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| Jackson C Bell (June 6, 2013) |
Like most of our cats, Jackson was totally unexpected. It’s been awhile since we made a conscious decision to actually go out and find a pet. We don’t have to. They find their way here.
One afternoon in early June I received a call from a friend. Another friend had found a kitten in her yard. “Can you take him until she can find a home for him?”
I told her to bring him over. When I saw the kitten she was holding I immediately took him and it was love at first sight. But, I knew I was only fostering. I brought him in and we got him settled in a kennel. He was only about four weeks old, just barely weaned. She had brought some milk replacement. I fed the kitten with a syringe. He didn’t know yet how to eat food from a bowl. By the next afternoon, he was eating fine though. I called him “Jackson”.
Jackson had gotten tangled in a bush. My friend heard him crying late one night. Early the next morning she went out to find him. There were other kittens too, but she didn’t know where they were. The mother cat, a tortie, had been seen in her yard several times. She wanted to trap her and get her spayed at some point.
I was pleasantly surprised that my friend wanted to help the stray cats in her neighborhood. There are lots of people who catch, spay/neuter, and release feral cats. The shelters are so overcrowded and I think if a cat is living in an area and people don’t mind having it around, at least it should be fixed. It’s better for everybody.
We had Jackson just a couple of days when we were told that there might be a home for him. I told her I really liked Jackson and wanted to keep him. She was happy and I thought that would be the end of it.
Charlie took Jackson to the vet for an exam and first kitten shot. I kept him in my computer room for a few days before releasing him into the house to meet the other cats. He sat on my lap when I was at my computer.
When we took Jackson out to the cat patio, he zoomed in on Buffy and they wrestled and played together. Buffy was so patient with him. It was amazing. Jackson was so aggressive, but Buffy didn’t get mad, growl or try to hurt him.
He’s so cute. He is a brown tabby. His face and legs are striped, but his body is mottled and looks like a squirrel. His body and legs are long. The back legs are bowed and he’s pigeon-toed. When he walks, it looks like he swaggers. He’s about five months old now and I thought he would have green eyes, but I think they are going to stay gray or hazel.
The only cats who do not like Jackson are the Calicos, Jezibel and Lexi. But, they don’t like any of the other cats either! Jackson still tries to be friends with them. When they hiss at him, he lays down, but doesn’t run away. He just doesn’t give up.
Jonesie tolerates Jackson. He’s three years old now and really has never liked kittens. He was only nine months old when we got the six week old Rhody, so he helped to raise him. Jonesie is a sweetie though.
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| Jackson |
So, that’s how Jackson came to become a part of our family.
But, the saga continues....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
He's a cutie! And he does look like a squirrel. :D I'd love to know how/why you name some of these little guys when they come to you...
ReplyDeleteWe usually name them all unless we don't have time, if they are adopted fast. That doesn't always happen though. We name them because we like to personalize them. Instead of saying "did you feed him or did you feed the kitten, etc." Also when we take them to the vet, we like to put a name down if we have one. Even if we find a home for them and they change their name, we can send the paperwork alone. Sometimes the vet just puts "stray" and if we've named them, we write it in later. Helps us keep it straight.
ReplyDelete