The Many Faces of PO'M

PO'Monday!

It's been hot here, and our area had torrential rains a few days ago, with the result that many folks were flooded.

Thankfully, Eastside Cats was spared, but we are purring for those who've got piles of soaked and destroyed items sitting at the curb, ready to be taken away by the garbage trucks.

To brighten things up, here is my love Paddy, showing his many moods:

His ever-so-ernest look
"Wake up and bring food!"

Territorial
"Watch me scope out the yard!"

Silly
"I love you!"

There is a patch of fur missing from PO'M's tummy, and it's gotten worse as the season progresses.

Not at all sure why he licks himself bald.

In an attempt to help him, since I cannot just grab him and take him to the veterinarian, The Hubby and I removed the straw for The Cat House, and carefully placed freshly laundered bath towels inside.

Of course, cloth is DANGEROUS when the temperatures are near the freezing mark, since the fabric holds moisture and can be deadly if it turns to ice.

This is a temporary warm-weather experiment, to see if the straw is the culprit (which is The Hubby's theory, and I'm going along because my half-dozen trials and errors have had zero effect!)

Aftermath

Angel at rest

Chuck relaxing

I cannot tell you how emotional this past week has been.  Doubt, anger, sadness, self-recrimination, relief, worry are only the tip of the feelings iceberg that I have experienced.  Angel and Chuck appear to be fine, however Angel seems to get very anxious when she's upstairs near my computer table.  And no cat has entered the parlor, which was the safe room.  We just placed a brand-new litter box in there, so we hope we'll see some 'action' in that direction soon.  I find myself mulling it all over at odd times of the day, and the desire to visit Shadow/Loretta at the PetSmart draws me, but I know better to torture myself that way.  I pray a new family falls in love with her, as she so deserves, and she will have a home to enjoy.

In the meantime, we've had very wet weather in Michigan, and the outside cats barely received two meals yesterday as the rain prevented us from hanging out together.  They stayed in their shelters until I showed up with food, then they dashed back inside...well, except for Patty who will rub against me irregardless of weather.  I have a small hand towel reserved for them only, and I tried to dry each cat off while they ate.  Mia won't allow the towel treatment, but Patty and Sammy purr and eat as I rub them down.  They really teach me how to overcome adversity, especially when you don't classify it as adversity.  They are just living.  No worries about the job, the holidays, the gas bill or an absent friend.  How lucky I am to have them in my life!

Parking Lot Cat

Yesterday, I watched a husband-and-wife team attempt to walk both their dog (on a leash) and their cat (held in a towel) into the nearby pet supplies store.  However, as the dog started barking, the howling cat managed to escape the arms of his person, and hide under a car.  I had been climbing into MY car, so I quickly slammed the door and went to help.  The terrified cat wasn't moving an inch, and the man used the towel that once was a poor cat transportation device, to lay on to try to reach the cat.  I couldn't reach the cat either, but somehow the man was able to coax the cat out.  That's when I suggested they cover the cat entirely with the towel; having the world blotted out would calm her.  He did as I suggested, and I got back in my car to drive away.  The couple said that they were flea bombing the house, so the dog and cat needed baths, and this pet store has do-it-yourself washing tubs.  I certainly hope they were successful with that, but there's a lesson; ALWAYS properly restrain your cat in a cat carrier or trap or box.  That parking lot was full of people and moving cars, and a loose cat would have no chance if left out there.  I didn't take a photo, but I'll never forget the fear on that kitty's face.