Pending Human/Present Cat Caller

dude_the is flying in for Frolicon tomorrow evening. Hurray! House cleaning must commenceth . . .

For the last few days we’ve had a four-legged caller, a petite, gray and white kitty, very pretty and very fluffy-looking. She’s been hanging out on our porch, lounging by our front step and bird watching among our holly trees. I managed to snap a picture of her through the window:

She’s a dainty thing. In the picture she looks rounder than she actually is. I don’t think she’s thin, just sleek, although I can’t be sure through her fur. I’m not seeing ribs, though, which is good, and her coat looks pretty healthy.

Behavior-wise, she’s not terribly skittish; when she saw me peering at her through the window, she approached–although, of course, there was still a wall between us. But when I opened the door, she bolted. I’m betting she’s someone’s outdoor cat and not a feral, but just in case, I’ve been putting food out for her. (We’ve got a bag of leftover dry ferret food that we never got around to giving away to a shelter.) She ate the first bowl of kibble I put out, but didn’t snarf down the second, so I don’t think she’s starving or anything like that. Although I do worry that she’ll get hit by a car as we’ve got a road by our house which gets fairly heavy traffic during the rush hours.

I’d like to be able to figure out whether she’s someone’s pet or if she’s feral, or perhaps if she’s someone’s ex-pet looking for a new home, but I’m not sure how to proceed. Obviously, we can’t adopt her if she’s in need of a home–between Hobkin and my cat allergies, that simply isn’t a tenable option–but we could get her to a vet, make sure she’s spayed/neutered, and make sure she’s properly looked after for the duration while we try to find a good home for her. I figured I’d keep putting food out for her and trying to get her to come to me so I can look her over better–see if she’s thin, has all her claws, determine whether “she” is actually a “he,” that sort of thing.

She’s a sweet-looking thing. I hope she doesn’t kill the birds who flit around our holly trees.

   


Writing Stuff

It’s my turn on a collab. story I’m doing with mtrimm1. I’ve never done a collaboration before. It’s exciting . . . and a little intimidating.

Received:
– Galley proofs for my two flash pieces, “The Wiggly People” and “Sins of the Mother,” for the Dark Cloud Press Thou Shalt Not anthology. The editor said he plans to send the finished product to the printers by early May. Rah!

New Words:
– 500 on a story for mroctober. This one’s going to be short, a one-scener. (*smacks muse* “You hear me? I said short!”)

Club 100 For Writers
      1 <--
500/day
      19

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31 Responses to Pending Human/Present Cat Caller

  1. ellyssian says:

    That looks like Tanis! (I have a picture of him here for reference)

    He roams far and wide, but not quite as far as getting over to you neighborhood! =)

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Whoa. I’d say “hey, we got your cat!” but if your Tanis is in our neck of the woods, I’m thinking he caught a plane to get here. Actually, upon closer examination, I think Tanis’s stripes are more distinct, but your kitty and our visitor could be siblings!

      • ellyssian says:

        If you can, get a black bear. If the cat chases off the bear, it’s Tanis. =)

        Actually, the white stripe around the neck is even more pronounced than it looks in that pic – there’s another one posted that I skipped over because it was too obvious they were different. Still, my son looked at your visitor and said: “Hey, that’s Tanis!”

        Then again, both Tanis and his sister Tika look an awful lot like a cat named Tas we had about 15 years ago… not to mention a dead-ringer for Dead Tanis, who my wife and kids found on the roadside and buried with much tears and fanfare, only to have Tanis reappear the next day…

  2. mroctober says:

    So I should be expecting a novelette?

  3. yukinooruoni says:

    *sighs* Frolicon … That looks like SOOOO much fun, but I have these damn research papers to write, and somehow the thematic elements of Frolicon and “Globalism and the EU” and “Rights v Privileges” just don’t seem to match well *grrr*

  4. gannet says:

    Maybe you could try putting up posters with her picture in your neighborhood, asking if anyone recognizes her? Might be worth a try…

  5. miafedup says:

    Aw, what a beautiful little kitty! That’s so lovely that you looking after her. I confess, I wish you could adopt her but, as you said, just not possible. *sigh*

    I have such a wicked little soft spot for felines. It’s a little batty.

    You are a sweetie, Eugie! 🙂

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Aww, thanks. I’ve got such a huge soft spot for animals; I’d end up adopting every stray cat, dog, mouse, and lizard that crossed my path if I could. There were several mice we trapped back in our house in Illinois–we always use live, catch-and-release, traps–that almost ended up being pampered house mice save for some concerns about mice and ferrets not getting along. I still sent them on their way back into the wilds of the abandoned farmhouse (several miles down the road) with a cracker or cookie . . .

      • miafedup says:

        That’s so lovely. I’m the exact same way, though, not sure my house mice would be quite so pampered. An old farmhouse has got to be mice utopia!

        Also, I was watching Animal Planet this morning and there suggestion was to buy a collar, put your name/number on it and ask anyone who owns the cat to call you. Kind of innovative, isn’t it? At least you would know if she is really homeless or not.

        Just a thought!

        • Anonymous says:

          Oops, their suggestion. Gah!

        • Eugie Foster says:

          Ooo. That’s a good idea. But I’d have to catch her first. And isn’t it dangerous to put a collar on a cat, especially an outdoor one, in case it catches on something and strangles them? Although there’s the breakaway kind too . . .

          • miafedup says:

            Hmm, good point! Okay, so I just surfed the net (because I would so much rather help you find kitty a good home than do any actual ‘work’) and found this site.

            They give hints on how to catch the kitty and then, just as you predicted, buying a breakway collar to put on him/her.

            The whole thing is, no doubt, easier said then done! It’s such a lovely little cat, though, I’m sure it would be worth it. You’ll have to blog updates. 🙂

  6. aliettedb says:

    The cat is so cute !! (though not as cute as poo Hobkin. How is he, BTW?) I hope he/she can find a good home (if he/she’s not in need of one, of course).

    Collabs are fun. Hard, but fun (not that I’ve ever managed to publish one, but I did try 🙂 )

    • Eugie Foster says:

      The cat is so cute !! I hope he/she can find a good home (if he/she’s not in need of one, of course

      Isn’t she a pretty thing? I’m hoping she’ll let me get closer so I can look her over better. I’m betting she belongs to someone close by, although I really hate that people have outdoor cats. It’s just so irresponsible, especially with that busy road so close by.

      (though not as cute as poo Hobkin. How is he, BTW?)

      Hobkin’s still got an unsettled tummy, but I think (I hope) he’s getting better.

  7. mtfay says:

    Re: the cat…

    If you decide she needs to be rescued, doesn’t do cat rescues? You could ask her how to proceed.

  8. lizziebelle says:

    Maybe it’s because I work at a newspaper, but the first thing that came to my mind was to check the local paper to see if anyone’s posted a missing-cat ad. If not, you might want to post one yourself. Our paper does them for free; if you have a small community newspaper, maybe they will, too. 🙂

  9. tomaqmar says:

    So I thought I was going to post a question about collaboration, but I seem to have wandered into kittyland.

    Anyway … Eugie, are you doing this collaboration over email? Using one of those newfangled web-based word processors like Writely or Zoho Writer?

    Just curious. I’ve been threatening to try collaboration and I just wonder how you work out the mechanics. I’m assuming doing it by net works even if it’s somebody who lives in your town (or, in my case, in the same house…).

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Anyway … Eugie, are you doing this collaboration over email?

      Yepper. Since I’m pretty sure lives in another state, that’s pretty much our only recourse.

      Using one of those newfangled web-based word processors like Writely or Zoho Writer?

      Um, no. Haven’t even heard of those. Linkie? We’re just emailing an RTF file back and forth.

      • tomaqmar says:

        Writely seems to be down till Google figures out what to do with it, but I’m experimenting with Zoho Writer as an alt. to emailing things back & forth to myself between work & home & the times I meet myself on the way:

        http://www.zohowriter.com/Home.do

        Of course, I save things to my hard drive just in case…

  10. dude_the says:

    Kitty!

    Hurray for me arriving, though much laundry and taxes need to be done between now and them (less laundry than usual, though, which is good since there is way more taxes).

    They allow people to have outdoor cats in your neck of the woods?

  11. Anonymous says:

    Trying a comment

    Here’s another attempt at leaving a comment for you here. Good luck with the cat. Eric has horrible cat allergies too.

  12. Anonymous says:

    That was me!

    I meant to sign my ‘anonymous’ comment about the cat. It’s me, Jodi.

  13. britzkrieg says:

    Le Chat

    Let me know if you’d like me to help you catch & vet the kitty, or even print up “Found” flyers. This is totally my department. 🙂

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Re: Le Chat

      If I think I need to ramp up my cat-investigation/care efforts, or if she actually lets me pick her up and take her inside, you can be sure I’ll be giving you a buzz!

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