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Apr. 10th, 2010
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Apr. 10th, 2010 08:38 pmThis morning I headed out, quite late (hours and hours of math!) to my usual warm weather spot in the shade of the big tree out back. I stretched a bit, and heard a cat. I'm on fairly good terms with the local felines, so I looked around to see where this cat was, to no avail. I made a circuit of the large, vaguely mushroom shaped ventilation thing (the yard I practice in is over the parking garage), talking to the kitty, but not seeing it.
And then I suddenly realized that he was in the ventilation thing.
After a bit, I managed to remove one of the panels, and there was a kitty I kind of knew - I haven't seen him a lot, but for several days late last summer he hung out with me when I practiced. Very sweet and personable. But the orange tabby who claims that yard as his own convinced him to leave. Only seen a few glimpses of him since, don't have a sense of where he was from. He was clearly distressed, and wanted out, but wouldn't jump - so I lifted him out, and got a better look at him to realize he had a very badly injured rear leg (probably a fractured femur) and one of his eyes was completely scabbed over. He also had a number of smaller cuts, was terribly light and shaky, his fur was ratty (he'd generally been a very elegant medium haired cat) and... gah.
So I gave him water (yay squishy bowl in my bag). And then wrapped him in my gongfu jacket, put my swords on my back, and went doorbelling.
There are a lot of really nice people in Cleveland Heights.
Spent an hour at this, without luck. Then spent a while chatting with a neighbor who was out with her young son and dog (it was all very peaceable kingdom - though injured kitty was pretty perky generally at this point, after I gave him some more water, he curled up on my lap and slept, perfectly content to let the dog sniff him, once he'd ascertained that the dog was no threat). Might have dinner with her later, and she's been thinking recently of studying Taiji... (an awful lot of the people I talked to recognized me. Really, that yard behind the Waldorf, while open, isn't exactly in view from the street. Well, except for a tiny bit of a minor street.)
Wandered through another set of houses, ringing doorbells, and ran into F. She invited me back to her place, and we called shelters, and the kitty expressed that a) he would have preferred to stay in the sun, and b) he'd also like to eat a blue jay. Or a starling. Or...
Eventually we took him to a local vet, where he got antibiotics and ointment for his eye. And we found he was un-neutered, which makes it seem a little less likely he was a pet. (Nonetheless, I took pictures, and will be posting them on the local sites.) Though darn, if he's a stray he's the friendliest, most gentlemanly stray even. Everyone was impressed - he sat curled up in my arms, grooming himself for most of the visit, and
The vet, however, could not keep him, and the shelter that could won't have a vet in until Monday... after some discussion, F suggested that she could keep him at her mother's. In fact, her mother is elderly, has always had cats, lost her cat not too long ago, and the family has been encouraging her to get another, but she hasn't... Hm. Gods, he is the sweetest cat.
So, here's hoping. F and I exchanged numbers, and she insisted on splitting the (small) vet bill. (The vet donated her time, so it was just the medication cost.) And we brought him back to F's place, found a nice big box to line with towels and such, and F drove him down to her mother's. One of the local shelters has agreed to take him, though we might be contacting rescue groups as well... if it doesn't look like he finds himself a home.
And then I went home and showered. That was about four hours in there.
Oh, and yeah, I'm allergic to cats. Not terribly, though. Hydrocortizone is good stuff.
And then I suddenly realized that he was in the ventilation thing.
After a bit, I managed to remove one of the panels, and there was a kitty I kind of knew - I haven't seen him a lot, but for several days late last summer he hung out with me when I practiced. Very sweet and personable. But the orange tabby who claims that yard as his own convinced him to leave. Only seen a few glimpses of him since, don't have a sense of where he was from. He was clearly distressed, and wanted out, but wouldn't jump - so I lifted him out, and got a better look at him to realize he had a very badly injured rear leg (probably a fractured femur) and one of his eyes was completely scabbed over. He also had a number of smaller cuts, was terribly light and shaky, his fur was ratty (he'd generally been a very elegant medium haired cat) and... gah.
So I gave him water (yay squishy bowl in my bag). And then wrapped him in my gongfu jacket, put my swords on my back, and went doorbelling.
There are a lot of really nice people in Cleveland Heights.
Spent an hour at this, without luck. Then spent a while chatting with a neighbor who was out with her young son and dog (it was all very peaceable kingdom - though injured kitty was pretty perky generally at this point, after I gave him some more water, he curled up on my lap and slept, perfectly content to let the dog sniff him, once he'd ascertained that the dog was no threat). Might have dinner with her later, and she's been thinking recently of studying Taiji... (an awful lot of the people I talked to recognized me. Really, that yard behind the Waldorf, while open, isn't exactly in view from the street. Well, except for a tiny bit of a minor street.)
Wandered through another set of houses, ringing doorbells, and ran into F. She invited me back to her place, and we called shelters, and the kitty expressed that a) he would have preferred to stay in the sun, and b) he'd also like to eat a blue jay. Or a starling. Or...
Eventually we took him to a local vet, where he got antibiotics and ointment for his eye. And we found he was un-neutered, which makes it seem a little less likely he was a pet. (Nonetheless, I took pictures, and will be posting them on the local sites.) Though darn, if he's a stray he's the friendliest, most gentlemanly stray even. Everyone was impressed - he sat curled up in my arms, grooming himself for most of the visit, and
The vet, however, could not keep him, and the shelter that could won't have a vet in until Monday... after some discussion, F suggested that she could keep him at her mother's. In fact, her mother is elderly, has always had cats, lost her cat not too long ago, and the family has been encouraging her to get another, but she hasn't... Hm. Gods, he is the sweetest cat.
So, here's hoping. F and I exchanged numbers, and she insisted on splitting the (small) vet bill. (The vet donated her time, so it was just the medication cost.) And we brought him back to F's place, found a nice big box to line with towels and such, and F drove him down to her mother's. One of the local shelters has agreed to take him, though we might be contacting rescue groups as well... if it doesn't look like he finds himself a home.
And then I went home and showered. That was about four hours in there.
Oh, and yeah, I'm allergic to cats. Not terribly, though. Hydrocortizone is good stuff.