Sunday, April 27, 2014

The Cat Report (W.4/23-14)

I'm late in posting last week's Cat Report, but here goes:

Very sorry to hear about Bouillabasse (Bonfilia) and my pal Kaboodle being sent back to the main shelter, she to get over her cold and he because of the scratching in his ears. I think Kaboodle's problem has less to do with allergies and more with the back that he has long, sharp claws on his back feet that I think need trimming. Hope they'll both be coming back to us once they're better. 

It was a quiet and peaceful morning in the cat-room, with mostly well-behaved cats. Aside from Kaspar, whose nibbling got overly enthusiastic as the morning wore on. All the cats had walks, starting with CHONGO, who did pretty well. His sense of direction's not much, but his solution is to pick a direction and move decisively that way, hoping to come across some bit he recognized. He wanted to claim a cat-bed (a sort of pet-couch thing) he found for all his own. Once back in the room he explored, hiding and doing an amusingly  bad job of it, with bits of him sticking out fore and aft. Then he discovered the catnip-laced box and his joy was complete: he placed himself in a too-small box with great satisfaction and stayed there.

MANGA ('Monga') had the next walk: she was nervous being out of the room but did explore a bit. Her favorite part was discovering the row with all the cat-treats; she put her head through a gap in the row and wanted badly to go back behind them and explore. Otherwise all seemed well until she caught sight of The Evil Parrot (i.e., the conure), at which point she fled back to the room. Maybe she has some sort of parrot-phobia? Most of the cats just ignore the birds, aside from Kaspar who goes into stalking mode when they come into view. Back in the room she was here and there and everywhere, but particularly enjoyed the crinkly paper (highly satisfactory to pounce upon) and being up high on the cage-tops.

BOUILLABASSE enjoyed her one-on-one time being petted; her walk consisted  of sprawling on cool cement alternated with sitting quietly and listening to noises from all over the store. I think by the time she was done she had a pretty good idea what other animals lay in every direction. She didn't go far, and purred when she came back in. Later she enjoyed the crinkly paper before moving to the top of the cat-stand near the door, where she snoozed the rest of the morning away. Think she's on the mend from her cold, but not quite over it yet.

My Pal KABOODLE was in good form today. His walk fell into the familiar pattern: I'd carry him around the store, put him down in various places, whereupon he'd make a bee-line straight back to the cat-room. A good sense of direction, this one. About the only thing that caught his attention out there was the stand of cat-stands, which he promptly mounted. Back in the room, he went to up to Cagetop Land, as usual, though he came forward to the edge several times to get some attention or join in a game. He also enjoyed some crinkly paper being put up there (why should the lower-down cats have all the fun?).  I was surprised, and pleased, at one point to discover that he and Mr. Scuffs were lying side-by-side up there, each clearly willing to share with the other. He came down as I was winding things up and got in the basket on the bench but didn't get to stay there long, to his (justified) annoyance. If I'd known he was about to be transferred back up to the main clinic I'd have given him more one-on-one time. Poor Kaboodle. 

Mr. SCRUFFS also had a good day. He had a short walk but without the panic of last time. He was greatly interested in the chirp-room just the other side of the vending machines. Once back in the cat room, he enjoyed the feather duster, and a box with crinkly paper in it. Then he went high, where as noted above I found him curled up next to, but not quite touching, Mr. Kaboodle. Later he came down on his own accord, and put himself atop the cat-stand near the cabinet, where he sat, paws and tail dangling, with great satisfaction. All in all I think he's come out of his gloom from the last few weeks. Now if we can just keep him in this relaxed mood it'll do him a world of good.

Last but far from least we have KASPAR the energy bomb. He did great on his walk, as usual, and went everywhere. Back in the room after a good long poke-about (seems like most of the employees there know his name), he settled down just inside the door, the better to enjoy the cool breeze blowing beneath. He loved the crinkly paper (esp. when it blew in the wind) but was less interested in the catnip box (which was just as well, since some of the more low-energy cats were drawn to it). But his favorite thing of all was the featherduster, which he tackled with great zeal, repeatedly. Unfortunately, this seems to have gotten him all worked up, and his nibbles became a real problem, breaking the skin for the first time. Or it may have been due to The Dog (a Shelty, I think) whose owner brought it over to the cat-room, where it watched and was watched by Kaspar (the other cats just tuned it out) for some time. It was well-behaved, but he ended with his back arched and was trembling before the whole thing was over. Still, he seemed to bounce back quickly. His big news of the day was a man and his grandson who's seen a mention of him on-line and had come in to meet him in person with adoption in mind. The grandson and Kaspar got along well; the grandfather was concerned about the biting. He said he'd come back in that evening with his wife for her to meet Kaspar as well. Hope they did, and that that meeting went well. There's nothing wrong with Kaspar that having a home of his own won't fix -- but then that's true of Kaboodle and Fluffy Scruffy et al. as well.



Health Concerns: 
Bouillabasse sneezed a few times but seemed on the mend. Manga was also a bit sneezy, though Chongo seemed fine.
I was surprised to see that Kaboodle was on sensitive/allergy food, then realized it must be due to the scratches in his ears and on both temples. Looking at his strong rear claws, I suspect that's a factor: that too-sharp claws are a big part of the problem. Hope he soon comes back to us.

Visitors:
we had several visitors throughout the morning
--Sam, who gave Kaspar an extra walk, which he seems to have really enjoyed; good to have a chance to burn off some more of that energy and socialize at the same time.
--a man who said he has eleven cats (eight of them Bengal kittens)
--a man and his grandson, looking at Kaspar (worried about the nibbles)


--John R. 
--written under the supervision of my own Purrfect Pals rescue kitty, Hastur ('The Master of Disaster')

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