How many cats is too many? I think the correct answer is 21. With the family cats that I am (permanently) fostering, that's how many I have inside. There are 2 of Chris' outside, plus Miss Kitty, our favorite feral. We now have a black momcat and her two kittens. Oh, and Wonky Eyed Cat. Poor wonky, he's been really sick. Last time I saw him, it looked like his face was oozing down his chin! We debated having him put down, but he disappeared before we could catch him. I'm assuming that he went off by himself and died. That would be a blessing because he would definitely not live through the winter.
Booger is one of Black Momcat's babies. He was looking really pathetic last week. His eyes and nose were running and he was on the thin side. What could I do? I couldn't leave him to die when the weather turns cold. I took him to the vet. $125 later, I know that he is Feline Leukemia negative, he has no fleas, and he will need eye ointment and antibiotics for several days. I'd hate to think about how much that vet appointment would have cost if I had neglected to explain that Booger is a feral kitten!
Once we got home, I set Booger up in an isolation cage in the basement. Good food, fresh water, a soft bed and a clean litter box were like Heaven to him (he's a boy, I checked!). He ate a few bites, turned around on his bed, plopped down, sighed and went to sleep. He's been our little patient for about 10 days now. He's gotten chubby, his eyes and nose have cleared, and he's cute as can be. He still hisses when I reach to pick him up, but he doesn't claw or bite. He purrs when his ears are scratched. He's a sweet little boy.
Once he's finished up with his medicine, he'll go back to the vet to be neutered and get his Rabies shot, then he'll return to the wild. If he's like the other ferals who have adopted us, he'll live under the porch when the weather is bad, eat when we put out food, and go into the garage when it gets really cold this winter. What's one more cat, anyway?
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