The Bob Saga

I was disappointed that I didn't get Bob in a trap or a carrier this morning. That poor old guy needs some vet help. Instead, one of my cats had to take one for the team and go to the vet appointment this morning. My vet was kind enough to discuss Bob's situation with me. She decided the best course of action at the moment would be oral antibiotics in drop formula to be mixed in with a little food.



Naturally, he turned his nose up at wet food today. He did eat some Friskies kibble, though. Now before you chastise me for feeding this horrible quality food, let me explain. My own cats eat high quality kibble. Bob gets to eat whatever he wants because he weighs maybe five pounds and is an adult cat. At this point, I need to get whatever meat on his little bones that I can. If this means I have to feed him junk food, so be it. I can make the switch to higher quality kibble later on down the line. I was able to get one dose of Clavamox down him this evening by mixing the Friskies kibble with wet food and the medication. It was heavy on the Friskies.



On the exciting front, he rubbed me when I bent down next to him this afternoon. He also let me pet him twice! When I came into the house, I would look out and he would be in my front yard waiting. He walked me halfway to my car when I ran an errand and waited for my return. Then, the gardeners came...and there went Bob into hiding. I've been able to coax him out briefly to eat but the sky has dark clouds and it's starting to feel like rain. I fear that he is hunkering in for the night.



I will give off trying to trap him for the moment. The important thing now will be to gain his trust and get some weight on him. I think if I work with him daily, I can have him trusting me enough to get him into a carrier on his own next week. If all else fails, I can drop a laundry basket on him, slide some plywood under him and duct tape it. It's an old trapping trick when all else fails. The problem with this method is that the cat might be so freaked out (yes, that's a technical term) that we have to sedate him for the examination. This runs risks given his age and health. We'll be weighing all the options more next week.



For now, keeping sending good vibes, mojo, prayers Bob's way. The poor little guy needs all the luck he can get. He's relatively safe but he could be much safer. He's out of the wind and rain under a house, but he could be warmer inside mine with the heater on. He deserves no less!



On a side note: I got Pip microchipped at the vet today. Bob has reminded me that sometimes accidents happen. Cats get out, get lost and need some help getting home. It cost a whopping $65. If you get a cat from the shelter for $80, they come spayed/neutered, shots and microchip! Quite the bargain. If your pet isn't microchipped, you can sometimes get a deal on weekend clinics at Pet Smart/Co or your local shelter should do one for $25. If your cat lives 15 years, that's a little over a dollar a year to be sure they get back to you. Only 3% of cats who get lost ever make it home. By microchipping Pip, I've given her a great shot at being one of the 3%. See Al's story here to find out how microchips save lives.