David d'Khat

[Honeylioness]

31 March 2010


For almost a year, off and on, but much more on this winter, I have been feeding one of the cats that had cornered my little female and created the big "emergency hysterectomy" last fall.

Recently I have taken to calling him David since he has one ear that was badly mangled at some point in time and he just strikes me as a real warrior. He also has the prettiest amber gold eyes that just look at me very calmly as if trying to figure me out.

About a month ago I noticed an odd looking spot on his back where the fur looked like it had been rubbed away, then a week later it was worse. A real bad injury, perhaps from a fight with another cat - it was red, seeping and just ugly looking. So I decided it was way past time to try and capture David and get a better look as well as see if he truly needed medical attention.

Much easier said than done.

I don't think he is completely feral, I get the impression he may have been tossed onto the streets after living with people at some point. Most truly feral cats I have met just act differently, they growl and flatten their ears and won't let you get within 12 feet of them. This one IS very cautious but little by little has let the gap between where I am standing and where the yummy food I put down is grow smaller. So I started on the weekends placing the container of food on the floor inside the my studio where he would have to come through the open door and a little way into the room to get it. Gradually he has been more comfortable with this and will come a little farther inside each time.

Last night it was a real "blustery night" as Pooh would said when around 11:00 pm I hear a mrowling at my back door - sure enough there was David, a little wet and a lot hungry. So I shooed the other cats out of the room and closed the inner door before getting a bowl ready for my "visitor". This time I left the door open only a bit and placed the bowl with the stinky smelling food (my editorial opinion, not the cats' by the way) inside the room about four feet. Well hunger won over caution and in he came, and as per usual the plastic bowl slid along the floor as he ate - watching while pretending I was ignoring him I was able to find the right moment and close the outside door.

Boy was he stunned - first he ran around the room, then tried to see if he could open the door himself and finally hunkered down under my desk. He did let me get down there with him with my hand laying on the floor about three inches from his nose. He did not growl or hiss or bat at me - which is why I do not believe he is a truly feral cat - just a very scared one.

As I was getting ready to leave for work I put out some more food for him and made sure he had access to a litter box - but I never saw him. He must be very good at finding hiding places. It may not be the smartest money move but I have made an appointment to take him to the vet tomorrow night for some blood and stool work - just to see what shape he really is in and whether it would be best for him to be euthanized or are his ailments treatable and it would be worth it to neuter and vaccinate him.

The biggest challenge with this will be catching him and getting him into a cat carrier for the trip I think.

[Honeylioness]

01 April 2010


As soon as I had walked into my office last night I knew that not only was David still around but he was unclear on the concept of the litter box, or perhaps he was put off by the smell of the other cats. Either way it is fine for now. I understand he is rather rattled by his sudden change in circumstances.

I started reconnaissance to try and locate his hiding place - and I must say he is very good at this game as it took me almost 20 minutes to flush him out. I heard a noise and turned to see him perched atop a stack of plastic bins just looking at me. However this was progress, because as I moved toward him he did not run off.

Instead he crouched rather calmly and let me pet his head, then his neck and finally stroke my fingers along his back. He has such nice fur but boy is he beat up.

His right ear has numerous scratches and scabs in various stages of healing all around it, his left ear is "cauliflowered" and tattered but whether from a fight or mites I don't know. There is gunk embedded in all the fur in the area and the inside of his ears are really dirty - but I don't think it is mites.

David was definitely someone's pet at one time. He has yet to hiss or growl at me. He even let me gently pull him out from under the bookcase and lay in my lap for about 20 minutes without a sound or the use of claws.

He let me examine his skin, his paws, his ears, eyes and even his mouth with not even a struggle. This says to me he is either sicker than I suspected or a pampered cat who was cruelly left to fend for himself.

He is also much older than I had at first thought. When I made the Vet appointment yesterday I told them I thought he might be around 4 or 5. However I think the number is MUCH higher based on the state of his mouth. He has almost NO teeth at all - two molars on the left perhaps and I only saw one half of one incisor. I knew he had problems eating - now I can see why. Poor thing.

It could be an illness that caused this loss of teeth, it could be age. I might have been done medically though I highly doubt it. It does make me wonder though just HOW he has survived this long with this limitation.

*****************************************


We (Anne and I) took David to the vets this evening. One of the things that was of real concern to me is that he made no noise at all when we were in the car. Most cats are incredibly vocal about their displeasure at first being in a carrier and then at the car ride itself. But David made not a sound.

We got to the doctor's office and soon were in the exam room where I got to hand over my little baggie with the stool sample inside. That is one ziploc I had NO plans to wash out and re-use!

He weighed in at just 5.1 pounds. There is a scale of fitness for cats where five is the ideal - the vet and I agreed he was around a 3. He let the doctor examine him all over with nary a sound or a hiss or a growl and the only time he was rambunctious and tried to leap off the table was when she took his temperature. But then all cats hate that more than any other procedure in my experience.

They drew some blood and said if we could wait they would be able to test it right then. This was new as I had thought it would have to be sent out to a lab and we would not have results for a couple of days. Within 15 minutes we were called back into the exam room to get the results.

He is definitely under nourished, his heart rate is good and strong as are his respirations. His blood tests came back negative for cancer markers, feline leukemia or feline HIV. He does have ear mites but no immediate signs of tape worms, ring worms or other intestinal parasites. However he is missing all but one half of an incisor tooth though he does have all his molars - I had not it seems gotten as good a look as I thought into his mouth last night. And surprisingly there is no tartar on the teeth he still has. His left ear is also always going to look funny as it seems to be an old hematoma that calcified on it's own.

They estimate that he is somewhere between 8 and 10 years old. Has no microchip and should be neutered at some point. Although in his current condition they would not even consider it until he was in better shape to handle the anesthesia.

So after all this information the overall conclusion is that he most likely just needs TLC, time to trust humans again, is not a health threat to the other cats and if he is now an indoor cat should live a good many years to come.

So now we are home. He has had a rabies and distempter vaccination, a topical treatment for the ear mites and the few signs of fleas we found. The small cyst on his back seems to be healing on it's own and I can start to clean the caked on gunk in his fur little by little. I can call tomorrow afternoon to get the results of the stool analysis but they are not anticipating anything untoward to appear. The Vet also recommended that I get some kitten chow for him as it contains a higher level of protein to help him add needed weight.

So - I guess this is now a four cat household. Though we ARE going to have to work on teaching him about using the litter box instead of the floor.

[Honeylioness]

07 April 2010[/u]


I suppose it is time for a David update.

He is still residing primarily in my studio/office downstairs, or more specifically under the bookcase.

On Sunday I wanted to see just how his back wound was progressing so after some physical contortions on my part I was able to get him out from under the bottom shelf and carried him over to the washing machine which is a better height to look him over. Good thing I did, so that he was on an easily cleanable surface - because what had been just a soft squishy spot just to the side of his back bone was now a full blown infection and I swear I barely touched the area when it erupted and began to drain. Fortunately my friend R was over and I could call upstairs to her to get me some wet papertowels, q-tips and antibiotic cream.

After expressing out most of the "gunk" and wiping down the surrounding area I lightly packed in some of the cream. During this whole event David just hunkered on top of the washing machine. Not making a sound, although I occassionally could feel him trembling. I did feel bad as though I was somehow re-inforcing the "humans are bad" mentality he may have developed.

I found several sites on the web that talked about the "correct" way to integrate wild cats into a household. And I seem to have broken several of the "rules" by gently prying him out of hiding to check on him instead of the completely "hands off" approach and making no eye contact that most of what I read said was the right thing to do. I also found what seems to be a really helpful cat lovers website that has a discussion forum board and a thread specifically targeted towards dealing with or helping stray and feral cats.

I feel better after getting some responses that confirmed what I had been feeling. While it's true that you cannot push a stray cat too fast in accepting you and you have to let them come to you when they feel ready - his health does come first. So every day, twice a day, I have been coaxing him out of hiding and tending to the open wound on his back. He usually growls the first time I touch him, then gets very submissive while I drain the abscess and put some more anitbiotic into it. Tonight when I examined the sore there was no more swelling, no drainage and the edges are starting to get crusty and close. So that is a good sign.

I think his aversion to the litter box was primarily due to the hood over it. So I removed it Sunday and he has been using it - mostly. However I am sure he has not yet put together the idea that his bottom has to be all the way INSIDE the perimeter of the pan before he urinates. Ah well, one step forward, two steps back.

However I really am not the most patient of women and I do wish he would show that he is starting to trust me even a little. Then I have to remind myself that he has not made any attempt to either sneak, or bolt, out of the door as I am leaving or arriving home from work. The women on the cat board have been really supportive in reminding me that most animals DO know when someone is trying to help them versus trying to hurt them.

[Honeylioness]

22 April 2010[/u]


It has been three weeks since David was ....ummm ..."encouraged" to come in from the outside and he still spends most of his time hunkered behind/under my large bookcase - actually perching not on the floor but a large water outflow pipe. Not MY idea of a comfortable place - but then I am not a cat.

I have not actually seen him since the last treatment I gave him for his back wound. I know he is still there mainly from the deposits in the cat box, the disappearing food and water and the meowling calls I hear late at night from downstairs.

I feel bad that he is still so scared and have gone as far as to have a talk with my other cats to see if they won't speak to him about what a nice place this is to live etc etc. Anyone who is not an animal lover would think I had completely lost it I am sure.

Oh, I just remembered - I did coax him out about a week ago and took his picture and then cut his nails. Yes, he let me do both. He hisses a lot when you get near him - however without any front teeth the threat is not well backed up. The poor thing - I have no idea how long he has been out there fighting for his life and I occasionally wonder if I even did the right thing in bringing him inside. True there is heat and a steady supply of food and drink and if he ever comes out some new friends to make - but what if being an indoor cat somehow breaks his spirit?

*Sigh* ... or perhaps because of the stressful week I have had thus far I am just projecting onto this cat and in reality nothing is wrong at all.

Time will tell.

[Honeylioness]

27 April 2010[/u]


I think there was a little bit of progress last night on the kitty front. I had come home after 9:00 pm and used the back door to enter my office/studio where David has been holed up. As soon as I flipped on the light I noticed a black lump sitting atop a small craft chest that stands windowsill high. This "lump" was crouched and looking outside - then turned his head, saw me and jumped down.

And he was not alone - I had left the door open that leads up to the main living level of the townhouse and my other three cats were also in the office at various places. Yet there was no hissing, no growling, no large clumps of fur littering the floor or bloody swipe marks across anyone's face - just curiousity on the part of the three veterans about this new arrival.

After I entered David did not immediately streak towards the underside of the bookcase, instead he hunkered down just at the far side of my desk - which stands in the middle of the room and functions also as a work surface. I very slowly walked to that side of the desk and hunkered down also so I would not be towering over him, crooning softly to him about what a brave boy he was and how nice it was to see him out and about - I also was able to see that the fur on his back is making rapid progress in growing back over the wounded areas.

He put up with that for a minute or two before slowly slinking back to his hiding place. Pausing every few steps to look and make sure I was not coming after him I think. Realising I had forgotten to put down food that morning I took his dishes upstairs and filled them both before going over to sit at my desk and turn on the television to catch the second half of one of my "shows". When what do I hear? A slurping sound.

Looking over I see David has left the hidey hole and is making quick work of the wet food I had left for him. Watching him eat you really notice his mouth issues as he pushes the food bits up against the edge of the bowl so he can use his lower jaw like a shovel to get it into his mouth - his compensation for his lack of front teeth. Every few bites he would look over at me as if to make sure I had not moved - I spoke quietly to him the entire time and when he was through he turned very slowly and headed back to his safe spot.

This is the first time he has willingly come out of hiding when I am in the room. I knew he came out at other times since the litter box is being used and I find things on the floor that did not start out there. And at night we do hear him mrowling .

[Honeylioness]

02 May 2010[/u]


Yesterday I saw David make a big step ... actually several of them. I was taking a break from chores in my office and noticed out of the corner of my eye a dark shape slink past. David had left his hiding place and moved into, then out of, the laundry room and then into the front hall. I waited a few minutes then quietly went to see just how far he had gone. The entry hall leads directly to the stairs leading to the second floor of the townhouse where the kitchen and dining room are. He had moved to the fifth step and was laying there ... just kind of looking around.

He sat there for about 10 minutes - two of my other cats had, during this time, gone up and down the stairs past David with no hissing or aggression. However when I did have to go back upstairs to get back to work he was not thrilled with that idea and hissed at me. I spoke to him softly and tried to just walk past him. But at that point he ran up a few more stairs and eventually up into the kitchen - which seemed to really disorient him. He wound up face to face with the three other cats and ran to hide under the dining room buffet. He was there about five minutes until he decided the coast was clear and ran back downstairs to his hiding place.

Today I didn't see him at all until his evening feeding. Guess he will need a few more days to recover from his encounter.

[Honeylioness]

05 May 2010


Well, one step forward two steps back I guess. We had quite the melee last night.

My usual routine is to come home from work and re-set my brain from work mode to actually "working" mode by watching the BBC news and then Charlie Rose before I head upstairs to make dinner. When I come home I have been opening the door to the front hall so that the other cats can come in and say hello - or sometimes I will leave the door open and let the resident cats and David interact without me being there to referee.

As Anne had gone to a friend's house for dinner I was puttering around clearing off my desk, sorting paperwork etc as the news was on - and not really paying all that much attention to what the felines were up to. Until I heard The Noise .... that distinct sound of cat food tumbling down from a shelf. Looking over I see that my dominant female - Naomi - is standing on her hind feet and has knocked over the bag of kitten food I am feeding David at the moment to help him regain his weight. And little nuggets are raining down onto the carpet, into a magazine holder and a box of photos waiting to be sorted. I suppose this was Her Highness's way of telling me that HER dish upstairs was not sufficiently full.

So after feeding the clearly emaciated and starving kitties ...*RME* ... I headed back down stairs to do a preliminary cleaning of the spilled food.

It was almost 30 minutes later that I got wind of trouble brewing. This is what I surmise happened. It seems that kibble you have to pick out of the carpet or nuzzle out of a box of photos to retrieve is ever so much more delicious than what is in the food bowl. And apparently David was out to prove this point. However as he slowly grazed he was moving further and further into the center of the office and I think choosing to ignore the presence of the other three.

And then I heard the yowling - that sound is what first caught my attention, and it was not coming from David ... but from Jericho. My smallest and the last cat I adopted before David. After a couple of minutes it was clear Jericho was not willing to ratchet down the noise or back arching anytime soon, so standing to come around so I could see all of them I realized they had David outflanked in a way. Jericho at 2:00 o'clock, Tigger at 10 and Naomi at 6:00 o'clock.

When David saw me he let out a massive HISSSSSSSS and bolted to underneath one pedestal support of the desk - Jericho followed. So David dashed for the second support - Jericho mrowled and hissed as though we were being attacked by flying monkeys or something.

Deciding to intervene - especially in light of the fact that Jericho has no front claws and could really get hurt - I herded the three long timers out of the room and cautiously looked to where I though David was. Crouching down about four feet away I softly crooned to him that it was okay and he was all right .... but only get hissed at for my efforts. Deciding he had to understand that this was MY house (or at least I maintain that illusion for myself) I shrugged, rose and went to sit back down at the desk and finish going through the stack of papers I had been working on. David did growl a little when he thought I was getting too close .... but was quiet for long minutes before he slunk off and climbed up onto the bottom shelf of the bookcase to disappear.

See, he is not so much hiding "under" the bookcase as sort of "behind" it. The wall unit is a little over two feet deep and five feet long made up of slatted shelves. It sits against an outer wall and is not actually flush with the wall because there is a large sewer drain pipe that runs from the corner of the room about three feet before sloping into the foundation and tying into the main sewer line. And perched atop this pipe is where you are most likely to find David - the wall to one side, a wall behind him, and the edge of a storage container on his right that sits on the bottom shelf of the wall unit.

I gave him about a half hour to calm down a little then went over to give him his nightly allotment of canned food and freshen his water - and for my efforts was hissed at again ... though this one didn't really seem to have much conviction behind it. If, as I have been told, hissing is a good sign that he is feeling more comfortable in his space ... then this cat should be asking me tonight if he can have all his friends over and borrow the keys to my truck!

On the upside though - he did sit/lay for a while on the bottom shelf just watching me, and where I could see him.

Now .... if I could just get him to stop pissing on the floor and do it in the litter box like he does to poop .... things would be SO much better (and better smelling as well)

[Honeylioness]

06 May 2010[/u]


Last night when David came out for his evening meal I got a chance to see a new behavior.

As I have mentioned in previous posts he had no front teeth - except for half of one incisor - so he uses his lower jaw and tongue to "shovel" wet food into his mouth. And that works pretty well for him for most of his dinner.

After he have gotten as much of the food as he could using his shovel method I watched him sit back on his haunches and move onto another technique to be sure he left nothing behind. He uses his paw to scoop out food around the perimeter of the bowl then licks it off. I saw him perform this maneuver at least eight times last night to completely clean out his wet food dish.

What a clever boy!

He was also relaxed enough about my being in the room to sit and have a "wash up" after he finished instead of bolting back into his hiding place.

[Honeylioness]

12 May 2010[/u]



Let's see - what update can I give you regarding the black cat living under the bookcase? Well, he seems to be spending less time "under" or behind it on the sewer pipe and more time perched or crouched on the bottom shelf of the aforementioned bookcase. Quite often as I am in the office I will look over and just see these two large gold eyes blinking at me.

He does still feel the need to give the obligatory HIISSSSSS when I come to that area to refill his water or food bowl. But more and more he is waiting until I am only about five feet away before coming out to eat - though he still will pause to look over and make sure I am not moving he will continue to eat even when I am "talking" to him as he does it - mostly silly stuff - telling him how pretty he is and how much better he is looking and what a brave boy he is.

A couple of nights he has even dared to venture a few feet away from the dishes when he is done to sit and have a wash before crouching down with his front legs curled under his chest in that way cats have.

I received a reminder post card from the vet that he needs his booster shot - Now I just need to find a Saturday that is not already over committed by me to take him in.

[Honeylioness]

03 June 2010[/u]


I realize I have not posted an update on David in quite a while.

Last weekend I thought I should get him more used to my touch and I wanted to look him over and see how his physical condition is coming along. So I put on my heavy duty work/garden gloves and off I went. Or rather down I went onto my knees to get him out from his bookcase hiding spot.

THAT didn't go so well as he managed to snag me good on the right hand - even through the gloves! And then he ran past me and took off. Upstairs to the kitchen, flew down the hall and under the buffet in the dining room. Then with Tigger hot in pursuit he flew upstairs and under Anne's bed. I was able to prod him out from there and back he went down to the dining room again.

By the way - Anne was still in the bed and opened a bleary eye to glance up but never really woke up during this escapade.

Eventually David paused on the stairs leading back up to the bedrooms and after several minutes of talking to him quietly I was able to pick him up.

His fur still seems rather dry to me and his skin also. He did let me clip his front claws and then groom him a bit as I removed a lot of the heavy undercoat he is shedding at the moment. Once you have him he doesn't growl anymore or try to bite - it is just while you are approaching him he still exhibits this aggressive behavior.


For about a week I have been keeping the door to the office on the first floor, where David mostly hangs out, ajar at night. I have heard him a few mornings "talking" or "calling" from upstairs in the kitchen - so he is moving about the condo on his own. Of course another bad side of this development is that he has occasionally peed on my kitchen floor.

But another upside is that it lets him and the other cats interact as they will - so far there have been no more hostile encounters. Even when Naomi or Tigger wander over to help themselves to a nibble of his dry food or some of "his" water he exhibits no aggression towards them.


The last couple of evenings I have come home to find that he is perched atop a small box of fat quarters that sits an a short dresser I keep craft supplies in. This means that he is able to look out the window at the hedges which buffer that side of the building from the main street.

Now usually he will give me a quick look when I come in from outside and jump down to dart off. But last night he just sort of watched me quietly. I approached and while he did hiss and show me once again that he has no teeth except for his molars - he did not try to scratch me again. And he let me gently run the top of his head and behind his ears.

However I am concerned because it seems as though the area just below his right ear and his right cheek seems to be puffy and swollen - but not hot to the touch. it may be another abscess. I need to take a closer look and in better light that I had last night.

[Honeylioness]

08 June 2010[/u]

A few days ago, which was Saturday, I wanted to take a closer look at David's face as there seems to be some swelling on his right cheek. Catching him this time seemed to go much better than the last attempt. He was crouched down near the back door and I was able, by moving slowly, to grasp him behind the neck and lift him up. Then it was onto the lid of the washing machine which has become my defacto exam table.

There is some inflammation, however it does not feel warm to the touch nor is it very "squishy" which usually indicates an abscess. I did try to excise a small area to see if there was anything that needed to be drained out - but no luck. While not thrilled with my amateur DVM efforts David did not try to bite or claw me during this process. He is due soon for his second round of shots and I will ask the vet what she thinks this bump may be - it doesn't seem to bother him and he doesn't react when you press on it either.

However my gently brushing him to remove more of the loose and unneeded undercoat was cause to protest .. a lot! He actually did rather well until you get too close to his tail - that seems to be what sets him off. I was able to keep one hand on the nape of his neck so I could feel if he was ready to "go off" and avoided getting any new scratches this time - that's progress.

I have tried to interest him is various toys which the other cats like - but he seems supremely disinterested in such things. I have noticed though that at least half the time when I come home from work he will be either sleeping atop the box of fat quarters on my craft chest or on the floor near my desk. However he has still not tried even once to race out the door when I am coming or going.

This morning I came downstairs and as I rounded the end of the staircase to head into the kitchen I saw him sitting on the top landing of the stairs that lead down to the front door. So he is getting braver.

And last night I saw him skulk off into the laundry room and when I peeked in he was using the cat box with the cover! I saw his head poking out and almost gave a YaaaaHoooo ... I thought he would not adjust to using a hooded cat box. However we are still having issues with him peeing in various other locations ... so back to the drawing board on THAT!

[Honeylioness]

05 July 2010


Okay, I don't particularly care anymore about what the "experts" are saying about how a stray cat is not used to urinating and defecating in the same place ... I need this cat to get with the program and pee IN a litter box!!!!!

The board I found that supports people taking in strays and helping them resocialize mentioned that often these cats want one box for solids and one for liquids ... fine, I set up a second box ... not that David alone has access to it. However he seems to spend more and more time finding places other than the box to use. Like my kitchen floor!!

I know it's him because we never had this issue before he came to stay here.

Add to that it has been one step forward two steps back lately.

Most nights when I come home he is on his perch atop a shallow box of fabric cuts which I have covered with an old towel to try and protect the contents. He will raise his head and watch me come in but no dash to the door and no hissing. For the last week or so I will quietly walk over to him and start gently rubbing his head and scratching behind his ears ... and even run my hand down his back and gather shedding hair. He normally will allow this for a few minutes before he declares he has had enough and jump down.

Well last week, at least twice, I came in and moved to pet him as has become our routine when I became of aware of something new. Slowly I slipped a finger under his jaw and it was true .... he was PURRING!!!! Not very loudly but he was purring.

And this event repeated itself for the next few days. However just when I was feeling good about the progress and making note I need to get him back to the vet to look at his "lump" .... well, he went all "CUJO" on me Saturday.

Not sure if it was the adrenaline rush from seeing the ground hog outside our back door, or that I might have smelled like ground hog coming back in. Perhaps it was my holding Tigger in my left arm and therefore over David's head by default as I moved into the office. Perhaps he though Tigger was in danger and he was trying to free his friend.

For whatever reason he charged me ... hissing loudly and swiping at the air. He's never charged me before - his hissing is usually accompanied by his backing up quickly. Then he charged again and made contact several times with my knee through the denim skirt. I dropped Tigger and grabbed the large package of paper towels I had bought to use as a sort of shield and he attacked my knee again and again and shredded the paper in the process. I honestly have no idea what set him off but for the first time he really scared the shite out of me.

I know have six new holes around my right knee to show for this little encounter. And the next morning he acted as though nothing at all had happened.

[Honeylioness]

26 July 2010


Okay, I don't know WHAT the F*** got into him this morning but I could go a very very long time without THAT kind of adrenaline rush again.

My neighbor two doors down has two small kittens - a black one and an orange tabby. He also has yet to put screens on his bedroom windows. I often see one of both of the kitchens sitting in the open window. And on more than one occasion have retrieved a kitten from the back deck after they have fallen or jumped out of said window.

And so it happened again today. I hear a sad mrowling and there outside my back door was the black one. After a few moments of coaxing I got a hold of it and not getting any response at their door (and needing to get to work) decided I could not leave it outside in this heat so I would put it in the guest room with some food and water until tonight.

Then I walked back into the house.

Remember how David went all "Cujo" on me earlier this month when I was holding Tigger in my left arm? Well his did it again. Only this time was much worse. I had the kitten held under my left arm with a light grip on it's paws so it would not scratch. All of a sudden as I went to go upstairs David went psycho.

He was leaping up for the kitten .. hissing and spitting and attacking my right knee. I tried turning my body away and getting upstairs and he cut me off ... I was truly afraid of him and was yelling and trying to keep a grip on the kitten while using my feet to stomp and push him back. FINALLY I got him to the other side of a doorway and slammed the door closed between us. I am not sure who was more scared ... the kitten or me.

No idea if this is a territorial thing ... the smell of a new cat (though he did it with Tigger and they get along fine) .. Or the holding a cat above him ... Although when I came into the room David was no where to be seen.

After getting the kitten settled and myself calmed down I treated the puncture wounds on my left hand and right knee. Then feeling incredibly pissed off I stormed back into the room and read him the riot act ... eye to eye ... telling him I had been MORE than patient and understanding with him but by God this was NOT going to be allowed. And if he thought for one bloody minute he was going to get away with that shit he was sadly mistaken.

Now, I really have no freakin' idea how much he got .. except that I was PISSED. Perhaps if I have him fixed sooner rather than later it would help?

[Honeylioness]

14 September 2010


Well, I have not posted a David update for a while. And as I have no current projects to work on today I thought I would take some time to catch you all up with his progress.

In August I took him into the vet's for booster shots and another preventative treatment for worms and other nasties. I had noticed that his right cheek was swelling and mentioned it to the doctor. I had also warned them that he had been wild for at least two years and could possibly lash out badly. So the technician came into the room with a large pair of leather gloves that could possibly double as gauntlets for training eagles!

However to my surprise David never even so much as growled. They noted he has put on about four pounds and is in much better shape then the first time they say him. Then he went back with them to see what they could do about the cheek. They use a technique they call "The Burrito" where they have the cat tightly swaddled as they work on him so no one gets hurt. Amazingly again the tech said he was very calm and never tried to fight her. They were able to make two incisions and drain out some puss, but it seems the jowls on a cat are made of really thick skin and she did not want to do more without him being anesthetized. Then the vet said something I found very amusing ... I should try to use hot moist compresses on his face 3-4 times a day to help it drain.


Yeah Right ... and while I am at it I will teach a Great White to give "kisses" to babies.

Needless to say the compress routine did not happen.


What did begin to happen though was regular forays upstairs by my newest "kid". At first it was just to the top of the stairs outside the kitchen where the least movement in his direction caused him to bolt back down the steps. Then I started noticing he would be ensconced on a chair in the dining room either when I came home from work or when I came down in the morning. I also discovered that the paw swipe in my direction after petting him for a minute or so was NOT an act of aggression but his way of saying "Helloooooo .... why are you stopping??"

Then I began to hear him calling as he braved the stairs up to the third floor and a few mornings I found when I awoke that not only did I have three cats in their long time claimed positions on my bed - but David had spent the night under the bed on the winter rug I store there in the warmer months.

Ines reported coming home from school to find him sleeping on either one of the living room armchairs or the sofa.

On Thursday I awoke to hear the girls in the living room below calling my name - seems I slept through the alarm. After bantering with them a few moments through headboard and railing I turned around to get out of bed and commented "Geez, I have all three cats on the bed again". That's when Ines said "And David is in the flowerpot".

WHAT? Not sure what that meant I again turned to my right to call down "What do you mean?". Ines just grinned and pointed up and to my left.

My bedroom is a loft above the living room and is enclosed along two sides with a black wrought iron railing. From that railing I have several flower boxes and pots that are suspended over the living room space on special railing hangers. The boxes are a blend of silk greenery and live plants so that the effect when you are down below is a bit European and romantic.

A bit like this:



Sure enough - there was David, stretched out in a long planter like some sort of living garden gnome. OY. All I could envision was Jericho lunging at him and one or both of them going over the edge a story down. While we avoided that scenario I did get to see dirt spray all over my pillows and bed when crazy boy finally uprooted himself.

He has suddenly become Mr. Social and now regularly hangs out in the kitchen doorway around dinner time. Friday evening I decided to give the kitties a treat and shook out catnip on the dining room floor. The girls thought this was highly entertaining and my house suddenly become some sort of Den of Iniquity as three cats were rolling and rubbing and writhing all over their drug of choice.

Suddenly David comes skulking down the hall to investigate this new activity and nothing would do but he had to have some also. I actually did not think he would be interested. But he demanded his own supply and did as much writhing as my worst offender - Naomi - ever did. It's pretty cheap entertainment to watch their eyes become HUGE then toss them a toy and see their reactions.

On Saturday I gathered together some home surgery supplies and plopped David atop the dryer - my surface of choice for messy tasks. I was not able to fully access whatever cyst or pocket is making his cheek swell - however the weird squishy "bump" on his back was not as fortunate and I was able to drain/squeeze out what I think may have been a sebaceous cyst. Not every day you see sebum drainage colored GREY. ICK

Anyway - David purred throughout the entire process which tells me there must have been quite a bit of pressure under the skin he was glad to have relieved.

That evening I rolled over in bed to find not Jericho in his customary spot against my left leg - but David! I almost fell out of bed. First time ever I have seen him on the bed. And he nudged and gummed my hand until I pet and scratched him in all the necessary places - purring the whole while.

I may have created a monster - because he was on the bed again this morning and comes into the living room each evening to claim a chair and watch me and the girls talk or watch television.

He MUST have been someone's pet at one time to be this way. No truly wild cat would have adjusted this way in under six months.

[Honeylioness]

27 September 2010[/u]



David - Okay, we have now officially made a monster out of David! Almost every night he comes up into the living room where myself and at least one of the girls are hanging out. He either will ensconse himself on a chair to keep an eye on us, or more likely, jump onto the back of the sofa and nudge a head to let that person know he wants to be petted and scratched ... NOW! Yes, that is right - he is no longer allowing only myself to administer this affection - anyone's fingers will do. And he will purr for them as loud as he purrs for me.

He also has discovered what we call the "kitty hammock" though I am less thrilled with this. Since it is not really a hammock but one of my quilts in it's floor hoop. But the cats seem to think it is for their benefit alone.

David is also a more frequent visitor on my bed at night and will head-butt me for attention if he feels I am taking too long to get on with it - regardless of whether I am awake or not. He has even spent most of several nights curled up towards the end of the bed asleep.

We have also been able to do away with the separate feeding stations - with his downstairs in my office. While we do still give him his wet food a bit away from the others for the moment he is feeding and drinking out of the communal bowls in the kitchen.

Saturday afternoon I was rounding up cats one by one for their pedicures - which is not much more than my holding them on their backs on my lap and trimming their claws. Since I had just swept the floors I like to do this sitting outside on my back deck.

Naomi and Tigger done, the next kitty to cross my path was David. He has never really shown a real issue with having his nails cut so I didn't expect any real resistance to this time either.

However what I didn't not expect was his reaction to being outdoors. I had commented in an earlier post that since his "capture" in March he has made no attempt at trying to sneak out or rush an open door. My mother said it could be because he is not stupid. Outdoors is wet, too hot/cold, scrounging for safe sleeping place, fights, and hoping for something to eat each day. Indoors is warm, dry, comfy places to snooze and fresh water and food available 24/7. Why would he want to leave?

Anyway, I carried him outside to sit at my bistro table so I could clip his nails - and for the first time in a while I could feel him shivering / trembling. He kept looking around as though he expected something to jump him at any moment and when he was squirming it was not merely to get off my lap but his front paws were trying to snag the door into the kitchen and hold on.

Poor baby, I wonder if he thought I was going to throw him outside and lock him out which is what I think may have happened with his previous residence.