“There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.” Helen Keller

 Blind Milton came to live with me a week ago.  In that time he has astonished me with his intelligence, the quickness with which he learns his environment, and his pure joy for living.  I have learned much by watching him.  He brightens my days.

 Today the sutures from his entropion surgery were removed.  Dr. Parker confirmed that he was born with Microphthalmia – small, undeveloped eyeballs and ocular tissue – and will never gain any sight, though his entropion has been cured.  He doesn’t mind at all, so I certainly won’t. 

 I moved the three neonate kittens into the bathroom next to his room.  They enjoy playing paw-tag under the door.  Three times now I have let them out together to play (see video below).  Milton seems to think they are moving toys, but most of the time he is gentle with them.  The kittens are as tough and fearless as Milton, despite being only five weeks old – Milton is only 3.5 months himself.  Milton can become overwhelmed, however, and I have to break things up if he gets a bit rough.  New and moving objects can bewilder him, disrupting the world he struggles to map.  I believe he will become gentler over time.

…for his boldness and innate nobility.  But it occurred to me today that ‘Equinox’ would have been a more clever name.

With winter declining daily, the most important season of the year is near: the season of kittens.  I haven’t raised a bottle baby in a couple of years, but as I’m known in the community as the Cat Man, I make a special trip in late winter to the pet store to prepare myself with a few tools I’ll need on hand if a little orphan kitten be dropped at my doorstep:

With this (and, hopefully, enough colostrum from its mother to get her started), a heating pad, warm wet towels, and the will to wake myself up two or three times during the night, I’m ready to play cat daddy once again.

Surely no one can honestly call themselves a cat person unless they keep kitten formula on hand…

After wandering off for more than a day, my handsome Kitty Carson has returned.  Hungry, craving attention and time with his favorite catnip mouse, but healthy and happy.  Welcome home, big guy!

For those of you who consider yourself true ailurophiles, here is a simple quiz to gauge your knowledge of cats.

Q: In this photo, what is Gummy Bear (the peeping calico) most interested in?

1. pizza cheese
2. those salty little anchovy fish
3. the single-malt Scotch

A: None of the above, of course.  Like cats everywhere, she’s waiting for an empty box to play with.

Three cats took refuge in my garage last August during Hurricane Harvey.  Two were very young kittens, the third an adult male the orphaned kittens had attached themselves to.  Though the kittens were constantly underfoot, the adult was tolerant and sweet with them.  (This is remarkable behavior for an adult male cat; I’ve never seen it before.)

 I named the adult male ‘Kitty Carson’ as I was reading a book about Kit Carson at the time.  I’ve cared for him since the storm.  For the last few months he has spent nights in my house, days outside.  He is one of the most remarkable cats I have ever known – and I have known very many cats (I am the Crazy Cat Man of Seabrook).  Never have I known a more affectionate and loving cat.

 He is ready for a permanent home.  I would like to keep him, but with five cats already, two with special needs, I have all that a single person can handle.

 Below is a video of Kit Carson.  He is a very handsome cat: medium length coat with beautiful ticked tabby markings of charcoal and brown; green eyes and a long, leonine nose.  He is a lean 17 pounds, and about 5 or 6 years old.  He arrived already neutered, and I have taken him in for all his shots and have the records for those.  He is very well behaved – uses a scratching post and litter box reliably.  He is very healthy, but is FIV+, which is not a threat to people or to his long-term health.

He vocalizes occasionally, mostly when he needs attention, but is not noisy.  He is calm, playful at times, and mostly calm around my other cats.

His most remarkable quality is his love of affection.  I have never known a cat more deeply affectionate, or with a greater fondness for being held, petted and cuddled – the video will give you an idea.  He was clearly socialized at an early age, and by someone who cared deeply for him and understands cats.  He loves to be close to me, especially to rub his face against mine.  He often uses his front paws to hug my neck or face.  He has no petting threshold.  He enjoys laying in my lap, and picks up and carries easily (and enjoys it).

 He will make an exceptional cat companion for the right person or people.  The best home for him will be one where he gets plenty of attention and affection.  Someone who wants an attentive, affectionate cat would enjoy him most.

 I think he would do best in a relatively quiet home.  I have not seen him around children or dogs, so I don’t know how he would adapt to them.

 The person who adopts him will gain a most remarkable cat.  However, you should be prepared to be patient with him, as it may take a few days for him to feel safe and secure.  It took me several days to gain his trust.  Once I did, however, he immediately bonded with me and very much craves my company.  This quality will transfer to another person who is patient with him.

I want him to have a very good home, and will be careful who I let him go to.  A cat this wonderful and affection deserves people who will be equally good for him.

 If you are interested, or have questions about Kitty Carson, please leave a comment and to this post, with means of contact, or PM me through the Nextdoor application.  Now enjoy the video of Mr. Carson (and try to ignore the ugly old guy with him).

In the wake of storm Harvey, I’ve seen a profusion of animals either not common here – frigate birds and chimney swifts – or animals resident here but now active in larger numbers – cormorants, pelicans, fireflies and mosquito hawks.

Just before the storm began arriving last Friday, I heard a cat calling from my carport.  There I found an adult neutered male who must have seen my cats behind the cat fence and heard me calling to them.  He was hiding under my truck, mewing loudly.  I coaxed him out with fresh food.  After eating his fill he cautiously came to where I was sitting on the concrete.  He finally let me touch him; once he found I was friendly he just melted.  He clearly craved affection and comfort, and in moments he had no fear or apprehension at all – he just wanted human company.

I petted him for many minutes; he is clearly very accustomed to people and must have had a good home at one time.  He is neutered and bears the ear-tip usually associated with a TNR program.

I cared for him throughout the storm.  Now he waits for me each morning and evening, bounding up to me when he sees me.  Here is a the first of three videos:

There are few subjects I know much about, but I know cats.  I’ve lived with many of them, volunteer at a shelter for them, and have a library of cat books third only to my Lincoln and polar exploration libraries.  This boy is as wonderful a cat as anyone will ever come across.  Another video:

He is a remarkably handsome boy cat: charcoal/gray/brown tabby, ticked pattern; medium hair soft as silk, with a bushy tail; green eyes; small white spots on chin and chest.  I guess him to be about 5-6 years old, perhaps 12 pounds.  He seems very healthy, his coat and eyes clean and bright

He has no petting threshold.  He is eager for as much affection as I have time to give.  He even likes his chest rubbed, and holds my hand in his paws when I pet him.  He has his claws but has never unsheathed them on me, even when he’s playful (another sign he once had good human companionship).

He needs a home.  He is much too sweet a cat to allow into a kill shelter, and all other shelters are full now.  I would rather care for him outside until I can find someone who will take him home.  As Seabrook’s infamous crazy cat guy, I can promise that he will make a marvelous companion for someone, and I’m certain he will be safe and comfortable inside.

He even seems very good with other cats.  He often stands outside my cat fence, in clear view of my cats, but he has never paid them any mind – no hissing, no aggression, scarcely caring they are there.  More than that, he has become something of a foster dad to two stray kittens (see photo below); they follow him everywhere and he is very gentle with them; he only hisses lightly if they stick a nose into his food bowl before he is finished.

For a good, qualified adopter, I will pay half of his first vet checkup and vaccinations.  I don’t recommend cats often, but this guy is too special to abandon to animal control or to leave on his own.  If you are interested, please leave a comment on this post. I live in Seabrook, Texas.

Lauren’s first nap

Last Friday I finally adopted the three-legged cat from the shelter where I volunteer on weekends. With four cats already living peacefully in my house, I didn’t want to upset the peace and comity of my clowder, but I very much wanted Lauren (the shelter’s name for her) to have a home. She spent enough time at the shelter, so I brought her home. She is very loving, and gets around with remarkable power and grace. She hasn’t yet taken a shine to my other cats, but that usually takes much more time. I’m happy to have her here; she is happy here; hope abides.