Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Who's Lucky Now?


Lucky, the stray cat I wrote about here, is now a Rosen. That means he'll have to get used to watching Top Chef, Project Runway, and whatever's on Masterpiece Theater. He'll put up with gushing attention when our grown daughters come by for dinner on Sunday evenings and will earn acceptance from the family's two existing cats, who've been acting standoffish toward him. Luckily, Lucky's easy-going and resilient.

Nevertheless, indoor living will cramp the style of a cat who's roamed the neighborhood for more than a year—always in the company of a kittenish sidekick with amber eyes. Unfortunately, my neighborhood turned dangerous when a bully cat marked it as his territory.

When my neighbor and I noticed Lucky was limping. I took him inside, dabbed his leg wound with hydrogen peroxide, and decided to keep him indoors until he recovered. He didn't, so I took him to the vet.

Lucky's leg wound was worse than I'd thought, and I'd overlooked a nasty bite near his tail. The vet kept him overnight. By the time Hubs and I picked up the cat the next morning, we'd decided to keep him. Who could look at those wounds and send him back outside where another attack was bound to happen?

On the other hand, our adoption of Lucky would leave his sidekick outdoors without his best buddy/posse of one. That knowledge made me sick. My next-door neighbors, who already have two dogs and two cats, decided they'd take in the sidekick. How awesome is that.

The vet estimates Lucky is three years old. He'd been neutered but wasn't ear-tipped. (When a feral cat is neutered, it's common to cut a quarter-inch off the tip of the left ear as a signal the cat's had the procedure. Don't worry; the tip heals quickly.) "He was somebody's pet," the vet said.

Since Lucky and his sidekick have cadged food from me, my next-door neighbors and at least one other family EVERY DAY for almost a year, it's clear he hasn't been anyone's pet for long time.

"Dumped," my next-door neighbor said when I relayed the vet's findings.

Yet it's clear Lucky and his sidekick had been given a good start in life. They are not afraid of people, so someone was kind to them. Did that person get sick? Have a stroke? Was a loving child forced to release her pets because the family was moving? I haven't a clue.

At the moment, Lucky is afraid of me—the meanie who dabbed his leg with hydrogen peroxide, then took him to the vet. When we brought his bandaged self home, Lucky took refuge under the bed in the guest room. I voted against feeding him, thinking he was still full of anesthesia and antibiotics. Hubs disagreed and took a dish of food into the guest room. Lucky crept from under the bed to empty the dish and lick my husband's hand. An hour later, Lucky hobbled into the family room to lean against Hubs' chair.

Yesterday morning, I took Lucky back to the vet to have the bandage removed. The wounds are healing nicely. As I write this on Tuesday at almost seven in the evening, Lucky's under the guest bed. He won't be for long.

Hubs is due home any minute. When he makes his appearance, Lucky will, too.

20 comments:

Marcy Kennedy said...

I'm so glad you and your neighbors took them in. All my cats have come to me because someone abandoned them. The most recent was badly bashed up when we got her, full of trauma abscesses, etc. It's heartbreaking.

Jane Myers Perrine said...

I don't know if you remember our black cocker Dream who was also a stray. Turned up on our front stoop in Houston one morning. Strays can be the best. Our two cats are from a humane society. They need us--but we need them more! Thanks for the great story.

Heather MacAllister said...

We have so many feral cats in the neighborhood. They're getting food from the dumpsters behind the fish place in the strip mall. It's sad, but humans can't get near them and even if we could, shelters won't take them.

Lark Howard said...

Good for you! Our rescue dog liked my husband best and they were very cute together. Animals seem to know instinctively who the softy is.

Jennette Marie Powell said...

Awww, who's lucky indeed? :) Hopefully he'll warm up to you soon - as the person who puts the food out, if nothing else! Glad to hear you also found a home for Lucky's buddy!

Jennette Marie Powell said...

Awww, who's lucky indeed? :) Hopefully he'll warm up to you soon - as the person who puts the food out, if nothing else! Glad to hear you also found a home for Lucky's buddy!

Karen McFarland said...

Aw Pat, that story is adorable. Lucky was meant to come live with you. And your husband is a real softy eh? How cute. When we moved in last year at our condo, the neighbor has an outdoor feral cat that loves to sleep on one of our ourdoor chairs. I keep it covered to protect the cushion from from all the cat hair. But she's so cute, yet she is so afraid of you. We look out our patio door and watch her as she sleeps away the day. We really enjoy her. And we don't even have to feed her. LOL! :)

Coleen Patrick said...

Aw!
When I was a kid we also had a neighborhood cat we took in--also named Lucky. My grandmother named her b/c of the amount of kittens she had before we took her in. :)

Susan Vaughan said...

Pat, Lucky IS lucky to have such a caring person adopt him. So many shelters, like the Humane Society shelter here, are overrun with stray or abandoned or relinquished cats. Hugs to you and the family.

LynNerdKelley said...

Aw, Lucky is very lucky to be taken in by you. I'm so glad your neighbors took his sidekick in. There are so many dogs and cats who need a good home. I love happy endings, but this is a new beginning for Lucky. Safe and happy in his new home!

Patricia Rickrode w/a Jansen Schmidt said...

Awww! Sounds like everyon is lucky in this situation. Lucky will learn to love you too Pat. Maybe his former "owner" was a man.

I'm so glad he's found a wonderful home with loving humans.

Makes my heart warm to read such a terrific story!

Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmdt

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

Hi, Marcy,
A friend once told me that animals find us, not the opposite. How's your new girl doing now?

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

I remember hearing stories about Dream, Jane. now I want to hear about your cats--and how one of them turned up as your avatar.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

You're right, Heather, shelters won't take feal cats. There are, however, people trained to scoop up feral cats, neuter and eartip them, and then return them to their colony. The system doesn't eliminate feral-cat colonies, but it keeps them from exploding, population wise.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

You nailed it, Lark, and I'm going to tell Ted what you said, but I'll substitute "sympatico person" for softy.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

Jennette, I'm grateful for my neighbors--and for my husband, even though he's STILL Lucky's favorite. It's Thursday evening, and Lucky did not come out of hiding until my husband got home from work.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

You've got a sweet deal, Karen: a cat to enjoy and no pesky feeding duties. Does your blood pressure go down when you watch her sleeping? Mine does.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

Coleen, please tell me your Lucky had a long, happy life.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

Hugs to you, Susan. Lucky isn't limping anymore, but he still avoids me. Sigh.

Pat O'Dea Rosen said...

Thanks, Patricia! My husband and I seem to have fallen into good cop/bad cop roles with Lucky. I got stuck with the bad cop part. I don't blame Lucky for fearing me.