There are Tabbies and Tortoiseshell, Black Cats and White, All happy and purring from morning till night, And though they do mischief sometimes, which is wrong, They're so pretty, you cannot be cross with them long.--Nursery Rhyme

On Wednesday, September 11, my friend called and said she had trapped the “last” kitten.  He looked like Simba.  At first I thought he was bigger and may not have been from that same litter.  But, when I got him into a crate, he was the same size as Simba.  Like the others we had caught, he hissed and growled, but we were able to pet and hold him.  Amazing.  We called him “Brandy”. 

Brandy, you're a fine boy!

Brandy was a very sweet cat.  He was very much like his brother, Simba.  When you picked him up, he just curled up and went limp.  He purred and loved to be petted.  He was very special. But,  he was not the “last” kitten, after all.

On September 14 my friend trapped a mama cat and her orange tabby kitten.  The mama was a tortie like “Mama Jackson”.  But, Mama Jackson had been spayed and her right ear tip was clipped.  We thought this cat might possibly be Mama Jackson’s sister.  My friend had seen this small, orange tabby kitten, and also a small black kitten with this cat before.  The kitten was possibly 2-1/2 months old.  The mama cat’s ear didn’t seem to be clipped, but it was at night when she was trapped so we couldn't see that well.  The kitten was definitely her kitten though.  She was very protective of him and he was comfort-nursing.  We kept them together in the crate for the night.

Mama Jackson with her baby, Mikey (Leo)

The next morning I checked on the mama and kitten.  In the daylight I thought I saw a clipped ear on mama.  Yes, her right ear tip was clipped.  This was “Mama Jackson”, not a new cat!  I was somewhat relieved.

We separated Mama Jackson from her baby.  He was very afraid, but did not bite or scratch.  We called him “Mikey”.  We put “Mama Jackson” in a kennel.  She watched as we took Mikey from the crate and settled him in a bed in a 4x4 kennel.   She did not seem to be distressed that we had her kitten.  We took her to my friend's house to release outside again.  Like the first time we released her, she ran from the kennel and was gone.

My friend told me that she knew there was another black kitten to be caught: Mikey’s brother.  He had to be that real “last” kitten!  But, just how many more "last" kittens could there be?  Mama Jackson was spayed and she could not have more.  Mikey and the elusive black kitten just had to be her last litter out of three that we knew of.

On September 16 Brandy had an appointment to be neutered.  It was complicated because only one of his testicles had dropped.  The vet had to do an incision to complete the surgery.  Brandy seemed fine the first day, but then the next day we noticed that something didn’t look right about the incision and Brandy didn’t seem to feel well.  We took him for a recheck with the vet.  One of his sutures was out and he had a fever of 104 degrees.  The remaining sutures were holding, so he was sent home to take antibiotics.  He was not a happy camper, having to wear a cone to keep him from doing any more damage. 

We’d only had Mikey four days when my friend found a home for him.  He went to his new home on September 18.   His name is now “Leo” and the updates are good.  His new family just loves him and he is going to be a good pet for them.

Buffy and Brandy

In the meantime, Brandy was taking his antibiotics and would go back to the vet in a week to get his sutures out and have his temperature checked.  Hopefully he would feel better and we’d be able to find him a good home.  Someone would be very lucky to have such a sweet cat.  Buffy, the patio ambassador, comforted Brandy in his discomfort.  We’re sure Buffy was sent to us to keep things calm on the catio.

To be continued.....

My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_

"A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere." ~ Groucho Marx

Me and Mr. Creme

 

Lexi

We’re in the process of getting our cats up to date with their vaccinations.  Charlie took Mr. Creme and Lexi to the clinic this week.  He was told that after these shots, because of their age, 13 years, and because they had had regular vaccinations through the years, they had built up an immune system and wouldn’t require any more shots for three years.  That was good news because we were undecided about continuing vaccinations because of their age.

Jezibel

Jason and Kaci

The others will go to the clinic too and eventually all will be up to date.  We take two at a time so it will take a few visits.  Plus we have three, Jezibel, Kaci and Jason (6 years), who have had severe reactions to the series of shots.  They have to have one shot at a time and that will require three visits, but we will get it done.

Mr. Creme still continues to be stable on his insulin and Lexi, who is on blood pressure meds as well as thyroid meds, is also doing fine.  I still have to give her Veriflox which helps her with her chronic congestion.  Their mom, Jezibel, 14 years, is in good shape.  She does have to have Terbutaline as needed for her congestion.

Now back to the big kitten rescue:

On August 17, about a week later, I received a call from my friend.  There were two(!) black kittens in the trap!  So much for that last kitten.  I went over to get them.  One was fairly calm and okay to pet.  The other one was very afraid.  The ears were flat back.  It hissed, growled and if looks could kill, I’d have been dead.  I got them home and we separated them because we have discovered that when one is more afraid, eventually the other one will also be afraid.

Annie and Indy

Indy, not as bad as he seemed

The smaller of the two was a female.  She was very sweet and wanted to be petted.  We called her Annie.  I finally got up the nerve to see if I could pet the other one.  It still hissed, growled and laid its ears back.  How ferocious it looked!  I decided to challenge it and reach in to see if I got clawed or bitten.  The kitten just froze and amazingly, I was able to pet and pick it up.  It was a boy.  We called him “Indy”.  So happy that both Annie and Indy were not feral, only afraid.

My friend immediately started looking for a home for them.  We made an appointment with the vet to do the spaying and neutering.  It all went well with no complications. 

Jackson.  His family has come to visit and are still here!  lol

All of the kittens trapped so far, Cali, Simba, Annie and Indy, are Jackson’s littermates.  Now they were re-united.  They remembered each other, but since Jackson was caught when he was only four weeks old, he hissed at them and didn’t really want to be with them on the patio.  They were now about three months old.  Jackson finally decided they were okay to play with though. 

Simba, what a sweet boy before going to his new home

A week later, August 24, Simba went to his new home in Los Angeles with my friend’s son and girlfriend.  He is now a little prince who is very spoiled.  I’ve seen some pictures and he looks very happy.

A day or so later, I received a call from my friend.  They had seen another kitten who looked like Simba.  I jokingly told her that she was seeing things!  At least I hoped she was seeing things.

In the meantime, we still had the black kittens, Annie and Indy, and although there were a couple of possible homes, nothing materialized.  The kittens were now about four months old.  We were beginning to hope that all the kittens were finally caught.....,

but the saga continues.....

My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_

The cat and the love you give away always come back to you---Proverb quotes

It was almost two months later when my friend asked me to bring my trap over so she could hopefully catch “Mama Jackson”.  I took it over to her.

Two weeks later (8/6/13) she called.  She had not caught Mama Jackson, but had caught one of Jackson’s siblings.  It was a tiny girl, who looked just like Mama Jackson, a tortie.  I went over to pick her up and brought her home to get her settled.  She was a tiny, sweet little kitten. 

In just a couple of hours she called and said she had found a home for the kitten and her name would be “Cali”.

Cali

Mama Jackson

Later that day she called and said she had trapped “Mama Jackson” (8/6/13).  I went over to get her.  She didn't hiss or growl, but there was something about her that told us that she was feral.  We set up an appointment to have her spayed and vaccinated.

"Cali's" new mom was picking her up the next day.  My friend was hoping to trap the last kitten soon.

“Mama Jackson” was spayed and vaccinated (8/7/13).  Since we were releasing her, we asked that the right ear tip be clipped.  That way if she was trapped again or if someone saw her, they would know she had been spayed.  The vet asked us to keep her overnight before releasing.  If she hadn’t been so wild, we might have tried to find a home for her.

“Cali’s” owner came by and picked her up (8/8/13).  We took “Mama Jackson” over to where we had trapped her and released her.  Although she was feral, I felt a little sad letting her go.  When we opened the kennel, she jumped out and ran.  As we drove away, she was in the ivy in the yard next door.  We saw her ears sticking up in the ivy.  She was in familiar territory though.

The next day (8/9/13) my friend caught another kitten, the last one.....!  We hoped anyway.  It was a pretty little buff-colored tabby.  My friend's young daughter was calling it “Peaches”.  It was a boy.  He was very sweet.  Afraid and hissing, but not scratching or biting.  Although he looked bigger, we thought he was Jackson's sibling since he was seen with Mama Jackson.  He would be about two months old. 

Simba

My friend's son wanted “Peaches”.  He planned on picking him up in a couple of weeks.  He renamed “Peaches” to "Simba”, which was a good name for him.  He looked like a little “Lion King”.  We made an appointment to get Simba neutered and vaccinated (8/13/13).

Simba, sweet boy

My friend said there was another kitten yet to catch–a black one.....

and the saga continues.....

My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_

Me and Jackson

.

“The problem with cats is that they get the same exact look whether they see a moth or an ax-murderer.” ― Paula Poundstone

Jackson C Bell (June 6, 2013)

I haven’t officially announced the arrival of our newest addition to the family, Jackson.  Yes, I wrote about him, Jonesie and Ellie, when they went with us to Idyllwild, but I didn’t explain how and when we got him.

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. 

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 _^..^_

"Your paw prints will be forever on my heart."

Ellie, 5 years old

We were happy to see that the trip to Idyllwild didn’t seem to affect Ellie.  She was out of her normal routine, but since she ate well and took her insulin well, we thought she would adjust to insulin and we would get her regulated, as we did her brother, Mr. Creme.  Except for her breathing problems, i.e., asthma and chronic congestion, there would be no reason why she might not eat and gain some weight.

One of my favorite pictures of Ellie taken in RV on our move back to CA in June 2004.  It's out of focus, but it captures her face very well

Ellie was always a feisty little cat.  She was the smallest kitten of the litter.  Jezibel had 9 babies that day, which I brought home from the hospital.  Jezibel had to stay at the hospital overnight.  I bottle fed the kittens that night and early the next morning before going to work.  Ellie had a determination and will to live.  She had a strong appetite.

Because Jezibel had so many kittens, seven, to nurse, we had to supplement formula as well.  We have pictures of Ellie nursing from the bottle and her ears wiggled.  That kitten was very strong and we knew she would make it.

When it came time to find homes for the kittens at 8 weeks old, we kept Ellie, along with her sister, Lexi and brother, Grady.  I reasoned that we had to keep Ellie because she was attached to Charlie, but I knew it was because I liked her spunkiness, strong will and courage.  She was so tiny, but she was fearless.

Checking out her birthday cake

Oh cool! Balloons!

I see 7 names on this cake!

Happy 5th Birthday, Miss Ellie and all the babies

Even as she got older and had the muscle atrophy in her back legs, she would go wherever she wanted to go.  Sometimes she looked like a jack-knifed truck going down the hallway, but away she went.  If her “space” was violated by another cat who she didn’t think should be there, she had no qualms chasing that cat and cornering it.  We rescued cats from Ellie’s wrath many times. 

When we were in Idyllwild, we decided to let Ellie outside on the deck with us, thinking she would just stay up there.  But, before we knew it she had gotten down and was underneath the deck.  She ran all the way over to the other side.  Charlie was able to reach under and get her.  If she had decided to go underneath the cabin, I don’t want to think of what horrors Charlie would have seen.  But, he said he would have gone under to get her if needed.  So even though she had the leg problem, she could move when she wanted to.

A couple of weeks after the Idyllwild trip, we planned to go up to Nevada for a weekend to see some of our family.  Our nephew lives there.  His Dad & Mom, my sister, were coming to visit him for a week.  He invited us and my brother and sister-in-law from Utah, to come up for a mini family reunion.

We were going up on Friday and coming home on Sunday.  We talked about bringing Ellie with us since she had only started the insulin 3 weeks before.  We were staying at a motel which allowed pets.  She had done fine at Idyllwild.  But, this was an 8 hour drive.  We were afraid it might be too much for her to be in the kennel that long. 

We decided to leave her at home and give our pet sitter explicit directions on the meds she needed.

Ellie was always very wary and shy when people came over.  At other times when we left her home with a sitter, the sitter would say that she never saw Ellie because she hid.  That was okay because she was not on meds then.  But, now, it was different.  Ellie had to be available to get her meds.  Our sitter was sure she could take care of Ellie and we felt good about it.

We went to Nevada and enjoyed the weekend with family.  When we got home Sunday afternoon, everyone seemed fine.  But, when it was time for dinner, Ellie didn’t eat much.  In fact, not enough to get her insulin.  We thought she would be back to normal later.

The next morning she would still not eat well.  I gave her the asthma meds and the other meds which helped her chest congestion.  She was definitely not the same little cat we had left on Friday morning.  She seemed more congested and was not walking as well as before.

The vet called and said that Ellie’s test from a few days ago showed her blood glucose was still high and she wanted to go from 2 units of insulin to 3 units/day.  I told the doctor that Ellie wasn’t eating and I couldn’t give insulin.  She suggested Cyproheptadine to stimulate appetite.  We picked the pills up and started Ellie on it.

Ellie seemed hungry, but we couldn’t get the congestion cleared up.  She couldn’t smell food.

I decided to try syringe feeding so at least she would get some food in her stomach.  Once it was in her mouth, she swallowed and seemed to want it.  I finally was able to give her a dose, 2 units, of insulin.  By now, we were really becoming concerned.  She had done so well just 3 weeks ago and now it didn’t look good at all.  Of course, I regretted not taking her to Nevada with us, even though there were reasons why we didn’t.  I’m always second guessing decisions made.

I syringe fed breakfast and dinner and if she ate enough, she got insulin.  But, it was not easy.

All week long we tried to get her to eat.  On Friday, we could see that she was getting weaker and weaker.  It was so hard to see her like that.  Her weight was down to 6 pounds.  She didn’t want to struggle anymore.  We knew it and we knew we had to make a decision to let her go.

We had an appointment to take her to the vet on Saturday.  When I went in to see her that morning she was lying on her blanket, weak, and her breathing was labored.  I didn’t try to feed her or give her any more meds for congestion or asthma.  I just wanted her to be comfortable.

We said goodbye to Miss Ellie a little while later.  She peacefully went to sleep at the vet clinic.  We cried and the doctor cried.  The doctor told us that if she was a cat and it was time for her to go, she’d want to belong to us.  She thanked us for loving Ellie enough to let her go. 

We did let her go, but it was very hard.  We feel at peace knowing that Ellie is now running with strong legs again and is breathing easily.  It’s been a long time since she could do that.  And she is with her brothers, Grady and Toby.  Rowdy, Calvin, Taz, Mo, and Chelsi are on the playground nearby.

We have so many pictures of her and memories of her.  She was that tiny black and white kitten who at 4 weeks old, was the first one of the 7 kittens to have the nerve to climb up a 4 foot fence to escape, jump down on the other side and run over to Charlie.  She had kept her eyes on him the whole time.  She was unafraid to run between the long legs of our dog Chelsi while Chelsi stood eating her food or drinking water.

We love you, we miss you,  and we’ll never forget you, Miss Ellie.  Like the others, you will always be in our hearts.

Lexi and Jezibel (left) Taz and Ellie on right

Ellie May Bell 3/22/00  - 08/03/13  (picture taken 8/3/13)

More later.....

My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_

If I tried to tell you how much I love my cats, you wouldn't believe me - unless your heart is also meow-shaped and covered in stray fur. -- Lexie Saige

I was getting a pedicure the other day.  A lady walked by outside.  The dress she was wearing reminded me of a nightgown my granny made for me when I was 2 or 3 years old.  I don’t remember it, but my mom said it was striped.  Granny had some left over material, but only enough for something my size.  The stripes didn’t go up and down, they went around.  Mom said I looked like a little worm.  I could picture it and it made me laugh.

The stripes on the lady’s dress went around. So much for my fashion news.

Last month we decided to take a couple of days and go up to Idyllwild.  It’s in the mountains a couple of hours away.  Actually the idea occurred to us when my sister asked us to help her get something shipped to her.  The item she bought was in Hemet, which is only about 45 minutes from Idyllwild.

Our plan was to go to Hemet, pick up the item, take it to UPS, with the packaging box she sent to me, ship it and then go up to Idyllwild.

When the time we planned to go was near, Ellie was diagnosed with diabetes.  She started her insulin on Friday, July 5.  We were going to Idyllwild on Tuesday and Wednesday the following week. 

Instead of taking Ellie to the vet to stay or have our petsitter take care of her, we decided it was best to take Ellie with us.  She was just starting on insulin and we felt better giving it to her ouselves.  We also took Jonesie and Jackson.  Sheila was boarded since she is not a real good traveler.  Pets are allowed at the cabin.  We have been going there for 10 years. 

The last time we were there was not long after Taz died, October 2010.  We took Jason, Kaci and Sheila with us.

We packed up the cats that morning and headed out.  It was hot, 106 degrees, in Hemet, a desert town.  The cats were patient in their kennels, Ellie in one and Jackson and Jonesie in the other.

We picked up the item and took it to UPS to be shipped.  There was a little delay in the process when UPS said the box exceeded size limits that they could ship.

While I was in UPS talking to them, Charlie stayed in the car with the A/C running.  I went out to tell him about the shipping problem.  He went in to talk to them.  Then I stayed in the car with the cats.

After awhile he came back.  It was all taken care of.  I had called my sister and told her about the shipping problem and she said, “If it fits, ship it!”  Her and her husband were enroute home from a trip themselves.

So now we could get the cats up to Idyllwild.  We got to the cabin, set up food, water and litter boxes for the cats and after hiding under the bed for awhile, they were all settled in.

Cottage in the Woods

The cabin is set back away from the other rentals.  It’s very cute.  There are birds, squirrels and rabbits all around.  We’ve seen raccoons there at night.  There are windows all along one side.

Jonesie and Jackson

Jonesie and Jackson had a ball sitting in the windows watching the birds.  We were so relaxed just being there.  Ellie did very well too.  She had a good appetite and took her meds well.  We brought her pre-filled syringes, which worked very well.

Cool cat, Miss Ellie

It was warm and Ellie, being the smart one, found a cool place to lay on the tiles in the shower.
 

Ellie was very tolerant of the youngsters, Jonesie and Jackson, for a change, so I know she enjoyed our mini vacation as much as we did.  It was good for all of us to get away from the routine for a couple of days.


Stay tuned.......
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_ 

You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats.-- Colonial American Proverb

Calico and Siamese don't mix, and when you add a worried Dad and an anxious Mom, things can and did get out of hand.

Jezibel, looks are deceiving

Jezibel is the matriarch of the family. She is our oldest cat at 14 years. She's a calico with brilliant orange, black, and white markings. The top of her head is divided like a straight razor between black and orange. She brought nine kittens into the world when she was barely six months old.  Two of them were too weak and we lost them within the first week.  That left seven.  We kept five of them, two girls and three boys.  The other two boys were given to close friends.  That was over 13 years ago. 

Three of Jezibel’s “kittens” have passed on, two of our boys, Grady and Toby, and our friend’s boy, Pinto.  The three we still have with us deal with various age related maladies: asthma, diabetes, thyroid conditions, high blood pressure, neuropathy, and endemic congestion. Jezibel is slightly asthmatic, but other than that remains in good health.

Jezibel became attached to Charlie during her pregnancy. She is domineering, irascible, and fairly and equally hates the rest of the cats in the house.  They know it and give her a wide berth. Underneath that bullying exterior, though, she is a sweet cat who likes attention, but doesn't want you to know it. Of course, Charlie sees her that way.  He may have a biased opinion about that.  She and I have this relationship that I call “a mother/daughter thing”. 

Since Taz was my cat and Jezibel was Charlie’s, there was forever a jealous rivalry going on between the two of them.  They both were alpha and both ran the house.

Buffy, outside before we brought him in

About five months ago, a stray cat scaled the seven foot fence that surrounds our back yard and took up residence on the concrete of our unfinished, soon to be enclosed patio. We could not get within thirty feet of him before he would swiftly depart, but he kept coming back. Since some of our cats have back yard privileges and do not leave the yard, we were worried about contact with that stray.

Our fears proved founded when 13 year old, Mr. Creme, one of Jezibel’s “kitten” was seen chasing the stray across our yard. Mr Creme is pretty spry when he wants to be, but the stray managed to get away.  It looked like he was saying, “You young whipper-snapper, get out of my yard!”

We couldn't let that continue, though, and decided we would have to catch him, fix him, get his shots, and then release him where he could no longer worry us.

Of course, we had to keep him for a few days after his surgery to make sure everything was all right.  He was 100% feral.  I would swear that no human had ever touched him.  When we first put him in a large crate right after we caught him, he practically destroyed it trying to get out.  I don’t think he had ever been confined before.  Despite our long history of working with cats, we were a little intimidated at what he might do in his effort to get free.

We soon discovered, however, that the little guy was mostly just bravado. He was actually timid and frightened. That didn't mean he was any less feral. The vet said he was about two years old. We named him Buffy. He had a lot of Siamese in him and I could tell (having once raised my own Siamese cat) that his Siamese markings would get more distinct over time and with good food. We thought someone might want him if we could get him to that point of domesticity.

We contacted a friend who knew a friend who worked with feral cats. We thought we could give Buffy a better chance for adoption if someone could tame him down. The short of it, though, was that the friend of a friend said she wanted to help, but was going on vacation and would let us know when she returned in a couple of weeks.   While we waited, we worked with him ourselves. Good thing we did because the friend of a friend finally said she couldn't take him. 

Over months of effort, Buffy, who clearly wanted to have a home, worked as hard as we did to learn how to be a domesticated cat. Since Charlie worked with him the most, and since Siamese tend to connect strongly with just one person, Buffy became attached to him.

I fed him and tried to pet him, but for some reason, he didn’t trust me like he did Charlie.  He would slap me and if his claws were out, he really nailed me good.  I bruise easily anyway and he left some nasty bruises on my hand or wrist.  That’s when we decided that if we were going to keep Buffy, we should have him declawed like our other cats.  We have found that when declawed, temprament changes.  Charlie was hesitant, but he realized that it would make a difference in the taming process and Buffy would be calmer. 

Other than slapping me, with other cats, Buffy is one of the least aggressive cats we have ever owned. He creates few problems and avoids confrontation. Unfortunately, when confrontation comes to him, all he knows to do is run. We have a theory about how and why Buffy ended up with us. We think he belonged to a local feral colony, but because of his nature, he was eventually driven off by more aggressive cats, and went in search of a new colony and since our cats are in the yard during the day, he found us.

Everything was going along fine, until the first time Jezibel saw Buffy. Not only was Buffy a new cat in the house, he was horning in on Jezibel's territory -- Charlie. Jezibel had no intention of sharing. Jezibel attacked, and Buffy ran.

The first time it happened Charlie separated Jezibel from Buffy and things went ok for awhile. A couple of days later, she attacked him again, and this time it got serious. Jezibel would not back down, continuing a furious chase and attack. Buffy just wanted to get away, but if truly cornered, he could strike back at Jezibel. Neither have front claws, but Buffy is young and very strong. He could hurt her out of fear.

Charlie separated them again.  Jezibel, trying to get at Buffy, bit Charlie’s hand.  

Charlie’s hand was swollen the next day after Jezibel bit him.  He went to the doctor.  They gave him a tetanus shot and penicillin to fight the infection. His hand was so swollen, he couldn’t make a fist. Maybe a good thing for Jezibel!  Lol Two of his fingers were so sore he couldn’t use his hand for a few days. 

We now monitor the two of them and make sure there is always separation between them so Jezibel can't get at Buffy.  Buffy stays on the “catio” and it's off limits to Jezibel.

I'm hoping that over time, with Charlie spending a lot of time with each of them so they don't feel slighted, they might one day be able to pass each other without a fight.

But, if they manage to get at each other again, I know we’ll wade right in. We couldn't bear to see either get hurt.

Stay tuned.......
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D =^..^=