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| Neighbors 5 cats |
When you try to help and take care of as many cats as I do (first pic shows a few of them) I guess getting a few scratches along the way is normal. On occasion I am the one being aimed at, usually though it is just “CAT-Lateral Damage”. Sometimes I have my hand to close to the end of the string, or fail to drop the dangling catnip mouse quick enough. When dealing with strays and ferals it is good to be quick and alert. Although in the last example you need to show trust without showing fear. It helps to have good reflexes.
One time the local Humane Society had a free spay and neuter day, my neighbor ”M” was helping me take some strays in. The line was long with 3 times as many people as spots available. A guy ahead of us was getting ready to transfer a feral cat from a broken carrier to a new cardboard one. Foreseeing disaster in the making, I went and stood near by just in case. He should have opened the door to make the exchange. Instead he opened the top and the cat flew out. I was able to step into its path and catch it. I tried to hold on to it until some one could get a better grip and put it in the new carrier, as I was unable to change my grip. It had bitten in to my thumb, down to the bone. Yes, very painful, that’s why I let go. Poor kitty lost in an unknown area having to find new places to hide and sleep. I still feel bad about letting him go.
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| Skinny cat |
What prompted me to write on this subject is a couple days ago I got nailed good. I was trying to stop a fight between Thor (neighbors out back cat) and the Martian, I have done this many times before. When they start growling and facing off I normally can grab Thor and pull him away to put down elsewhere. I do not try to touch the Martian, he is a very big kitty.
In the second pic you can see he was malnourished, if you look you will notice that his sides sink in by his hips. That was just before I took him in to get neutered and de-wormed. He weighed in at 14 lbs, now he is better feed.
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| Lil' Bit & Martian |
The third pic is him near Lil' Bit, she is my smallest cat just around 6.5 lbs. That is not an illusion, he looks to be 4 times her size. He was close to being feral when he showed up. Although I can pet him and pick him up, he is still a little wild and will swipe at me on occasion. I would not trust trying to grab him when he is agitated.
The last pic is of Thor he is good sized also. They were both in my back bedroom near the window, Thor was wanting out. Martian was on the floor near the window when Thor walked over (the neighbors cats will do that when I am on the computer to let me know they want out). It being a somewhat confined space I figure Thor still did not feel safe when I picked him up, plus having less room to move I held him in my arms. That was when he ripped into me, I got several scratches 4 or 5 of which were deep.
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| Thor |
This was about the worst I had ever gotten it. My forearm got pretty red, and swollen near the wounds. No pics to post as it looks much worse than what is is, and may not be for the faint of hart. It is healing up pretty good, no doc needed. I used hot salt water soaks and hydrogen peroxide to prevent infection and kept the area clean and dry.
I do not blame the cats, as everything they were doing is part of their nature. I should have known better and been a little more careful. The moral of the story?? Drinking and computing do not mix. Being a holiday weekend I was doing some celebrating and got distracted by surfing the web when everything happened.
To answer your questions yes both are still allowed in at the same time. I do have a water bottle I use when it is near. Yes a few others will square off, Lil' Bit grows at all the male cats and several of the females. She will growl the loudest and fiercest, being the smallest I think she feels more of a need to protect her territory.
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