Even though I felt horrid, I did get to spend four hours this morning cuddling with my Oliver in bed. I also had the opportunity to look his injuries over in the daylight and his claws weren't as bad off as they first appeared last night. The claws are still in rough shape but at least they are still there! Seeing that brightened my spirits a little. I decided to hold off on the vet visit for now and to continue to observe him for other signs of distress.
Thanks everyone for the kind emails and comments. I greatly appreciate all the feedback. One follower mentioned Oliver might have internal injuries if he was hit by a car, which is something I hadn't considered. Seeing that he let me hold him many times today and I could touch him anywhere without him reacting, I'm thinking he's most likely fine, but again, I will be observing him closely.
Laura saw the white cat again this evening. It was visiting with Theo through the front porch door. Then a little while later, I saw it walking away from the backyard, it's really big. Apparently, the fight with Oliver wasn't enough to keep it away. Sigh.
Since it's been coming around more, I thought I should review the images from the back porch camera to see if it has come onto the back porch yet. And indeed, it showed up about 2:15 this morning.
As you can see, the visiting cat is wearing a collar. It's not a cat I recognize from the neighborhood. Oliver and MK are sharing the bed as they both intently watch this interloper.
The visitor rolls in the nip...
and plays with Oliver's toys. But it doesn't express much interest in the food.
Now I'll need to figure out what to do with this visiting cat. Next time I get the chance I will see if it's friendly and has any identification on the collar.
Isn't there some kind of superstition about the first unexpected visitor of the new year? Something about if they are a dark haired gentleman then you will have good luck for that year. I suppose it's good this visitor came before the start of the new year! I think this is the first lighter colored cat that has visited.
It's really hard not being able to fully protect the ones you love. I so wish I could bring Oliver and his family inside so they could all be safe and fully cared for, but with feral cats, it doesn't work that way. I obviously need more practice at learning how to do what I can to help and then to let go of what I can't control. Sigh.
I'll let you know a little secret, I'm working on a therapeutic approach to get Oliver to stop spraying so maybe someday he can be a full-time inside kitty! If it works, you'll hear a lot more about it!
Meanwhile, I'll focus on apprehending this collared visitor! But first, I think it's time for bed once again.