It's been pretty miserable, outside -- so miserable, that the feral kitties have stayed in their shelters, for the most part, until I get the big bowls of hot water filled and positioned so that I'm not crowding them. I put out frresh, heated water three times per day, and they race to it faster than to the food, these days.
(It's been so cold, in fact, that my digital camera refuses to work once it has passed through into the great out-of-doors. Therefore, you get to see one of the indoor kitties, Proserpina --aka Peanut -- again, today.)
Needless to say, I'm a bit worried about a couple of the strays who haven't been to my porch in a week or two -- I keep hoping they've found safe haven in somebody's house in time for Christmas, but, knowing how shy they are, even around quiet li'l ole me, I have my doubts.
I've put out a half dozen boxes lined with old rags and topped with throw rugs and other heavy cloth (I think there's even an old army blanket out over one box in my garage, that one beast has laid claim to). If you have wee beasties roaming about your property, please do what you can to provide them with some shelter from the deep fffffreezes.
Peanut, here, was a stray, once, and her ears suffered severe frostbite before I could catch her & get her to the vet. She's a Scottish Fold, from what they tell me, and she'd have had little flaps folded over those roundy little stubs she hears with, today, if she'd been protected from the deep chill that hit our neighborhood the first year I moved back into town (her paws were also cut up from walking on ice patches, and the vet gave me all sorts of goop for that, that Peanut felt a great need to lick off -- the vet said that was okay).
Sure, she's cute now, but bandages are not the best look for a new cat in the house. And they're even nastier to put on and keep clean on a wandering critter. With this record-breaking cold (take that, Global Warming!), please do what you can to protect the little guys around you, and they may return the favor, come avian flu time (Peanut says, "Yum!").
Reminder: don't forget to visit the the Carnival of the Cats. This week it's hosted by BJ & the beasties, at Quite Early One Morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment