Friday, October 8, 2021

Cat tale

I was already slated to adopt a kitty from a local shelter when I came across Bart running around the mean streets of Bernal Heights. I hadn't meant to keep Bart--I had a new kitty coming home to me soon after all--but finding his owner proved more difficult than I thought it would be. 

I noticed Bart, the pretty gray and white adult cat you can see in below images, dodging car traffic and fending off dogs along a busy commercial corridor here in town. Bart was yowling and hissing and doing a sort of crab walk, fur standing on end, while two dogs were being held in place by their owner. The dog owner sort of looked amused which pissed me off. When the dogs were finally yanked away down the sidewalk, Bart decided to run out into traffic prompting a passerby to yell out, 'Look out, cat!' Then I hopped into the street in order to act as Bart's crossing guard, holding up the palm of my hand to a motorist coming toward us while Bart scurried to the other side of the street.

I wondered who would let their kitty out near such a busy thoroughfare. Maybe he'd escaped from a home unnoticed? He wore no collar and the bridge of his nose with crossed with old scratch marks presumably from tussles with other neighborhood cats. He was friendly, rubbing up against my legs and purring, so I bent down a gave him a few cuddles before deciding to take him to a vet to have him inspected for an ID chip. I got him into my car with little fanfare and drove him to the only vet I could find that would see him short notice. It turned out that Bart was chipped, but the ID no. attached to the chip not registered to anyone, unfortunately. Not wanting to release him back into the area where I first found him, I took Bart home from the vet and made him comfortable with kitty treats, a few toys, a scratching post, and a cat box--all the things that were meant for the cat I was soon to adopt, actually. Bart took to his new situation very well, so I was sure he'd have to have been an indoor cat at some point. But what about now? Where were his people?

My husband and I decided to create a 'Found Cat' post for the 'Cats' section of a local social media platform. Our post received some attention, but no owner stepped forward to claim our new house guest. The next weekend we went back to the neighborhood where Bart was found roaming and I asked around local businesses if they'd recognized Bart. Nobody did.

As you can read, we named him, 'Bart', short for 'Schnurrbart' as he has a wee mustache. I'd still be amenable to returning him to his rightful owners, but, at this point, I'd really rather not as my husband and I have become very attached to him.

Bart and newly adopted kitty playing with ball and ribbon. (Bart is mostly watching new kitty doing all the playing.)

Bart regarding new kitty's paw.

 

22 comments:

  1. Thank you.
    From both cats and from me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bart looks pretty darn well-fed so he couldn't have been a stray for long. I'm glad you're giving him a good home, along with the new kitten. If one cat is good, two is better -- isn't that so?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, he didn't look to be starving and that's another reason why I figured he'd darted out of an open door while no one was looking. He's a BIG boy at 15 lbs. My sis, a former vet tech, told me that the hanging bit of stomach on a house cat is what's known as a primordial pouch. That's also what you see in the photo of Bart.

      Delete
    2. Primordial pouch sounds better than what my vet calls it - Fat pads.

      Delete
  3. He is a handsome fella, if that's not too sexist. Thank you for rescuing both kitties.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He really is. I should post pictures of his cute, little face.

      Delete
  4. Primordial pouch. My cats have them for sure. Two cats are great. I have eight. I live in the country.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Ann! I've never had two kitties at once before. This is all new and exciting. My, word! Eight cats is a a handful, but it makes sense considering you're out in the country.

      Delete
  5. Well, well ... you'll both be getting a lap-warmer in time for the chilly weather. No sharing required now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interestingly, one is a lap-sitter & and people-trodder & one totally isn't. I'm claiming the lap-warmer. :)

      Delete
  6. I guess your new kitty needed a brother. Two cats are better than one ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting newcomer to your abode to add to your adoptee. Fun for all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank goodness that they tolerate one another.

      Delete
  8. It looks like you are going to have two cats, Bea. I think Bart has found his forever home.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Bea, I always knew you were a woman after my own heart! And now I--and Bart--know that for certain. Also, Ellie, Maggie, and Matthew, the local feline philosophers in this house, appreciate your generosity of spirit, your spontaneous darting out into traffic to save Bart, and your intrepid, adventurous acceptance of two cats who are getting used to two new humans. I suspect they will work together to train you to respond to all their needs. How wonderful that you all found one another. You are a wonder! Peace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Dee.

      Cats make the house more fun, that's for sure. Bart and Marcel, the newer one, get on all right. They don't hiss or growl at one another, but they also don't groom each other.

      Take good care, Dee. -bea

      Delete

A piece of your mind here:

March 2024

It's me. My buddy, David, very graciously decided to create a series of portraits of your truly & the above image is one of them. He...