Unconditional love

[Lasher]

Buddy was almost starved to death when he moved in with us. It's been a long recovery but he's in decent shape now except for having lost a lot of teeth. Cats really need their teeth for grooming and such. He is very brave in defending his territory against other toms that happen by, but he always gets his ass kicked. lately I keep him in at night to protect him. Cats really need all their teeth.

No matter what I know there's somebody who loves me. I wish every one of you had such comfort.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Well, FWIW, there are people on this site that care about you as well.

And, thank you for taking care of that precious creature.

[Lasher]

9. Why thank you Midlo.

The way I look at it, Buddy takes care of me as much as I take care of him. He's a real sweet guy, just as he seems in the picture.

[A-Long-Little-Doggie]

2. good for you!

I am glad you found each other!

[Lasher]

10. Me too. It was kinda funny when we met him. Kinda sad too.

We were watching TV when suddenly this cat appeared in the window, looking at us! Strays are usually much more cautious than that. We later realized he had been starving and was desperate for help at that point.

[Deja Q]

3. "Life is what we make of it" - Ellie Arroway

[wartrace]

4. Good kitty.

I've been owned by twin brother tabby cats (Flea Taxi & Chairman Meow)for a few years now. They LOVE to sleep on my feet and arms, when on my foot they kind of "hug" it. They are handy critters to have around on a cold night!

Buddy seems comfy there on your foot, you can tell he loves his human. Thank you for helping him live the good life with you, he looks like he deserves it.

BTW- I also have six dogs in the house. I get "love overload" every day.

[Lasher]

11. Six dogs and two cats!

Yep, that sounds like a crowd. Hope you have a big house.

I had one cat already when Buddy decided to adopt me, so I really didn't need another one. Actually I didn't want the first one either but it sounds like you know very well how that goes.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. My dear Lasher...

That is one beautiful picture...your kitty obviously treasures and trusts you!

You have done much good for him, and now it's your turn...

Thank you for posting this wonderful pic tonight...

:hug:

[Lasher]

13. Buddy is more like a dog than a cat in some ways.

He often follows me around like a dog would. He's been jumping up on the bed at nights lately and snuggling with me.

When it's chow time he digs in like a puppy. He is very fond of his food. We think that has something to do with his having gone hungry before we took him in. He sort of scoops up the dry food like a steam shovel. See, he can't pick food up as easily as he could if those front teeth were still there. But except for that he's an eating machine!

Another thing about cats' teeth is, they use them to groom themselves. They will use them like a comb to remove knots of fur, burrs, things like that. Without those front teeth, except for the four big canines he still has, Buddy does his best but can't always keep up. So we help out every now and then with a brush or comb.

It's 3 AM and he's pestering me to let him out so he can go on patrol but no way. At least one feral cat has been coming around about this time of night and he's still healing from wounds from last week. I wish I could get him fitted with cat dentures that work like a little chain saw or bear trap or something.

Cats' skin heals fast but infection sometimes sets in under the skin. If that happens it's off to the vet to get a tube put in, etc etc, and get fitted with a lampshade for his head. He's had to go through that twice and it's no fun for either of us.



I'm giving him antibiotics now to ensure infection doesn't set in this time. It's amazing what a money pit one bag of fur can turn into.

[applegrove]

6. That is one pretty cat. I have one that likes to snuggle at my feet too.

[Lasher]

14. He wasn't always that pretty.

He really was in bad shape when he first came here. See all that white fur? It was yellow then and we didn't realize any of his fur was white. And his fur was matted so badly he was in pain from it and we couldn't do enough to rectify the problem. That was eventually another trip to the vet, to put him to sleep and shave him like a sheep. He looked like he had a lion cut. This is not Buddy, but some other lucky kitty:



It took over two years to get him straigtened up. Long enough for all new fur to come in, I guess.

Here's a picture of Buddy getting cleaned up right after we adopted him in June 2005:



Does he look like he's having fun, or what?

[applegrove]

16. You actually got a stray to take a bath? Wow Magic!

[Lasher]

17. He did not volunteer.

The shower doors helped contain him there in the bathtub and we were able to block the opening. I thought I was going to have to get out the duct tape but there were three of us helping and it didn't come to that. It turned out OK, you can barely see the scars on my forearms now.

[applegrove]

20. I should think so. You won't be given that cat another bath anytime soon.

[harmonicon]

7. so do I

I want a kitty :(

[begin_within]

8. Only animals are capable of unconditional love. Humans are not.

[Lasher]

15. I guess you're right.

The closest we get is the feeling they invoke from us in return.

[Fire Walk With Me]

19. Animals assist us in this direction.

[lizziegrace]

12. I can't imagine my life without a cat or two in the house

They accept me as I am, huddle close when I'm sick and have taught me to live in the moment.

My old cat Widget will be 16 on St Patrick's Day. He was born in a trash can and disappeared for 11 days when he was 10 months old. He was barely alive when he made it home.

He coughs more than usual now and his eyes are getting cloudy, but to him, it's his life. No complaints and no feeling sorry for himself.

I worked at a large veterinary teaching hospital. I watched a dog that had been fitted with a cart because he had spinal problems. The look on his face was pure joy as he went careening down the hallways. He didn't see himself as handicapped and "poor me". He loved what he was finally able to do with his wheels.

You cat's a lucky guy. And so are you. May you have many, many snuggle moments like in that photo.

:hug:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

18. Cat AND Feet !! Wo0t

its a two-fer :bounce: :blush: :D

[Lasher]

22. Cat and feet is all nekkid and everthang!

Well, Buddy's got his fur coat on.

[Skittles]

21. that is one content kitty

:thumbsup:

[Lasher]

23. He's like that all the time, a real mellow guy.

Today I laid down on the floor where the warm air was blowing out of the wood burning stove. Buddy came by and flopped down, and laid his head on my arm. Then we took a mighty fine nap that way for about 30 minutes.

Well it's midnight, time for me and my pal to hit the hay. :hi:

[Skittles]

24. “You can't look at a sleeping cat and be tense” - Jane Pauley

yes INDEED :hi:

[Lasher]

25. How true!

Little babies are like that too. Watch one nodding off and you'll get all relaxed.