Vibes for Boots, if you would...

rapunzel47

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A friend of ours, who lives in a rural area up the valley a bit, is a cat magnet. I'm sure if we could read Cat, we'd be able to see the signs directing all felines to the abode of the sucker.
I think the current count is half a dozen. He emailed this morning, as follows...

There has been a B&W cat hanging around here from time to time for a year or so. He actually "belongs" up the street and used to share the barn up there with Mr Chumbles before he decamped. (Oddly, the two don't get along, and any time "Boots" turned up, Mr C and Joe would start the alarm sirens and he would slink away.) But last week when he turned up he was obviously limping. I ran into his "owner" (or in cat parlance, "slightly significant other") last Friday and he said he had noticed the limp but that he (Boots) had taken off. We agreed that he needed to go to the vet and get taken care of and agreed to split the cost. Anyway, I started leaving the back door ajar at night in case he came in to feed, knowing that Mr C and Joe would raise the alarm. But he didn't come back.

Last night I closed the door and went to bed. Early this morning I went downstairs just to check there, and sure enough, he was sleeping in the "visitor's wicker basket". When I called the folks up the street they said he had been in one of the bedrooms there last night but had escaped around 3am!

So I got him into the carrier and put him upstairs in a spare room and he's going to the vet today at 11:45 to get the works- neutering, shots and his leg looked at.

Boots...



II
I have just returned from delivering him unto the hands of the vet. She thinks his hip may be dislocated. He's getting rabies shots and neutering- the lot. But he'll be a happier puss for all that.

I must say he was very docile this morning. I picked him up and put him in the carrier and he didn't make a sound all the way to the vet's. Now if only the other cats would accept him, that would be the icing on the cake.

III
The vet just called with good news and bad news. The bad news is that she can't get the hip back in the socket as the injury happened too long ago (about a week as far as I can tell.) So she will have to remove the hip ball. But the good news is that apparently cats heal quite well from this sort of surgery and he should be back on his feet in about a week. The other good news is that since he is a "stray", she's waiving her labour fee for the operation, so with the shots, neutering, anaesthetic etc., etc, it should be just under $500, which is a relief. The neighbour and I are going to split it, so that makes it easier to swallow.

I'm not sure where he will live during recuperation. I can keep him in an upstairs room here if the neighbour can't take him. It'll be tough on an outdoor cat- Mr Chumbles hated being indoors for three days after being neutered.
I told my friend I'd ask the TCS crew to send get well vibes for Boots.
 

jcat

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Your friend is such a doll to see that Boots is taken care of. that the surgery goes well, and he recuperates quickly.
 

pami

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Poor Baby ......... Sending vibes for an easy recovery for him
 

eilcon

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What a handsome boy!
Sending many vibes for his quick recovery. Bless your friend for helping him.
 

yosemite

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What a wonderful friend you have that would do this for a stray. You can count on many healing vibes coming Boots' way from here.
 

graciecat

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Sending lots of for Boots.
Bless your friends heart for doing all of this for him and a pat on the back for the Vet for waving some of the fee.
 

white cat lover

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Poor Boots!
At least he's getting medical attention now. Smooth recovery comin his way!
 
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rapunzel47

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Boots has had his various procedures and is home. Herewith, a report from our friend...

I picked him up at 9 am this morning. The vet said he was doing really well; in fact he's walking around quite nicely, despite having part of his hip ball removed!



Note the stylish tonsure on the right leg. Stitches come out in 10-14 days.



"We sit on guard for thee"



Sandra is up for the weekend and has been at home with him all afternoon. He is JUST A BIG SCHNOOKUMS! Very friendly, lots of purring and head-butts. etc. She also gave him LIVER, which didn't hurt the relationship at all.

He used to share a barn with Mr Chumbles (on left in above picture). They don't get along (alas) but S. thinks they may have a common ancestor since they both have big heads, compared to the rest of the body.

Cats... what's not to like?

Thanks all!
 

pami

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Wow look at him up and walking already ......... continued vibes for the sweetheart
 
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rapunzel47

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Thanks for all the good vibes. They seem to be doing the trick!
Update this morning...

This is one VERY friendly and docile cat. Amazingly, he has disdained the ramp I constructed to allow him to access the shelf by the window and JUMPED both up and down. (!!!!!!) He is really totally docile and loves to have his tummy rubbed and purrs and loves to curl up to whatever human is closest. So the $64,000 question is, what is going to happen to him? Chumbles and Joe don't really like him, and two of the cats up the street don't get along with him either. He doesn't fight- he just slinks away. Sandra has offered to "kidnap" him when she goes home but of course that won't work. I haven't spoken to the neighbours up the street yet but I'm keeping him for the weekend at least. Having "rescued" him and made such a fuss over him, I suspect that he may jump ship up there again and try and move in here, as in fact he did on Tuesday night after escaping from up the street, still with a dislocated hip (!) There is a feline conundrum developing...

But in the meantime I have a very handsome schnookums upstairs.

S. and I are just about to head upstairs to try and fool him into eating liver with a pill mixed up in it. (YEAH, RIGHT)
Our boy seems to be well on the mend. Thanks again.
 
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