PANCHO!
This is the kitteh that came around with the foofy red and white girl who was sent to the bridge on the 10th of this month, the one I named Violet. This is the kitteh who I originally thought was Violet’s mom, until I noticed the little hard huevos in the sack. This is the kitteh I vowed to get into the house before anything bad befell him. I told Brian Friday night, the next time I saw him at night (because I never saw him in the morning, I don’t know if he quit coming around then or I just had bad timing) I would bring his little fuzzy butt in and put him into my bathroom until I could get the little fuzzy butt to the vet.
And wouldn’t you know, he showed up Saturday morning? Around eight? And I didn’t hesitate, while he was eating, I scruffed him and carried him into the house. He was scared and ran into the office, tried to climb the screen. I thought “bad idea, get him into a smaller room with less places for him to try to climb and hurt himself trying to get out”. And I grabbed him and carried him into the bathroom, my arms wrapped around him.
He tried to climb the mirror, he tried to climb the shower door. He slipped off of the shower door (he was standing on the towel bar), into the full crock of water. I got some towels and sat with him on the floor, putting him on my lap and wiping the excess water off of him. He just splatted on my lap, waiting for the chance to slink off of it. Which I finally let him do (I quit petting him) and he immediately went behind the toilet and started crying.
While he was there, I got a carrier and bungy corded the door open, got a large towel to place over it for privacy. I set it up in the bathroom and pulled him from behind the toilet and showed him the carrier, with the towel to lay on and a towel over for privacy. He scurried inside, as far to the back as he could get. When he was situated there, I got a litter box for him, and also got him some water, fresh wet food and dry food. I thought, for good measure, I’d see if he was interested in baby food. He ate about a half of a jar and that was it for food yesterday. He wasn’t interested in anything else.
I checked on him a couple of times an hour (I can’t help myself) and by the end of the day, although he wouldn’t come out of the carrier, he had no problem with my putting my hand and arm in and giving him scritches and pets. He really likes having his tummy rubbed. He started purring for me mid-afternoon and made biscuits for me.
Brian got home around seven last night and didn’t seem too interested in checking on him, but I guess during the night, Pancho having been outside for some time and having the feral cat’s nocturnal schedule, started climbing the bathroom walls. Brian said he spent about fifteen minutes with him, sitting on the floor and petting Pancho, who ran back into the carrier at the human intrusion. I got up at four to let the cats out and hearing Pancho crying, I went in and he was sitting on the counter, talking to the kitteh in the mirror. I also found the picture I have up on the mirror (with the hooks that you wet the back), was laying face down on the floor. Fortunately, it wasn’t harmed and Pancho seemed to be okay.
When I got up to feed KittyMeeze and the rest of the clowder, I took a fresh can of food into Pancho, dished it up in front of him, as I was doing when he was out front. He wouldn’t come out, so I put it in front of him in the carrier. He ate half of it, then turned his head. He was done. I put the food outside of the carrier and picked up the bowls from yesterday and gave him fresh water. I noticed he had pottied at some point during the night. Good kitty, using the litterbox.
So, this morning I figured I’d take some pictures of him. I got one yesterday, his first, but I got a bunch more this morning. And without further ado, here he is, the new guy, Pancho!
Pancho looks out of the carrier; he was making those biscuits when I took this picture.
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He loves having his belly rubbed.
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"Oh, yeah, that's a good spot."
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He's very gentle, not a claw in sight (and he does have his claws, I checked).
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The back side of Pancho. You can see the fluffiness of his tail, kind of, in this picture. He has an absolutely beautiful tail. I'm looking forward to seeing how nice he looks once he's had a chance to clean up.
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Pancho, side view.
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I wonder what his story is. He’s obviously been a much loved pet at one point in his life. Because of how affectionate he is and how he doesn’t wig out when we’re in there with him. And he’s been on his own for at least a month. With each passing day, he looked a little more worn, the white not so white and his poor little paw pads are really rough. Did he get lost? Did someone get him when he was a baby, having spent the first months of his life in a wonderful home, then being given away as a “free to good home” kitten? And then just tossed out to fend for himself? It’s just so hard to imagine, because he’s just so laid back.
I don’t know, but I do know he has a good forever home with us. I’ll be taking him to the vet tomorrow (if they can work him in) get him tested and checked out, then bring him back. Depending on the tests (and I’m sure he’ll be okay, the only cat we’ve ever brought in with a disease was Handsome), I’ll let him out when I get the results. Then we’ll make plans for his neutering.
And it’s funny about naming him. I’ve never thought of Pancho as a possible name for a cat, but it just popped out one night when I was feeding him out front. I wasn’t even thinking of a name at the time. And although he isn’t responding to it yet, he doesn’t seem to mind it.
So, a very happy welcome to Pancho, the new member of the cathouse. We hope you enjoy it here.
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Meet more cats at this week's edition of the Carnival of the Cats, hosted at Chey's Place. And may we at the cathouse say "Well, done, Chey!"