Feral Fables

I apologize profusely for all 5 of my dedicated followers that I have been off line for so long. It has been a hectic 10 days! Before everything with Jingle settled, I had to rush him to the vet once again. Tuesday morning after Labor Day, the slight scab that had formed on his forehead had been most likely scratched off, and now it was open and oozing again.So back to the vet he went for clean-up, re-check and new recommendations. He again had to be crated for the evening which of course provoked another night of vocalizing every time he heard me or Marty. I finally gave-up what I was working on that evening and joined him in the family room so I could keep him company until bedtime. The wound was closed the following morning and even slightly smaller in size so I released him back into the yard. He was and is so happy! Jingle is just not an indoor cat. Even in the cold of winter, when he is given the option of coming into the house for periods of time, he chooses not to. I am happy to say that the wound is now only a small dried scab that will fall off naturally any day now. Even the hair that was shaved is growing in and he is looking like his old self. There have been no fights to my knowledge since that night.

About 9:00 on Saturday night I noticed Jingle did not seem to be himself. He appeared lethargic and disinterested in playing. That is not usual for him, especially at that hour of night. I quickly went online to look for information on "bite wounds" and found a site with such info that scared me to death. cat bite wounds) What I was seeing in Jingle was exactly what was described in the article. For a couple of days the cat feels and acts normal. Then a fever begins to develop as the bacteria moves in and begins forming an abscess, an accumulation of pus under the skin. If not caught and treated it can lead to a very serious situation requiring surgery and or death. I have had experience with an abscess in a cat before when drainage tubes have to be inserted at the wound site. Believe me--------it is not pretty. And, it is very difficult for the cat who has to wear a collar until healed.
(This is "Hope" a cat we rescued off the street from a neighbor's yard. He required three drainage tubes in his hind quarters for several days from a bite wound abscess. I am Happy to say he recovered completely and awaits adoption at "The Cat Network" rescue. ("The Cat Network")

Anyway-----I rushed Jingle to the Emergency Room (The Animal Emergency Center). He does not like riding in a car and is very vocal about it, however on Saturday night his protestations did not have usual vigor. When we arrived, the clerk behind the counter looked at me and heard the meows and said, "Your Debra, right? With Jingle?" That shows you how many times I have been there before with my daring little boy. They are great at this Center. Very friendly, thorough, understanding......three of my cats have been treated there over the years. Jingle had a slight fever and what we originally thought (and prayed) were scratches, did turn out to be a bite. An abscess was starting to form over his left eye, as I suspected when I saw him at 9 pm. The Vets sedated him slightly and drained the abscess, gave him an anti-biotic and some pain medication and released him home with me. We had to set-up the crates at home as he had to stay confined until I could get him to another vet for an injection of "Convenia", a long-acting antibiotic that some centers and vets don't carry due to the cost. Of course this meant a night of howling, crying, and trying to get out of the crate before settling in to sleep. I went to bed about 1:45 a.m., definitely not typical for me.

Yesterday (Sunday before a holiday)-------I had to find a vet who carried the medication. Luckily I found an ER in Waukesha (a good 45 minute drive from my house) who had it. We loaded up Jingle and got going. Now Waukesha is the kind of place no one wants to drive in-------one way streets that are twisty-whindy, streets that have multiple names....... once you get into Waukesha, it is kind of like the twilight zone------you don't know how to get out. So of course, we get lost on the way, called the center numerous times for more directions, back-tracked and started again, got stopped by a train------------all the while Jingle is crying and crying in his carrier like he was being tortured! Finally-------we got there, they took Jingle, did a quick exam, gave him the injection and sent him home. The vets said the wounds looked good and he should be able to got out when we got home. Jingle was delighted of course, but he still had to cry and howl all the way home!

When we got home and I released him from the carrier on the deck, you'd think he would run as far from me as he could, but he didn't. He just wanted to swish against me and rub his cheek on me for reassurance. Then he walked around the yard, doing the same thing on his favorite plants and bushes. Then he settled in to rest.......finally! And me.......???? First I went to get an ice cream sundae, which I totally deserved and then------I did the same thing (the resting, that is)       :-)

That's life with my feral colony!

We watched Jingle throughout the day yesterday and he seems to be OK-------maybe a little beat-up and sore, but OK. Actually, I do think Jingle inflicted more harm than he received, but I'll let the other cat be the judge of that. The puncture on his forehead appears dry and scabbed over and there does not seem to be any sign of a wound on the cheek, other than he does not want to be touched there right now. That's understandable. He's eating and drinking fine and was even somewhat playful last evening. It cooled down significantly yesterday and actually the cats love this 60 degree weather, especially Jingle. With his coat, anything warmer is just not that comfy I imagine.

So Jingle dodged a bullet this time-------again! He has had several emergency room visits in the past and over the course of the past couple of years has been to the vet more than any other cat. Part of this is because he is fully vaccinated-------the other part is because he does seem to be somewhat-------shall we say----------daring??? He walks across the top of the 6 foot fence, climbs half way up the large box-elder tree in back, crawls up onto the roof of the garage.......and so on. You get the picture. A year ago Marty and I visited family in NY city. We had a great nephew we had not met yet. We arranged for the neighbor girls Tess and Janey to take care of the cats which they have done before. (They have watched the cats grow-up through their windows and over the fence.) I came home after a week because I did not feel I could leave the cats for longer------too much can happen. And after all------if something did happen, I am the only one who can get the cats into a carrier.

Getting out of NY was a hassle and I was delayed several hours (of course). When I got home it was 9:30 at night. I was excited to see the cats. I began calling them and within minutes they all started showing up, but when I saw Jingle, I knew immediately that something was wrong. He had some sort of wound above and very close to his left eye. I absolutely panicked! I called Marty and started loosing it over the phone------hysteria, big time! Marty finally said, "Debra! If you don't calm down you are not going to be able to help him!" Of course he was right. I did calm down. I got the carrier and somehow, I think with God's help, I managed to get him in it.

Now, no cat likes a carrier, but you'd think I was killing Jingle the way he howls from the carrier. So---picture this------I was driving down the street as fast as legally possible, at 10 at night with a howling, injured cat in the front seat next to me. Thank God (once again, that night)------that the ER was quiet. No other pet was there that night at that time. They took Jingle for an assessment right away. The wound was a couple of days old the vet thought and infection was beginning to set in. (Unfortunately, since Jingle does not get very close to the girls when they come to feed the cats, they were not able to see the injury.)The vet also said, "This cat is extraordinarily lucky. First----he has you for an owner. Second-------his eye is not injured." She went on to say that it was difficult to tell what caused the laceration on the eyelid above the eye, but she did not think it was a bite because there was no other wound representing the other "half" of the bite wound pattern.

The good news was of course that his eye was not affected. The bad news was he needed surgery, stitches, pain medication and antibiotics. Oh-------and he would have to wear a color for 10 days. And, also, forget about him going outside for those 10 days of course. So I had to ready a room at my house for Jingle to recover in. I could not give him free range in the house (unfortunately) because he has "marked" in the house on occasion. So he was confined to the laundry room for 10 days. I think that was one of the worst 10 days of my life and probably his too! Jingle is such an outdoor cat, that it was very hard for him to be inside during that time. Of course the first few days he was medicated for pain, but he cried at night. I would wake and hear him and go down to comfort him. Then when he started to feel better, he was so crazy to get out of the laundry room that I thought he would injure something else. I was emotionally drained and exhausted after those ten days. But, in the end when the stitches were removed, Jingle healed and he healed well. The vet was very proud of the job she did and I was so glad I had come home when I did.

Tonight is one of those times you don't like being a community cat caregiver-------Jingle was in a fight tonight. Even though he is neutered and really is a sweet cat overall, he is fiercely territorial and will readily clash with any intruder. There is a cat in the neighborhood named "Blackie"-----yes, of course he is black! He technically belongs to my friend and neighbor's colony down the block, but he was trapped and neutered by us before we even knew that. We had given him the name of "Bits"------you know----that way we would have a "Kibble" and "Bits" like the food.(ha, ha) Anyway, for some reason this cat brings out the worst in Jingle and they have gotten into many conflicts.

Tonight I heard this terrible howling from the front of the house. When I went out to investigate, I saw Jingle but could not see the other cat who was under a fir tree on the corner of the house. I was clapping my hands and yelling, to try to break-up what was going on to no avail. Suddenly, Jingle dove under the tree and a moment later he and the other cat were howling, clawing and rolling around in the plants and mud out front. I could not really see the other cat well because it was so dark, but I think it was Blackie. Normally, I would try to intervene physically myself, but they were going at it fiercely and I was afraid of getting in their way. (I have been bitten before and gone through the whole rabies thing------that's another story.)

Finally, the other cat took off and Jingle went reeling after him-----around the corner of the block. I was petrified that this chase would lead them out into the street and there were cars coming in both directions. For a moment my heart sank as the ramifications of that hit me, but thank God both cats careened around the corner and down the block into a neighbor's yard. I looked for Jingle and called him, but got no response. About 10 minutes later, I saw him in the yard. He was wet and muddy because it has been raining tonight, but he seemed OK. He was agitated------didn't want to be touched and parked himself right in front of the porch door as if to convey, "Nobody comes into my space without tangling with me."

I went about my normal clean-up on the porch and in the house, putting the food dishes up, picking-up cat toys and so on. When I finally went over to Jingle to calm and reassure him, I found he was bleeding on his left cheek. Now I do have a tendency to over-react where the cats are concerned (as my husband will tell you) so I stayed calm and tried to get a look at it. Jingle was not cooperative at all. A few minutes later, he had blood on his ruff under his neck as well. I think (I hope) that is from the same spot on the cheek and most likely got there just from him moving around and perhaps trying to groom himself. I am not sure if it is a scratch or a bite. Of course, a bite is far worse-------infection can set in and the wound can abcess leading sometimes to surgery and drain tubes being placed--------I have been through that with several other cats and it is not pretty so I am truly praying that he has just been scratched. Thank goodness he is fully vaccinated against FIV (cat HIV), leukemia and rabies. All out door cats really should be, but especially males as they are more likely to fight. We are watching him tonight. So far Jingle seems OK------he was on the porch resting, but now has actively joined the other cats in pursuit ANOTHER mouse that Hunter brought home---------this is the third one in 24 hours!!!( I saved the other two, but I'm afraid this one is one his own!) So maybe he will be all right. Please say a prayer for him.........Thanks!