A Cat For Thanksgiving

I had vowed to try harder to trap the big stray cat and bring him inside once I was over caring for Johnny in his final days. But I didn't expect that to happen quite so soon.



I took this picture of him with the telephoto lens last summer. He was wary enough of us that he didn't even want us to look at him. I had tried before to capture him but he alway had avoided the trap, so if my efforts the past two days seemed a bit casual, you can't really blame me. I was sure he was trap-wise.

A few nights ago I tried lacing the cage with catnip. He would nibble what was within reach but refused to go into the trap. Yesterday, while I was preparing the turkey, I cleaned out the refrigerator. There was chicken left over from last week, so I pulled it from the bones and used it as bait around the entrance and inside the cat trap.

Denny and I ate ourselves into exhaustion and lay dozing upstairs. Long about nine or so, I checked the video camera on the porch and saw that the cat trap appeared to be sprung. I rushed downstairs and saw that indeed, the big stray cat was in the trap. After I hollered up to Dennis, I went out and brought him inside.

He complained loudly but hadn't hurt himself trying to escape. I was glad for that, because some times they can hurt their claws and skin their noses in their fear and struggling. The fact that he complained to us about his treatment suggests that he is an abandoned cat, not a feral, for in my experience, feral cats don't usually complain to people because they don't expect us to do anything about the situation.

We got him installed in the big cage downstairs and let him settle down in peace and quiet. He seemed fairly calm today when I went in and fed him. He didn't offer to scratch my eyes out or bite me. I guess that's encouraging. I have to say that it is a relief to know that he is warm and safe. He is the longest-running of our various feline visitors and we would worry about him if we didn't see him for a few days. I sleep a bit better now that he is inside.

So now we have to think of a name...

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