Cat Encounters

Dodge - 1997 to 2011 ~ by Trish 8/8/08 ~
Hermits in their own right, both our cats disappear when company arrives. If it weren't for window-height cat doors, most people wouldn't know we have cats.

Dodge was very young when she arrived with her just-weaned son, Dart. They've been with us nearly 10 years. They've kept their keen "forest smarts" from the feral days. Good hunters and excellent tree climbers (up and down), they've always on alert for potential predators (coyotes, bears, stray dogs, hawks, raccoons, bald eagles and unknown humans). I like to think those cat doors have improved their survival odds. I was always a "dog person" in the past, but these two have re-educated me. Cats are very different than dogs, but just as loving and endearing once they warm up to you. There is something truly special about that purr.

Dodge & TV Bear - 1998 ~ by Trish 2/2010 ~
Think about it. You really do have to admire cats for their courage. Their diminutive size alone makes their cultivation of human alliances fairly courageous. Their tolerance of human stupidity is endearing.

Our formerly feral cats seem very smart. I don't know whether their innate intelligence helped them survive in the wild, or if surviving in the wild enhanced their intelligence. I do know neither of them would be stupid enough to leave smelly things exposed in bear country like this brave cat's humans did :
You Tube video of cat taking on a bear.

It took some time after Dodge adopted us before she became comfortable sitting in my lap. She was initially very nervous in front of the television, though she eventually realized my television viewing often created lap opportunities for her.

During her first year with us, I started watching a nature program while petting her. The nature program was about black bears with some very clear footage of a black bear walking toward the camera. When Dodge noticed the television bear, she stood in my lap and growled. As she continued to watch, she first moved to the chair arm and then to the floor beside the chair. She alternated focusing on the bear and looking at my face while vocalizing short bursts of alarm to make sure I'd also noticed the bear.

She could not smell the bear, of course, so she was uncertain, but she was clearly familiar with the visual configuration of a black bear. Was this instinctual? Or had she dealt with bears during her forest life? We've speculated that may be what happened to the rest of her litter. (When Dodge first arrived at our house, Dart was her only remaining kitten.)

But whatever the reason, it was obvious Dodge wanted nothing to do with bears. Even so, she stayed by my side, coaxing, until she convinced me to leave with her. How stupid was I anyway?

At that point in our relationship, Dodge still identified outdoors as the safest haven from any perceived threat, so per her wishes, I let her out onto the deck. (If you're thinking she only coaxed me out of the chair so she could get outside - she also had a cat door she could have used.)

I followed her outside and the first thing she did was walk furtively to the north end of the deck where she peeked carefully around the corner of the house, so she could see the opposite corner (which the television backs up to). She was apparently checking to see if the bear was still out there. Perhaps her understanding of broadcast vs. live bears was limited, but her accurate spatial orientation between the inside and the outside of the house surprised me. So did her loyalty and courage.

Mortified Dodge - 2003 ~ by Griz 1/9/13 ~
For several years, when Dodge saw Trish in her easy chair, she would approch from the rear, jump up on the arm , then step into Trish's lap for a major pet. Christy (Trish's sister) had been here for several days when one evening she sat in Trish's easy chair. Dodge walked into the room, saw the chair occupied, and jumped up for a pet. She stood facing the TV as Christy stroked her from head to tail. Then Dodge froze, turned, saw it was Christy, leapt down and ran outside. It was obvious that she was embarrassed by her mistake. For the rest of her life (another 8 years), Dodge never again got up in Trish's lap, when she was sitting in that chair. Any other chair or situation was fair game, but not that chair.

Dart - 1998 to 2011 ~ by Trish Aug 2010 ~
Dart-the-Cat is the younger of our two once feral cats. Dart had no socialization as a kitten and was a couple of months old when he and his mother (Dodge) showed up on our back porch. Dodge had weaned Dart, but he was staying close to her for handouts (presumably because he had yet to develop his own hunting skill). Dodge, his mother, had obviously been someone's pet before her feral days. She understood humans were a source of food, and allowed me to touch her even initially. Without his mother's social skill, I doubt Dart would have ever been approachable. We called him Dart because at first he would dart off the porch as soon as we opened the door. Apparently, his prior experience with large mammals (including humans) was instinctively (and probably actually) quite terrifying.

Dart soon learned the sound of the sliding glass door meant food. He slowly learned to come just inside the door to eat, first with the door open, then with the door closed. (We don't like to leave food outside as it draws raccoons and possums.) Socializing Dart was a very slow process, but he watched his mother, and gradually learned to tolerate petting as he ate his meals. I eventually introduced a litter box (which Dodge recognized immediately) to allow the cats to stay indoors overnight. The forest has many perils, especially at night. The cats arrived on our porch in October, and although we constructed an insulated box for them on the porch, by January they were comfortable and appreciative of the warm indoor temperatures.

January also brought competing tomcats - when Dodge went into heat. I was able to pick her up long enough to confine her and get her into a cat carrier - so off she went for vaccinations and spaying. I thought I'd be able to get Dart in for neutering the same day - but trying to hold onto him got me a deep bite on the finger and a week's worth of antibiotics. Cat bites are bacterially very dangerous. (Antibiotics within several hours are recommended, if possible.)

It took a couple of months to coax Dart into a carrier with some fresh ground meat. Although, I told the veterinary staff that he was feral when I took him in, when I picked him up the next day the vet, the assistant and the receptionist all told me independently: "He's really wild!" No surprise to me.

Dart has been with us just over 10 years now. He doesn't do laps, but he will jump up on the bed and snuggle - somehow sensing a human's limitations when lying down under the covers. He loves to be petted and has a deep, gravelly purr. You can even massage him with both hands while he stands and purrs, but if you make a grasping motion with your hands he retreats quickly. He purrs, rubs my legs and coaxes for a pet or treat while I work at the computer and talks when he wants attention. He has a melodic, gentle, almost feminine meow, unlike his purr and his temperament. Dart is primarily bonded to me (Trish), but he and Griz have a special understanding, too - some kind of mutual tolerance, male-bonding thing.

When Dart is in the house, he loves to race down the hall in advance of Griz (something he never does with me). He watches Griz' movements closely, positions himself for the race and waits until Griz is almost upon him - then flicks his tail and speeds off as if to prove who's fastest.

Rude Awakening - 9/23/2009 ~ by Griz Aug 2010 ~
Dart (our male semi-feral cat) is very skittish, a great hunter and a real "guy". Only Trish can pet him, I can't even touch him; however he interacts with me all the time. If I head down the hall and he is anywhere in the main part of the house he will always proceed me down the hall, stop just past the bathroom door, then go back up the hall after I make the turn into the bathroom. Dart can stomp his feet very hard while walking or running. It's a mystery to me how his little feet can be so loud while walking on carpeted floor. In the house he does it mostly going up and down the hall when he feels he's not getting enough attention from Trish or when I'm on the throne doing my daily reading.

The cats have a sun porch just outside their cat door (mounted in a window) on the south side of the house. East of the sun porch is a 1x6 plank (the North Ramp) leading to the ground. West of the sun porch is a plank (the Cat Walk) that extends to the SW corner of the house. Ramping down to the north from the west end of the Cat Walk (passing under the bathroom window) is a 1x5 cedar board (The West Ramp) leading to the deck that extends almost the full length of the west side of house (with stairs at both ends).

When Dart stomps his feet on the Cat Walk it makes a loud thud sound. The North Ramp creates a slightly higher pitched thump sound. But he has really found the resonate frequency of the long slender cedar board that is the West Ramp. It's only attached by one nail on each end and is quite springy. He often would run up the West ramp while stomping his feet causing the board to vibrate. Then (as the nail holes wore larger) he would get the board to slap the end supports.

One day I was relaxing on the throne reading my "Nuts and Volts" magazine when dart decided to "get my attention". Out of the corner of my eye, though the open window, I saw him leap onto the center of the west ramp and make a hell of a racket by slapping both ends of the board against the supports. I swear I could feel the house shake. He grabbed the sides of the board with his claws and pumped it into several feet of deflection. He was a black blur extending well above the window sill to completely disappearing below it. Then he jumped off the ramp and turned the corner onto the cat walk. I could see his silhouette though the glazed south window as he strutted with head and tail high toward the sun porch. A moment later I heard him come in the cat door and jump down from the cat box platform. Appearing at the open bathroom door, he took up a pose that said "Man did I get you good - I am the greatest". The only times he did the "big rattle" of the West Ramp was when I was "reading Nuts and Volts".

Our deck is 20+ years old and the 1x4 cedar deck boards were rotting, cracked and a real pain to maintain. I finally broke down and agreed to replace the deck boards. But as we started tearing up the old boards we discovered some rotten joists, cross bracing had fallen off because of rot and/or improper attachment and the whole deck was leaning west. The further we got into it the more we found that needed repair/replacement. After 2 years and an almost total rebuild we finally cut and laid down the new deck boards without attaching them. It was a few days before we rented a stand-up screw gun that made short work of the 2,000 screws the job required. After positioning all the deck boards I saw Dart out on the deck testing each board at several points to see if it was bowed up and gave when he stepped on it. If so he avoided it and stayed on the "solid" boards as he worked his way around the deck.

The next morning at the crack of dawn we were startled awake by machine gun fire followed by a building shaking rattle, then a rapid Thud, Thud, Thud, Thump, Thump, Thump, 5 seconds of silence and the whole sequence repeated. Jumping out of bed we saw Dart flying across the deck stomping on the loose boards (every foot fall was on a bowed up board that slapped the underlying joist with a gunshot like crack). Then a short but very loud rattle of the West ramp, stomp across the cat walk and down the south ramp, around the house and up the north deck steps to do it all again. When he saw 2 naked people peeking out the sliding glass door he stopped and took up his mischievous "Halloween cat" pose which quickly morphed into "Who me, I didn't do it" and finally "Damn I am clever, I must be the greatest cat in the world".

Trish called it a "Guy Thing" - his need to compete with the alpha male (me).

The Pee Line - 2009 - 2011 ~ by Griz ~
Trish was always worried about our cats becoming dinner for the local predators (Bobcat, Coyote, Eagle, Bear, etc.). Her concern increased as the cats got older and we were seeing a lot more Bobcat and Coyotes venturing close to the house (presumably after rabbits). In 2009 she handed me a pair of empty Clorox bottles and said "from now on you pee in the jug". At least every other day she would walk a perimeter around the house dribbling a pee-line and "marking" key points with a good splash. She established a 30,000 square foot "cat territory" (since it was my pee I guess it was technically a Griz territory). I was surprised at how well it worked. Within a week not only did everyone stop crossing the pee-line but sightings outside the perimeter went down dramatically. The downside was that the deer also were bothered by the pee-line. The regulars still crossed the line but not as often and they were very nervous when they did. Rabbits however, did not seem to be bothered in the least; in fact, their numbers seemed to go up, with a corresponding increase in "Eagle on the ground" sightings. Trish maintained her cat territory until we lost the cats in April 2011. It only took a few weeks before we were seeing coyotes hunting rabbit in the yard. The deer however had mostly abandoned us and are just starting to return to former numbers a year later.

Lost the Cats - 4/3/11 ~ by Trish 4/5/11 ~
Saturday, when we returned from several days away (see note below), it was clearly apparent that both cats were extremely ill. Dart had a palpable lump on his hip and an obvious wound on one paw. Both cats were extemely lethargic and not eating. A short walk with Dodge demonstrated weakness in her hind quarters, she was unable to jump up to her normal perches. Both cats slept and hid under the beds emerging from their dens only long enough to drink water and whine plaintiffly at me. Dodge, in particular, has never been a very vocal cat.

Although, Dart had some symptoms of lethargy before we left, Dodge had barely started demonstrating a low appetite. She'd been out hunting in the sunshine and seemed fine. I thought perhaps she'd eaten a mouse that was moving through her system slowly. Dart had been lethargic (for him), but he was jumping up on the bed with ease and showed no points of pain. His robust purr was in good working order whenever I handled him. I noted the lump and decided I'd take him to the vet when we returned. Neither cat seemed critical enough to warrant a pre-trip vet visit. Their feral natures have always made vet visits very stressful.

Fortunately, Pet Emergency Center in Mount Vernon, Washington, is open 24/7 including Sundays. So adding insult to the cat's miseries, I got them into carriers and off we went. I knew matters were serious just by how little they fought being placed in the carriers.

Blood work demonstratead immediately that Dodge was in advanced renal failure. Dr. Jane Reynolds was frank. "If this were my cat, I wouldn't treat. The values are extreme. In attempting to get the blood test, it was apparent that her veins are breaking down." Euthanasia was the only option. I spent quite a few minutes with Dodge, soothing her and holding her. It was obvious she was ready. She passed very peacefully with her head in my hands. We'll never know for sure why she declined so rapidly at the age of 13. When you allow your cats the freedom of the great outdoors, there are always risks of exposure to many unknowns - some of them toxic.

Dart could not be effectively examined without sedation. The presumption was that the lump was an abscess. His white count was extremely high. Dr. Reynolds suggested we go home and she would call post-surgically. Unfortunately, the surgery demonstrated the lump was the tip of an extremely large tumor. With Dart's white count as high as it was, Dr. Reynolds doubted if he would survive the invasive surgery that would have been necessary to remove the tumor. Unfortunately, we had no opportunity to say goodbye. There was no point in bringing him out of anesthetic before euthanizing him as well. I always worried about Dart's love of traversing the railroad ties that support our ivy. Even though most of the creosote was weathered off the tops, I can't help but wonder if exposure to those toxins played a role in the development of the tumor. We won't get more cats until we have an opportunity to replace the ties. Cats are notorious for going where they want to go, not where you want them to go.

There are now two piles of rocks under a large cedar which I can see out the kitchen window. My wonderful friends now lie in repose where they once frolicked and lived life fully. My heart is broken, but I'm doing okay. Part of pet ownership always includes taking the responsibility of not allowing them to suffer. Losing both in one day is almost too much for the emotions to grasp. The house is quiet. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday, clearing cat dishes, bedding, toys and other reminders from the house. It'll be some time before we're ready to start again. In the meantime, it seems easiest to not be looking at the memories daily.

I am not religious but I have strong non-religious spiritual beliefs. Loss gets no easier, but my confidence in some variety of continuity grows stronger with each passing year. There may be no guarantees about what happens after death, but certainly suffering is relieved and profound love continues to comfort those of us who must grieve. I like to think death is the beginning of new adventures, I have strong confidence in the benevolence of that grand and final uncertainty.

Goodbye, my freinds. Thank you for enriching my life. May your new adventures bring you as much joy as you brought to me during our brief time together.

Note: ~ by Griz ~
What Trish did not say above is that the "several days away" she refers to, was spent in the hospital after a bad reaction to a chemo session for the Appendix Cancer that took her from me a few months later (Sept 20 2011).

Old Bobcat - 5/9/12 ~ by Griz ~
I opened the blinds this morning and there he was walking down the driveway from the shop in full view. By the time I got the camera he was mostly hidden by the ivy. He is an old cat, very possibly the same one that I did battle with over the ducks years ago.

Couger - 1988? ~ by Griz ~
Another story to tell