SOMEONE HURT OUR BABY KITTY.
Tully went out to play in the yard Thursday afternoon, but wouldn't come in when called as he usually does. We called him and whistled his signal for hours. He came straggling in after dark and went immediately to his "loft" out in the garage, where he stayed for most of a day. We looked in on him and talked to him but let him be.
Friday he was not quite himself. We checked him over gently but didn't see any wounds or obvious owies. He sat in Kevin's lap and licked at his paws. Suddenly Kevin realized, and looked at Tully's paw -- someone had clipped his claws. And too short. We tried to check his hind paws, but he wouldn't let Kevin touch them. (This cat usually would absolutely not mind you touching his paws, holding them, stroking them. He would look at you and purr.) Somebody had taken clippers to all of his claws, and cut them too short. We tried to understand the horror in which we were suddenly drowning. But he got better as the day went on, and even more lively yesterday. He seemed pretty much recovered by bedtime, though he still wasn't showing his back feet.
This morning I saw him when I got up and picked him up, the way I did when he was a little baby kitty. And this poor kitten (who has let out the merest tiny squeak maybe a half dozen times in his 2-1/2 years) yowled and hissed at me. I of course set him down and noticed that he couldn't hold up his tail. So apparently someone pulled and wrenched his tail so hard it's still sore three days later.
He let Kevin examine his poor savaged back paws today, the relating of which made me weep. We are watching him closely: he's eating, and drinking, and using the box, and playing, and he'll be climbing the fence again soon -- but he was captured, restrained, abused, and mutilated. I hope he hasn't lost faith in humans forever. I certainly have.
Friday he was not quite himself. We checked him over gently but didn't see any wounds or obvious owies. He sat in Kevin's lap and licked at his paws. Suddenly Kevin realized, and looked at Tully's paw -- someone had clipped his claws. And too short. We tried to check his hind paws, but he wouldn't let Kevin touch them. (This cat usually would absolutely not mind you touching his paws, holding them, stroking them. He would look at you and purr.) Somebody had taken clippers to all of his claws, and cut them too short. We tried to understand the horror in which we were suddenly drowning. But he got better as the day went on, and even more lively yesterday. He seemed pretty much recovered by bedtime, though he still wasn't showing his back feet.
This morning I saw him when I got up and picked him up, the way I did when he was a little baby kitty. And this poor kitten (who has let out the merest tiny squeak maybe a half dozen times in his 2-1/2 years) yowled and hissed at me. I of course set him down and noticed that he couldn't hold up his tail. So apparently someone pulled and wrenched his tail so hard it's still sore three days later.
He let Kevin examine his poor savaged back paws today, the relating of which made me weep. We are watching him closely: he's eating, and drinking, and using the box, and playing, and he'll be climbing the fence again soon -- but he was captured, restrained, abused, and mutilated. I hope he hasn't lost faith in humans forever. I certainly have.