with Alex, but Alex does not want to play -- he'd much rather cuddle with a human. So Spot stalks my legs, dashes up, whacks me on the leg, and dashes away.

Speaking of whom -- he wants up in my lap, so I'll move the computer now. Later, y'all.

[Stephany]

Hi,

We found that wrapping a string of the little Christmas lights (not LED) around the hummer feeder and leaving it plugged in all night kept the syrup from freezing on our occasional sub-30 degree nights here in Seattle. We have also bunched the lights into a margarine container and snugged it up to the bottom of the feeder with rubber bands, again leaving it on all night and that keeps the syrup from freezing too.

But my husband usually just brings the feeder in at night and puts it back out in the morning before dawn.

Hope this helps,

Stephany

[Wanderlost]

The wind and cold last night froze the hummingbird nectar again. I brought it inside, thawed it, cleaned it, and put new in.

I know it will freeze tonight, but at least today the bird has new nectar.

Spot's been outside four times today so far, all trips lasting less than two minutes each. OK, make that five - just let him out again.

Alex isn't fooled. He knows it's too cold out there, and there are nice, warm humans to curl up on.

Haven't seen MDL in a couple of days. I guess they've all taken shelter from this nasty cold wind.

WLToo needs help with the broccoli soup (harvested from our garden day before yesterday). Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

We had several days of 60s and 70s, and today another front has arrived. Not frigid, but awfully windy, so it's been a sit by the fireplace and drink hot beverages day.

Alex is on top of my recliner, trying to ease his way down on my lap (where the laptop is). Spot's on the bed.

Spot has a new "thing." He goes outside, does whatever he does, comes back inside, and immediately climbs on me, where he plants his cold nose into my neck and stays until he's all warmed up. If I'm not sitting down, he comes to me and makes it very clear he wants to be held. It's kinda cute, considering how big he is...

A tiny hummingbird is still here, and looks pretty good. The deer are all fuzzy. We have an 8-point buck interested in us, mainly because MDL hangs around with us, and she's part of his harem of five or six does who stay in our meadow. So now we have a buck in the meadow, too, and he's much inclined toward being somewhat friendly. When he drops his antlers, fine, but until then, we're keeping him at a respectable distance. Besides, if the zombie apocalypse occurs, he's lunch...

Time to head over to the library. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

So we had an ice storm Thursday night. Woke up to TxDot having closed I-35 and most of the county roads, so it was really quiet. No vehicle noises anywhere within hearing distance. The night's high winds and low temps (wind chill factor around 10F) resulted in frozen hummingbird nectar, so we brought it inside to melt, then put it back out. Was in the 20s last night, but not windy, so the nectar didn't freeze again.

We had a thin sheet of ice with sleet stuck to it on our property. It melted by afternoon, but was only a trace of moisture. Back into the 60s and 70s this weekend. I'm sure the garden suffered some damage, but since it's all volunteer, we're not out anything.

Alex has moved from the afghan back to my lap. He's trying to stay away from Spot, who's taken to attacking him wherever Alex goes. No more safe zones. Knowing Alex, he probably tried to start something just because he could, and whatever it was made Spot really angry. But that gets Spot into trouble, because he'll hurt (or kill) Alex if we let him continue, so the spray bottle is getting a fair amount of exercise -- not actually being used, just waved in Spot's general direction. That's enough to stop him.

We had a buck fight in the meadow yesterday. WLToo watched for a while, then decided it was a play fight, not a real one. One doe was licking a buck's muzzle, but we didn't see the final result of that obvious acceptance. Three does and an eight point buck separately came up to the north porch and looked in, but only MDL gets the corn, and only when she's alone. It was right lively out there...

A small bird just checked out one of the barn swallow nests. It was not a barn swallow, though.

We're already warmer today than the high yesterday, no wind, and bright sunshine, so around noon I'll go check the garden.

Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

A cold front blew in this morning. The morning highs of mid-40s dropped quickly into the low 30s, with a wind chill factor of the lower 20s/upper teens. It's raining a little, may turn to sleet or snow overnight. We so hope the moisture is significant, but aren't holding our breaths.

We're curled up in the great room with the fireplace pumping out some serious heat. But the cats decamped to the bedroom, where I had placed an afghan on the bed for Alex, since Spot was hogging the plush throw.

So what happened? They're both on the afghan.

[Wanderlost]

Those crackers refused to unstale, no matter what, so the deer got them. Not buying that brand again...

I moved the pantry challenge over to the Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs section.

Spot and Alex sailed through their annual exams. The vets are amazed at how healthy Alex is for such an old guy. His kidneys stay just above the borderline area, not getting better nor worse. The vet was a tad concerned about Spot possibly heading for diabetes, but he came out ok. She wanted to put him on prescription moist food, but Spot won't eat it. He's happy with the CD kibbles and his treats.

We feed Alex three times a day, with evening treats, so he's no longer losing weight. I just wish he's sleep under some covers, instead of planting himself so hard against me that he could be on the other side...

An eight point buck strolled up yesterday and ate MDL's corn. Beautiful buck, and very calm about us watching him through the window. We think the cold snap may have brought the unbred does back into season, from the way some does and all the bucks are acting.

Meanwhile, MDL's little doe herd is up to four. Two marched up to the porch with her the other day, as she came back to finish the day's corn. One looks so much like her than we're pretty sure she's a younger sister.

The hummingbirds are still here, still healthy. They must be getting energy food from somewhere else, though, since they're not drinking that much nectar.

Time to go to town. Later, y'all.

[CA_POPPY]

You know the most amazing thing I discovered about stale saltines? If you put a layer of them on a microwave-friendly plate and turn it ON, stand there and watch and when the crackers start to brown a little, turn it OFF. Let them cool and they are crisp and taste as good as new! I learned this back in the day when the kids were still at home and we didn't throw out anything.:W

[vickiebec]

Use those crackers to make chicken fried steak, my favorite

[Wanderlost]

After several days of downright cold weather, during which we used the fireplace and drank lots of hot cocoa, we're now having highs in the 60s and 70s. That's a bit higher than normal, but we'll take it happily.

Alex is feeling bad today. He did not wake up WLToo for breakfast, didn't eat breakfast, ignored lunch, and is sleeping in his "I don't feel good" spot. Usually he's over it in 24 hours, but if not, both cats are already scheduled for their regular exams on Monday.

Spot, meanwhile, startled WLToo. He was in the garage looking for something and suddenly realized that Spot had stuffed himself into a small box on top of a larger box, on top of a still larger box, and was patiently staring back at WLToo. I've never seen a cat so fascinated by boxes...

We've taken on a challenge, to prepare meals using what's already in the pantry or freezer, adding only milk, eggs, and fresh fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, some items do get shoved way back in the pantry (very bad design), and so I found our saltines are way stale. Will see if Mama Doe Lassie or the other does she's gathered into a herd are interested in them. If not, into the compost.

Just added more nectar to the hummingbird feeder, although I've not actually seen the birds for a couple of days. Could be because I just haven't looked at the right time.

We actually had rain for two days - not enough to break the drought, but every little bit helps. At least the sky is clear and lovely, now that the dust is out of it.

My turn to figure out dinner. Off to the pantry. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

It's been below freezing the last two dawns. Luckily, that only lasted a couple hours each. Still, it's enough to keep the cats curled up on the fuzzy throw at the foot of our bed. Today's supposed to be in the high 60s again, so they might go out this afternoon.

I'm amazed at how hardy our two resident hummingbirds are. Still here, still using the feeder 5 or 6 times a day. They do have bugs to eat, apparently, since our weather rarely ever stays cold long enough to kill 'em all off.

We even have to spray our winter garden to keep the bugs off. The broccoli is doing beautifully, as are the onions and coriander (cilantro). Everything else is growing slowly.

Cleared out two more moving boxes of fabric, donating a good portion to my sister and the local thrift store.

Ah, WLToo just announced he needs veggies to top the taco meat. Off to the store. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

Well, we had the enchiladas yesterday. New Year's Day menu has changed to ham, black eyed peas, and whatever else we throw together. That's the last day our nephew will be here; he has to fly back to Fort Eustis, VA the next day, so another family gathering here.

Except for the cooler air and a breeze, I was sorely tempted to jump into the 76 degree swimming pool this morning. I do miss my daily swims.

Alex went on a walk with me a bit ago; Spot stayed in bed. He's probably finding his extra winter weight a bit tough to haul around. We and the vet are still working on a safe weight loss plan; the present one isn't working at all. Well, every cat is different...

Mama Doe Lassie met our cousin's 2.5 year old foster child yesterday. The little one was excited to see a deer close up; MDL was not happy about something that bouncy being anywhere within view of her dish. Toddler loves animals, and even Spot let her gently stroke his head eventually.

A bit later, I watched said toddler eat all of the meat from a large chicken thigh, a whole slice of brisket, half a slice of bread, six pickle slices, and a couple ounces of ice cream. Zowie. Where did a 22 pound child put all that food? She's a definite carnivore -- pickles are her only vegetable so far, and that was the first time she'd shown any interest in bread. Left the adults sitting in open-mouthed amazement.

Time to clean the hummingbird feeder. Later, y'all.

[Wanderlost]

It was a lovely, somewhat chilly Christmas Day. We turned on the heater for Mom; wasn't cold enough to light a fire. We feasted, opened presents, watched Holiday Inn, then everyone headed home just before the Doctor Who Christmas special.

My whole family has a deep need for holdin' and pettin' the cats, so throughout the day, Alex got all the love and laptime he wanted, and Spot got far more than he liked -- until everyone left, and then Spot plopped himself on my chest.

Mama Doe Lassie and 3 other does gave the guests a show in the meadow; the two hummingbirds also showed up.

I'm still not hungry after yesterday's feast -- maybe by mid-afternoon. Luckily, we sent most of the leftovers with family, so we're not stuck with a week's worth. Just a couple more meals and we're done.

WLToo announced we'll be having enchiladas for New Year's Day. Fine, whatever, not even thinking about food for a while.

Spot wants back inside. Later, y'all.

[WandaLust2]

Merry Xmas to you too! 🙂