May 28, 2004


My cat is a wuss.

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Meet Bailey. Well, OK, you can't see him, but just imagine for a minute. He's a three year old calico cat, about 15" long, 11" tall, your average sized cat. Except for his weight. When I inherited this cat from my brother, he wasn't just a big cat--he was FAT. I mean, fur dragging on the ground, fat. My roommate and I have put him on a diet, which wasn't going too well until we found some cat food that was not only diet, but also tasted horrible. Yes, I'm evil. But now, he's just, well, 'big-boned', I suppose. Except for the loose skin hanging under his belly, which I figure will tighten up over time.
So, why is my cat a wuss? Well, it's not really his fault. My sister first bought him when she lived in an apartment in Grimsby (or, "the 'by", as some call it). There it stayed, 'til she moved in with me and my brother to a large house. Yet still, the cat remained inside at all times. My sister moved out, then got married, so my brother became the cat's pet. By that time, he had also moved to a small apartment, and he remained an indoor cat. Matt then moved to BC for school, and that's how I came to own Bailey.
So, this cat has spent its entire life indoors, protected from any danger by walls and windows. In fact, the only other living things it has seen are people, mice, and bugs. I, however, live in a house in the country. I like wide open spaces, and hate to think that this poor cat has had to spend its life cooped up inside. So, when the weather turned warm, I was kind enough to let it outside a bit. I'll tell you, there's little funnier than watching a cat's first experience interacting with this thing called "grass". Even funnier was his first experience interacting with this thing called "cats". One of the local strays had meandered its way into the open front door of our house. You would think Bailey, being the master of the house, would at least make an attempt to stand his ground. But who do you think was the first one out the door? Yep, my cat's a wuss.
The other night, we'd left the door open to allow the cat some time outside. Well, after about 5 hrs, we hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. We closed the door, and went to bed. This wouldn't be the first time the cat had spent the night outside, so we weren't too concerned.
The next morning, I opened the door, and Bailey limped inside, bits of fur hanging off his back, and using only three of his legs. The way he was acting, I figured for sure he'd broken his leg or something serious. But, let's not forget, my cat's a wuss. This being the first injury he'd ever experienced, "pain" was yet another new thing for him. A closer inspection revealed a bit of a scratch on his leg, minimal blood, and no broken bones. The next day, he was already starting to use that leg, and by the time I got back from the long weekend, he was running around as if nothing had ever happened.
Hopefully, he'll spend more time outdoors as summer goes on. I figure that'll toughen him up some, and the running around could really do him some good.
That is, if he dares to step foot outside again.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your cat's not a wuss. He's never had to learn about the issue of territory because his turf was always clearly delineated. He doesn't know outside stuff, like how to deal with other cats or the hazards of the outdoors or social dominanace.

I know you think you're being kind but really, you're subjecting him to new stuff he may not be ready for... and I don't mean just cat fights or traffic, but there are diseases (like FIV) out there too. If you think it's ok to take a long weekend when your cat's been injured, I kind of doubt you're clued on the issues of what can happen to a cat that's suddenly outdoors either. Take that boy to a good vet and make sure -at the very least- he's up to date on shots.

Overweight cats often lose weight happily on just canned food, and it helps if you play with them a lot.

Your Bailey has had a tough life with the humans he knows disappearing repeatedly. He deserves a lot of love and latitude and a little more reading and learning about cats from you.