"Mama, How will we know when MD is really OUR cat?", Miss 16 asked.
MD is short for "Moxa's Dad", and Moxa is our number 3 cat. A little black kitten who literally wandered into our Thai living room and mewled pitifully until we kept him. A few months later, a beaten up, badly injured old black cat started stealing food from our kitchen and lurking around the back of our garden. I let him eat and started leaving food more conveniently as he was so badly injured I didn't think he'd make it.
"He's probably Moxa's Dad", I had remarked to my daughter, and thus he was named. Is naming enough to "claim" an animal as "yours"? Clearly not. I have written before about our many-months-long journey to try to win over MD's trust: MD 0.7 Building Trust.
So, how's that going, and how do we determine if an animal is ever "ours"?
He comes in to eat in the kitchen now. At least twice a day. The other cats tolerate him, and the squabbling for hierarchy has stopped. MD sits at the back waiting till our alpha neutered male, Mr Gin, gets his food first, then happly and messily eats beside him.
Why is MD such a messy eater? He has had a mouth injury, either from being kicked or hit by a stone from a sling-shot (a common way people in Thailand deal with stray animals and birds). He can't manage dry cat food and slops food everywhere, and has the adorable habit of letting his tongue hang out when he's relaxed.
He still limps a bit with one back leg after what we also assume was a sling-shot injury inflicted to his left back haunch. The flesh wound healed eventually, after he allowed me (finally!) to get close enough to adminsiter charcoal powder and Yunan Bayao (chinese herbal powder) to draw out the infection. But he's mobile and jumping again and seems to have no pain from it.
So how will we know if MD is really OUR cat?
Miss 16 and I discussed & agreed the criteria:
- He'd have to come for food more often than not, but we agreed "boys night" and occassionally not coming home at all did not disqualify him;
- He'd have to let us touch him and pick him up;
- He'd have to sometimes sleep inside, by choice.
He lets me pick him up now, for a brief pat & cuddle before food. He's not crazy about it, but he doesn't struggle anymore. And when he's eaten he comes to lay at my feet, whatever I'm doing.
And his favourite thing to do is to hold hands. I rest my hand on the floor near him and he puts his paw on top. 😍😺
And so I spend some time now, everyday, companionably sitting on the kitchen floor with MD, catching up on my @HiveLift twitter game. He hasn't audibly purred yet, but you can feel the beginnings of a tiny purr if you touch him gently.
I say GENTLY, cos I made a mistake this week. He was roling beside me on the floor and tried to rub his belly without soothing and talking to him first. Suffice it to say he freaked, bit me HARD and I am sporting a septic cat bite on one hand.
But we talked about it and I told him it was MY fault for frightening him. I apologized for being too fast, and he SEEMED to understand cos he came in a bit closer. I realize now that he needs to HEAR my voice before I touch him, and that his fight-flight reflexes are probably going to dominate for quite a while.
But this morning, Sunday 30th August (but it's still #Caturday somewhere in the world, right?!) I walked out of my bedroom into the upstairs living room to this:
MD asleep on my chair, early in the morning. It's the chair by the window where I like to sit and work - the chair that's unequivocally MINE. Sitting here now. He looked up a little anxiously and a little uncertain as if to say, "Is this alright?"
It's been nearly 11 months since I first saw MD run out of the kitchen downstairs, caught in the act of "stealing" leftovers.
Is he OUR cat yet?
As much as any cat, ever belongs to anyone - absolutely yes. We now confidently say we have 4 cats. Mr Gin - #1 Alpha neutered ginger male. Miss Cinamon - #2 neutered ginger female & sister of Mr Gin. Moxa - #3 our adopted little black kitty. And MD - 4.0 - our healing, loving and wonderful newest addition. Yes, we have a HUGE 2 storey, wooden Thai house and an enormous garden. Thankfully. Plenty of room for everyone.
Hoping in a month or two when he's a bit more settled to get him neutered. We're waiting so he won't feel trapped or freaked out while recuperating in our spare room afterwards, and making sure that he feels safe and cared for before we put him through that. He's had enough trauma so far, and we want to make it easy for this little cutey.
One Love.
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