Friday night I was driving down DeMaret like I often do on my way home with the brights on, watching for the numerous animals these neighbors let roam around. As expected, a couple cats were hanging out by the road so I pulled over and went to see if any were friendly. To this little guy’s good fortune, he was and it resulted in me taking him home to give him some food. Poor dude, he was starving. He was just inhaling what I put in front of him. Afterwards, I lured him into our outdoor cage for the night. Yes, it sounds mean but I also provided more food, some water and a blanket (it wasn’t too cold though). The following morning I took him to my veterinarian for an examination, vaccination and neutering. Either he wasn’t thrilled about being in the carrier and/or he was holding it in because he took a whiz.
I forgive him, he’s just a cat.
For the interim, I have dubbed him Miguel in honor of the late Miguel Ferrer. From the picture, you can see he’s tough like the actor’s characters. He has been on his own for five to six years based upon his teeth and jowls. Miguel’s ears are cut/scarred which probably means he’s low on the pecking order amongst the local strays.
However, Miguel is a sweet cat. He loves it when people pet him, especially around the face and head. The vet tech got him to purr.
The plan is to turn him lose after his operation. Miguel should be in decent shape too. He’ll have a one-year rabies vaccination and other things cats need. I don’t think he could adjust to domestic life via the Austin Humane Society. I hope he chooses to hang around my house like Caliban did for months. I have to resist the urge to break my promise about not replacing Miette.
I can’t wait to pick him up tomorrow. See how he’s adjusting to having more human contact for longer stretches.