Feline Lull of Love
Posted Sunday, 09/26/21
I recently had about a two-week lull in creativity, but now I'm back at it. I hope to finish Blood & Soul before the snow flies.
Part of the "break" included making a stray cat part of our family. Around September 7th, a small kitty wandered into our yard. That in itself is not unusual as we keep a feeder out to accommodate several strays who usually come by every night, but there was something different about the small kitty. He meowed at us repeatedly, as if in desperation. It felt as if he had chosen us, and now he's here to stay. His name is Dusty, but I've already nicknamed him "me little boyo."
(Above): Meet Dusty O'Toole Dalton, our new baby boy. Click on image to view larger size in a new window.
We went through all of the local lost/found pets sites with no results, and he also scanned negative for a chip.
Jerry took Dusty to the veterinarian for a thorough check-up. The doctor estimated him to be about 6-7 months old, and he weighs a little over 7 pounds. He also had his vaccinations, a de-worming treatment (just in case), and blood tests came back negative for all feline diseases. He's a healthy little terror. Dusty is scheduled to get fixed and chipped on October 14th.
Hissy hates him, naturally. She is none-too-pleased about the goings-on with Dusty and makes her displeasure known quite frequently.
(Above): Hissy showing her displeasure at the recent turn of events. Click on image to view larger size in a new window.
Hissy and Dusty engage in regular battles at the sliding glass door (with Hissy inside and Dusty outside). The hissing, growling and caterwauling can be intense. We intend to bring Dusty inside when the weather turns colder (in the basement), but in the meantime he has a heated bed with food, water and litter box in the garage. He loves dry food and Vienna sausage, but turns his head away when offered tuna or other moist cat food.
We keep Dusty locked in the garage at night because we saw footage from the security camera where he chased several of them off in the wee hours, most of whom are twice his size.
Our "little" family now includes two beautiful cats, and about fifty duckies.
