There are no ordinary cats

Two weeks ago, my husband's parents were found by a stray cat. They were telling me all about it one day at dinner and almost on cue I heard some imploring meowing from the open kitchen window. There it was -- a bag of bones with the exception of a very round belly. Just what the neighborhood needed -- a pregnant stray cat. The cat was pretty friendly, and it wasn't long before we decided that we should help out this little lost soul.


We made a shelter, gave it some food, and soon the cat was trying to convince us that we really SHOULD let it inside. And since it was going to be raining, with a chance for flooding, and since a raccoon had been harassing the poor thing the night before, the cat won out and moved in to the basement.


Days and days passed and no kittens. The cat was eating more, dutifully used the litter box and was seeming to prove its worth as a good house cat, and not some vagrant free-loader.

We decided it should probably go to the vet so we could determine what was going on. Last night my mother-in-law got an appropriate prophecy in her fortune cookie: "There are no ordinary cats."

We walked in to the Langley Animal Hospital today.

The cat was a trooper about being in the cat carrier and didn't fight to get in it at all.

Though there was LOTS of talking, while inside.

At the animal hospital we talked to the front desk person and told her our story. She offered helpful conjecture:

"It doesn't look actually black - there's white on the belly and patches of brown -- maybe its really a calico."

"It could be part Siamese with the way its face is, and all that talking."

We weighed the cat: 8.6lbs. And we moved into an examination room and waited for the doctor to appear.


The cat was really well behaved and let the doctor look in its mouth, feel its belly, and other routine check ups. We learned some interesting things:

1. the cat ISN'T pregnant! What a relief.
2. the cat is a MALE, and neutered at that.
3. judging from his teeth, he's probably around 8 years old.

Nothing what we expect, but a pleasant surprise! One cat is easier to find a home for than an entire litter.

The doctor suggested we give the cat a full work-up: blood, urine, and fecal analysis, a bath, vaccination, and test for common feline diseases. My in-laws are extremely compassionate people and agreed to foot the bill for all of it.

(heart)

They don't really want a cat and are planning on looking for possible adopters. But, if that doesn't work out it sounds like they're okay with keeping him around. This cat found the right place to come to.