Thursday 28 October 2010

Cat Man Doo-Doo

It’s not entirely clear when it happened: sometimes these things take on a life of their own and evolve seemingly out of control.

One day there’s this new strange cat in the garden inviting itself in, the next it’s living with you hiding constantly behind the sofa and then, all of a sudden without warning: the cat becomes French.

I know what you’re thinking: what cat? How did you acquire a French cat? How can an English cat become French without going through the messy business of passport application?

It all started from some odd noises in the kitchen. We had seen the Alleged French Cat (AFC) in the garden several times over the summer but with myself increasingly working from home and increasingly leaving the back door open so that Willow could enjoy the summer weather the AFC started inviting itself in.

Ever since Charlie died in January Willow has had full reign over the house and spent more and more time with me, even joining in the occasional conference call (to much amusement from work colleagues)

And now the AFC, a black and white cat that was clearly afraid of humans (mostly running away from me despite my attempts to make friends) had decided that Willow’s food was particularly appetizing and had begun repeatedly launching commando runs from the kitchen door to the bowl and back

Willow seemed to get on with AFC pretty well: in fact they had joined forces against the hated enemy black-cat-white-nose on a couple of occasions and although she was slightly cautious around this new interloper they did seem to get on ok: which is why we decided to try and catch the cat, take it to the vet for a check-up and make sure that it was being looked after

(AFC's then unnamed 1st trip to the vet)

AFC had no collar and was unkempt: it was clear he’d been in a few fights and he was not a happy cat. This is why, soft buggers that we are, we decided to catch him and take him for a check-up at the vets.

At first we tried a range of traps and tricks that would put The A-Team and McGuyver to shame – involving upturned laundry baskets and string around the scratching post that doubles as a door stop. The cat was just too fast.

And then one day I saw the cat sitting in the kitchen doorway and managed to make it to the food bowl without scaring it away. I positioned myself and the food bowl so that the cat would have to come past me to eat and then shut the door. The thing immediately turned into Steve McQueen and started a desperate bid to climb into the windowsill and through the closed window as we tried gamely to pull the cat’s claws away from the net curtain and stuff it into the carrier that used to belong to Charlie. The cat managed to sink his claws into Herself’s arm and left her with nasty marks but otherwise went quietly.

At the vet they checked him over and told us that that he is a male, about 1 year old and with all his bits in tact. They were pretty sure he was a stray and had either never been owned or only briefly. They gave us some details for the Cats Protection League, but told us cheerfully that they have no room to re-house cats at present due to the recession (people abandoning pets)

We let him loose in the garden and discussed the situation, Herself still with huge red wheals on her skin and an arm swollen to the size of a tree trunk. Cats Protection League would pay to have his naughty bits removed or amended, but after that we would be facing the prospect of putting a homeless cat back into the garden for the winter.

So a week later we trapped him in again. He spent the first few hours hiding down by the window until we moved him to the front room: where he promptly hid under the sofa.

We barely saw him for two days: just long enough to eat some food or use the litter tray we placed under the kitchen table then he would vanish.

Before we could take him to the vet again for injections etc he needed a name. We went through a couple of options – I was quite fond of Mr Flibble until Herself reminded me that when you to the Vet with your pet they call out your pet’s name

Herself suggested Giles (going with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme started with Willow) and it stuck, along with the usual array of extra names that cats gain as you get to know them.


(AFC, aka Giles, still in hiding under the sofa)
After a couple of days he stopped hiding under the sofa and started alternating between hiding under the sofa and under the bed. When he was seen (briefly) it was clear that his fur condition was improving.

The problems started a week in when Willow started to realise that there was another cat about on a permanent basis. She had a nervous weekend: wee’d on the bed a few times. We rapidly ran out of bed clothes until we ended up spending two nights sharing a zipped-open single sleeping bag that was so devoid of actual warmth that Sir Ranuph Fiennes, had he been stuck with it on a polar expedition, would have had no option but to burn it.

Meanwhile Giles had learned how to use the litter tray and was managing to create a smell that permutated into the bricks of the house. He’s about twice the size of Willow and can happily chomp through a whole packet of food and then go and eat Willow’s for an encore.

He’s still a kitten: so when you do fuss him he will go to catch you with his claws or bite in a friendly way – which makes me wonder why we are so forgiving of our pets. If our pet shark gnawed someone’s leg off would we just say “ah, he’s just being friendly?”

The other day we took Giles off to the vet to “have his ‘nads chopped” as the vet charmingly put it. He was gone for most of the day.

Since he came back he doesn’t seem to be holding it against us and has shown no interest in going outside. My main concern is the first time we do let him out: will he come back? I hope so.


(Giles grabbing my jeans)

It’s been about six weeks now and he’s really come out of his shell and we’re starting to get a picture of his personality.

So what do I know so far? He’s a cheeky bugger who’ll scoff all the food he can. He likes to rub against your legs and catch things in his paws. He destroys the litter tray in an attempt to cover his extremely smelly poos. When he miows he sounds like a broken squeaky toy. He can move fast enough when he wants to and is oblivious to our calling his name. He is still a kitten in many ways and will jump on shoelaces and attack pieces of paper.  He likes sleeping on the edge of the bed and pouncing on my toes at 4am.

On the whole Willow tolerates him, though they do seem to be arguing, especially when he's just woken up and is full of energy – some of it is that he doesn’t realise that his idea of playing is seen as aggressive. My worry is that Willow won’t feel as free to roam around as she has and will retreat – I hope not

And yes - we still refer to him as Monsieur Gilles

(Willow and Giles in a rare moment of tranquility)

15 comments:

Peter Goulding said...

Great story but am I missing something here? How is he French?

The Bug said...

What a pretty cat! I'm allergic, a bit, so I approach all cats with caution, but it's so tempting to snuggle into their lovely fur - & then sneeze for the rest of the day.

I missed the French part too - especially because Giles (sigh) is British too.

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

peter - i dunno, it sort of just happened. We started calling him monsieur gilles cos it seemed amusing and voila

Bug - basically we're a bit mad

Argent said...

He is gorgeously cute! I hope he has a long and happy life with you.

English Rider said...

It is quite unusual for cats to voluntarily share territory. Your Willow must be a sweetheart. Lovely picture of them both together. I can totally imagine Monsieur Giles avec Beret and Moustache.

Lydia said...

Well, I am in love with him from the get-go. He is adorable and is going to be a gorgeous cat. Willow must not be made to retreat, I must agree with you. You should pay her extra-special attention, as she has been through so much with the loss of her longtime companion. But ya know, it looks like these two are going to be ok with one another.
Your tags are hilarious. Regarding the smell, maybe the vet can suggest a kind of cat food that will lessen the smell. Just an idea.
You and Herself are wonderful to do all you have done for Giles and I hope you four will be one happy family. ^;^

Lydia said...

Oh, I really like the new blog design!

Titus said...

I was with Peter, and having read the explanation, I'm still with Peter!

The differences in
a) his first picture and the last
and
b) his 'n' her sizes
are astonishing.

Great story, lovely telling.

Also, I have a non-personal but literary favour to ask you. Could you e-mail me your e-mail address to TitusmckayATaolDOTcom?

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

Argent - he's very cute, yes

English - Willow is 100% beautiful and, once you get to know her, very loving

Lydia - they are still fighting here and there when he gets too close. If it becomes a problem then we will have to think of something, but we refuse to see either one without a home.

Titus - cats don't have just one name. They have the official name you give them and then all the other things you call them affectionately inbetween. One day it just seemed amusing to start talking to him in a french accent because Giles is so close to the french Gilles - and it stuck

pohanginapete said...

A great tale, well told. Years ago (another time, another life) I managed to encourage a stray cat to trust me enough to come out of hiding to eat. The intention was to take him to the SPCA, but, well, you know... He was a real character, big and delightful, with enormous paws. He lived with us for a few years, occasionally disappearing for a while then reappearing, worn out (totally shagged, I suspect). Eventually he didn't reappear.

I thought I'd named him Jack, but I think he chose it and let me think I was responsible for it. It just seemed to suit him.

Friko said...

Ah, how sweet.

I'm so glad you didn't send him out into the big bad world again.

You'd probably be able to let him out now, cats aren't stupid, they know when they're well off.

But how come he's French?

roxy said...

I love the Buffy theme. My boyfriend adopted a stray cat, and eight years later - with several different aliases depending on her behavior - she is still around, very healthy and incredibly loyal. She comes when we call her. So glad she joined your family :)

The Clandestine Samurai said...

1) Those pictures of the cats...Are....A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.

2) In the 15th paragraph, I believe you meant "when you *go* to the vet....."

3) I was a bit amused about your spelling of the cats' call. Here in America, we spell it "m(e)ow".

4) I think it's different. Sharks bite to weaken, maim and kill who they're attacking. We forgive cats because we know them attacking is just their way of communicating to leave them alone or to play with them.

When, I move out, I believe I will obtain a cat even before furniture or food. I don't know how a household is considered loving or whole without them.

The Clandestine Samurai said...

Oh, yeah....

5) It is my theory that cats will come after you call them when they are given the impression that you calling them is paired with their benefit. I would try buying some treats and offering them every time you call Giles or simply petting him when calling him. After a while, I think he'll associate the two.

6) I am very, very sorry about Charlie. My condolences.

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

Roxy - we didn't get to name Willow as she came with the name. The worst name i heard for a cat recently was Ernestina Shackleton because the cat was an explorer - i didn't like to remind them what happened to Shackleton

Samurai - i started typing this in present tense then changed it, so the omission from paragraph 15 is a typo

You should definately get a cat - they're great company. I think ignoring your name is a male cat thing - Charlie never used to respond either (but then he was quite deaf by the end)