Monkey
One of my friends insisted on seeing a photo, so here he is, after it took me 20 minutes to get him from cage into carrier this morning.
I'm really convinced he's a he now since he had a stress pee and a poop during the struggle and the pee smelled like unneutered tom pee. He is clearly very scared, but the way he lashes out had me scared by a feral for the first time last night. I went to take his food/water dish out of the cage last night so he will have fasted for his neuter surgery this morning (it was right inside the door) and he lunged so hard and so often at the front of the cage while I was still unhooking the carabiners holding it shut (thanks for the tip, Raven!) and just trying to grab the dish, that since the food was all gone, I settled for relocking the door and just tipping the double bowl over to spill the water so it would evaporate and he wouldn't be able to drink it. Then I sat on the couch, all short of breath for the next half hour. That's never happened before.
That was last night, when I figured trying to get him into the carrier in the morning would mean risking my face. But I geared up in my thick housecoat, and gardening gloves and went at it. Like I said, it took 20 minutes. I drizzled the towel in the carrier with tuna juice to make it smell good, put the carrier in the cage, cornered him with it, but there was no way he was going in. I squirted him with water, because this often works to move a cat from trap to carrier. No dice. He hunkered down and took it, looking every bit like a feral cat who's withstood the elements out on the street. I should have figured that wouldn't work. I poked him with a thin dowel. Nope. Finally, with him cornered, I threw a second towel over him (largely to protect me), and eventually muscled him in by brute force. Cornered, his only choice was to be manhandled or let himself get pushed into the carrier. Success! I got one small half-a-bite on the gardening glove when the towel slipped off his head for a second. No damage. And now he's at the vets. They've been warned.
Comments
That's the face of a dude who's used to making his way in a cruel world. What more can it offer..? He can take it. He's seen it all. My heart goes out to him.
I've hosted a few semi-ferals for TNR recovery that were like that (full-on attack mode), but since it was recovery and not pre-op, they were girls. Still a bit scary though.
Gotta love the "airplane ears". Glad the carabiners are working out for you.
Holy shit from me too, Laurie. That is one pissed-off cat. He has probably been through so much struggle and grief in his life --- it makes me sad. Look at his face --- look into his eyes. Poor boy.
I'm glad you're helping him. I hope karma's watching and taking notes on all you do for these poor babies.
Do you think he'll end up being adopted, or being put back on the street?
awwww, poor wet, mad Monkey boy! If looks could kill, indeed, you'd have been pulverized.
glad you didn't get attacked or poo flung at you!