Thursday, December 8, 2011

futility

I had high hopes of trapping BK all day so I could take him in for his booster vaccines which are overdue. That didn't happen as he steered clear of the trap.


Around dusk, Mama Kitty came for some food. What a wonderful surprise! The kittens were not with her, but she ate a lot. She was also very interested in the catnip I had sprinkled between the Dining Hall and the trap. She rolled and rolled in it! After her frolicking, she made her way into the trap and chowed the bowl of catnip, that was the bait.

I didn't trigger the trap even though trapping her is something I want to do (so she can be spayed). The timing wasn't right with her kittens out there somewhere. They need her now, so that will have to wait. Hopefully, I get another chance. 

Right when Mama Kitty left, BK woke up from his afternoon slumber. He loves catnip, so I had raised my hopes again. Sure enough, he was very interested in the nip that was sprinkled in the yard and he got about halfway into the trap but not enough to get him. 

I'm starting to realize that trapping BK is probably not much of an option anymore. The next option I am considering is asking if Annie will teach me how to scruff a cat. I have tried this in the past with our cats but I never do it tight enough because I fear hurting them. When Annabelle (the vet) scruffed BK in the exam room, he was completely immobilized and didn't struggle at all. I'm thinking that if I can do that while holding him then I could place him in a carrier for transport. If anyone had any other suggestions on how I can get him into a carrier, I would love to hear them. 

If you're wondering why I don't just try to stuff him in a crate sometime when I am holding him like I do with the indoor cats, it's because I know he's not afraid of using his teeth! The indoor cats never bite when they resist. The first time I tried to make a burrito kitty out of BK he bit me pretty hard and I'm not eager to repeat that experience.



We strung the lights and string beads on the Christmas tree tonight. Theo and Nahum did their best to help! Rose was the first one who climbed the tree, Theo was second. 

Tamar posted this comic on her I Have Cat facebook page earlier today and it made me laugh. Very appropriate for Nahum and Theo tonight! I don't know where she got it from, so I can't give credit to whoever created it, but I love it!



6 comments:

  1. BK will be okay, we think you'll back to the vet one way or another. Trust yourself and the universe to work it out for BK's Highest Good. :-)

    LOVE that cartoon. Think our mom will print it out for her office cubicle!

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  2. Wishing you luck with BK and laughing so hard at that cartoon!

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  3. While we know you would like to get BK his updates, don't feel bad if you can't catch him - most community cats only get the one set anyhow. But we hope momma cat keeps coming back to visit and brings the kitts around!

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  4. Sorry you didn't get mama or the kittens. Scruffing is such a basic part of having cats. You can't do it halfway, though. Then, it's between you and the cat possibly getting hurt, and you'll probably lose. My 6-year-old neighbor comes over to play with any kittens I have and I showed her how to grab a handful of skin and hold them upside down while I trim nails. By the second kitten, she was a pro, so I think there's hope for you. :) Cats can't bite the back of their neck. It's the one place your hand is safe. They can get a hind foot up there, but don't unless they're really, really mad. Practice on your own cats when they're on your lap. Take a whole handful, not a little bit, of skin, clutch it fairly tightly, lift the cat up and back, supporting his rump, and over till he's laying on his back on your lap. He should be very still and your wife can trim the nails. Or just hold him there for a couple minutes, and gently release him. I even taught my husband to scruff, so how hard can it be. :) I'm sure there's all kinds of videos on youtube that will show you exactly how to do it.

    We currently have 20 sets of paws to trim and couldn't do that without scruffing, not to mention giving meds. Boy, did that make life easier when another foster mom showed me how. Scruff, lift up so the cat's front feet are off the floor, pull the cat's head back so he's looking at the ceiling, use your little finger of the other hand to open the mouth, if it isn't already hanging open, and drop the pill in the back of the throat. I then squirt a couple mils of water in with a needleless syringe, and I'm done. Sometimes it takes all of 5 seconds. And sometimes they spit it out 3 or 4 times before they swallow it, even with the water. I have no idea where they're hiding it. You do need to check the floor for three feet in all directions for unswallowed pills. Cats are sneaky.

    Good luck to you getting everybody "off the streets." Your vet's office will know all the groups that foster in their homes, as opposed to county humane societies that keep the animals in cages. Nobody is caged at my house.

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  5. I have a cat called Percy. Percy is VERY big. We rescued him from the street about three years ago. He had been mistreated and was very afraid.
    I had to take him to the vet to be neutered/vaccinated etc, but didn't know how he would react to being picked up.
    The vet told me to get three clothes pegs (the kind with a spring - that you clip on) - and to put the pegs on Percy's scruff... I thought he would go crazy, but - he trembled for a second or two - then went completely limp.
    I was able to scoop him up and into the carrier with no trouble at all - he was as sweet as a lamb.
    Perhaps you can lure BK to you for a snuggle, and try the peg trick on him? Very no-stress for you both.
    Good luck!

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  6. Glad you liked the comic! I only just saw it now (i don't get ping-backs when people link to my FB page so I just happened upon it!). :)

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