Catastrophy!

One Sunday, at the end of November, 2004, I went to the garage to work on buffing out the paint. I heard a noise emanating from the workbench, which I finally isolated as coming from under a corner of the workbench. After moving chains and come-alongs, along with assorted other garage stuff like the sewer snake and a set of golf clubs with the aid of a flashlight I was able to get a look under the workbench and spied gray fur and blood. I figured a wounded beast had crawled up there to die, so with gloved hands, I reached in and pulled out a kitty.

A second handful brought out a mama cat obviously in labor and another kitty. So I rounded up a box and plunked the cat and two kittens on top of an old towel in the box. Then, throughout the day, the mama cat brought 6 kittys into the world and my garage.

Now I have 7 new cats. The problem is that the cat doesn't like the noise of the air compressor or the buffer. The people family likes the new additions and don't think I should disturb the new cat family. In fact, the mama has moved the kittys twice, I figure to protest my moving around in there too much. The first time she moved them to another spot in the garage, the second time she moved them to the neighbors 280Z he has parked in his garage. (Maybe I should have left them there and he'd had his own catastrophy in his garage!)

In a couple of weeks we'll have to think about weaning them and finding homes for all of them! As we're already happy with our established home pet system consisting of appropriately spayed and neutered and "vet-ed" dogs and cat, we're not in the market for additional cats. Locally, there is a controversy between the gov't and the SPCA, so a popular topic is responsible pet ownership...re: sterilization. My editorial on this is that I'm faced with dealing with someone else's irresponsible pet ownership. Certainly the final solution is an option, but not very popular with the local residents. Therefore, I'll spend money and time taking care of this nice cat and her kittens. Let me know if you need a kitten, and spay and neuter your pets!

PS (12-19-04) The mom cat still insists on moving the kittys frequently. Here she's in the POJ. We've moved her out of here several times, but she keeps moving back in. I moved the car cover so this has eliminated her need to move back into the car.

January 31, 2005 Kitten Closure All the kittens have been adopted. One moved into our house. Here's the new kitty, Stella, along with the house cat, Smokey. They became fast friends, probably because they look so much alike. We had a lot of fun with the kittys. Friends and family came through in adopting them, they were fun to watch playing and learning how to catch mice at mice school. The mama cat was a champ at teaching litter box, mousing and birding, and covering up food. Hissing and purring classes were also a big hit!

Three days after the last kitten was adopted, and about a week after the kittens became officially weaned, Ginger, the mama cat again began entertaining gentlemen callers... Boy, nature doesn't hesitate in providing the world with enough cats! So we found a cheap neutering outfit, apparently run by Bohemian do-gooders, who provide sterilization service for $40.00. The oldest boy and I take Ginger to The Neutering Nook, as did 7 or 8 other cheap minded cat fanciers at 8:00 on neuterday. (Only Thursdays) We are immediately chastised due to possessing too big a cage (you'll see it later in the HMO section) so I have to buy two laundry baskets that can be taped together to create a recovery suite for the cat. I am eventually able to correct the cage transgression, and after leaving a handful of $20 bills, I'm permitted to leave. That afternoon, I'm to pick up Ginger, get to piano lesson, then race to speak at a school event. I'm there in my 6'2" glory, in a suit and black overcoat, not attempting to be invisible but apparently succeeding, as I am forced to endlessly stand and not be recognized among the other anxious cat do-gooders to pick up our freshly sterilized cats. One lady is happily chatting with the NN's proprietor about the joy of cat ownership without apparent concern for others' schedules, like speaking engagements, or simply getting out of there. Without warning, this lady takes off her sweater to reveal (to several of us now catatonic waiting room clients) among other things, a tattoo of her cat that covers (or, as we learn, will eventually cover) her entire back after its finished in only 6 more sessions under the needle. So there we are (I'm now wishing I was invisible or even anywhere else) admiring a topless woman's fine 1/6th of a cat tattoo on her back! We all were given a chance to admire the handiwork, each commenting on the tattoomanship of the art, while she flopped around in her 53 year old 1/6 tattooed glory...Probably not everyone can share in that fine experience. (Unfortunately I don't have photographic evidence, as it would leave you speechless!) Eventually tattoo lady leaves, and its my turn. Spayqueen tells me that Ginger's been a goldmine for them. In addition to the surgery and the laundry baskets, I needed to pay for her having earmites, fleas, the need for a rabies shot, and, a hematoma that will require medicating her 2x a day. Plus she gets to stay contained, caged indoors for 14 days. All this for only a couple of more $20 bills! I consider it the anti-kitty tax. I can't get Ginger to pose, but in a candid shot I've highlighted the proof of her $100 hysterectomy.

Ginger is now no longer contributing to the catpool, much to the dismay of her vocal callers. She came home to live in her cage. Now remember, the home also houses two boxers, and two tame cats, seen earlier. Ginger is somewhat of a gangster, having lived on the mean streets. She's not real patient with other cats, or the two 65 lb boxers, or even children who speak when not spoken to and don't eat their vegetables. So she can't live in the house, as she'd take over and rename it hell.

We decided in true HMO fashion that even though the Neuter Nazis ordered a 14 day contained recovery, we offered that she hadn't planned for that level of coverage. Therefore, after a 3 day cage stay, she moved back to the garage. I think she's happier, she can go back to her usual diet of mice, birds and other varmints, and she can open up cans of whoopass on any strange dogs that happen by. Here's the attack cat on station, every wary of any who might wander too closely to the garage, bringing an end to the Catastrophy in the Garage....