Weekend Onesie: The Foundling: Mr. Doris Beasley

Weekend Onesie: 

The Foundling: Mr. Doris Beasley

Oh, dear... here we go again.

Two weeks ago, just as we were about to go to bed, I looked out our backdoor to see if there were any raccoons or possums eating the cat food we leave in a bowl on our back stoop. It's meant for the feral cats in the area, but we rarely catch a glimpse of them

To my surprise, there were six cats milling about; various colors, various ages. Two of them had flea collars on and three of them were kittens. I called for The Boyfriend, who watched a bit and then opened the door. All the cats scattered, except one - the tiniest of the kittens. 

The Boyfriend made baby noises and the little fella scampered into the house. We quickly shut the door and The Boyfriend squired away our new arrival to the safety of the bathroom. It's important to keep a newly found rescue separate from the other cats in the house, due to things like fleas and worms. 

Turns out, he's a healthy, happy little fellow - with both fleas and worms. The Boyfriend gave him two baths that night - Dawn dishwashing liquid will do the trick. The little fella - who I believe to be a girl at this point - cries and cries. This alerts Mama Rose, who, you may remember, we rescued (along with her four kittens) about six months ago. Mama Rose is certain she can be of help and paws frantically at the door. 

Dried and fed (voracious eater), the kitten settles into a warm, dry towel and immediately falls asleep. 

I call the kitten Doris and The Boyfriend declares him Mr. Beasley - for, yes, he is a boy. 

Mr. Doris Beasley spends the night in the bathroom, where he receives a third bath, before being transferred to the sun porch, kept toasty warm thanks to the electric wall unit. We spend the day gathering supplies and a vet appointment is made for the following Tuesday. There happens to be a travelling vet at the Petco we shop at and they, upon hearing our story, happily give us the dewormer needed - for free. So, thank you, Petco! We still end up spending a hundred bucks anyway. 

We treat the kitten for fleas  and worms without incident.

The vet visit goes well. No feline leukemia. They think he's about 10-12 weeks old, though I think he looks awfully small. The other two kittens he was with were much larger. 

Later that day, we introduce our little prize to the home crew. Unsurprisingly, everyone is up in arms - not another infestation of kittens! Even Mama Rose hisses and wants nothing to do with him. Yet... they all keep within a certain distance of the kitten, keeping an eye on him.

Fast forward. Dewormer works. Fleas gone. And The Boyfriend wants to keep this one. I don't know what to say. I don't want to become cat hoarders, but... his house, his rules. 

Before we know it, Mr. Beasley becomes one of the pack. LeRoy, the most anti-social of our brood, has taken to sleeping with the little fellow and I have noticed that all the cats seem to be getting along a lot better. I was afraid Tuxedo would hide under the bed for a month, as he did when we were fostering the last set of kittens, but he's fine with this little guy - hissing if he gets near, but not overly aggressively. 

Mama Rose loves playing with the kitten, which is nice to see. They chase each other and wrestle. 

So... another one. 

Sad note: after we rescued the little guy, I happened to look out the backdoor again... there was the mama cat... exact same coloring, exact same fur. She just stares at me. My heart breaks for her. We haven't seen her since. 

I still  have hopes to get the other two kittens, though, they are of an age where that might prove difficult. We'll see. 

We bought bunny straw and I plan on building three little warming houses for strays. We may end up with a possum, but... worth the risk. 

And now... here's Mr. Doris Beasley.

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 I've been very distracted lately.

All good.

Stay healthy. Stay strong.

-uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque.

Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats

The Lovecats - The Cure