They say that Santa said ... This is Florida !?? Bah humbug !! and he left as quickly as he could.
I might have totally freaked out the little "lost/homeless" kitten last night but I put old towels into the dog crate that stays out on the lanai ... it is huge, has towels and blankets for the pleasure of a cat nap and carries 3 cats or a full grown Standard Poodle comfortably on a long distance drive.
The little cat went inside and had a Christmas Eve dinner that was eaten in record time then it banged on the crate door and said, OK, thank you, let me out now.
I waited , hoping the little thing would appreciate the warm towels and a full belly but no, it got agitated and banged harder on the crate so I let it out again.
If I could get my hands on the owners of this little cat, they would spend the rest of this winter, barely fed, sleeping in a crate with a towel for warmth ..
If it weren't for my cats ... I would have brought the little thing inside,with the crate ..
I am not quite that loony though so when it didn't work out on the lanai, I shed a few tears, apologized and let it go.
By the way , she is a little grey tiger and feels like silk when you touch her, she is spooky about everything (who wouldn't be ??) but purrs like crazy when you pet her.
I think a soft loving touch is something she is not used to ..
So she is out there in those woods or hopefully at her home down the street ..
but that was our New Years Day ..
I didn't even see fireworks ! What the **** ??
Congratulations on being such a good friend to stray kitties. I trap a lot of cats, and except for the very sick ones, every single trapped cat goes berserk when they realize they have been caught. The way to calm them down is to throw a blanket over the crate and engulf the entire space in darkness. Then walk away. It won't take long for the kitty to feel secure in its "cave".
ReplyDeleteBecause you say the crate is large, you could keep the cat in there for several days with a litter box and change of food and water. I usually use a Have a Heart trap so I can take the kitty to the vet for neutering, but I have also transported an entire cage to the vet. When I bring the kitty home from surgery, I release the fella in a bathroom, where he will be confined until the other cats have sussed the situation, and the new kitty gets acclimated to the surroundings. I spend time with the kitty, too, to get him used to me, before I open the door to the rest of the house.
but some cats never want to become indoor kitties. If he cries to be let out, I mean really begs, I will release him, but also I'll have established a feeding station so he knows where his food is.
Good luck with your little guy.
Thank you vivian
ReplyDeleteI actually did that last night .. a blanket over the crate which was also full of old towels for huddling and being warm ..with little food and water bowls ..
I would have kept the cat for at least a couple of days but it was frantic to get out and my goal was not to torture the poor thing .. so after it had a nice dinner , and hopefully a bit of a rest, I let it back out.
I have not seen it today but it is pouring rain so I am hoping it went home and stayed there.
I have had cats all my life as well as a grandmother who bred Siamese cats so I learned about dealing with them at a very young age ...