More News From the Countryside
I haven't posted in quite a while because I've been feeling bad and getting sick a lot. My doctors are trying to wean me off prednisone because it makes me susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. In the past year I have also been stung by a bee (allergic) and sprained my knee, which turns out to have bone-on-bone osteoarthritis. I hobble around the best I can, and I have to use more pain medicine than before.
A couple of weeks ago a stray cat showed up at the house. He's a young tomcat who is used to living outdoors. He doesn't want to come in the house, which is good, because I already have a cat in the house. We've been feeding the outdoor cat a large amount of food. He's been eating nearly twice as much food as my 17 pound, 13-year-old cat (who still catches mice). Well, outdoor cat is apparently subsiding his diet with small animals. My brother saw him stalking a bird last week, and a couple days ago he brought a trophy to the door: a flying squirrel.
Outdoor cat doesn't seem to mind having my next door brother's dogs sniffing around. One is a Golden Retriever-Newfoundland cross, and the other is a Bernese Mountain Dog. These are both large dogs (80+ pounds). There's also a Miniature Schnauzer in our house who goes in and out frequently, and he and the outdoor cat introduce themselves nose-to-nose and then ignore each other.
Also, outdoor cat wants to be petted A LOT. As soon aos you walk outside he runs up to you, rubs your legs, and purrs. By the way, he's been de-wormed, and he's going to the vet to be checked for feline leukemia and to get a rabies shot. He appears very healthy, but he was skinny when he first got here, but he isn't eating quite so voraciously as when he first got here. His first meal here was nearly two cans of 9Lives (the size of a tuna can). That's a lot of food for a cat.
We live on the end of a dead-end road, and everyone has outdoor dogs. I'm not sure why he chose us, but it may be that we were the only ones to feed him. He's a very friendly and cuddly cat, so he obviously was a loved pet somewhere. We may have to get him neutered, but outdoor cat and my indoor cat are the only ones within a mile.
I've been feeling a little better in the last month because I got more pain medicine. If I'm under-medicated I tend to lay around like a slug, in pain and with no energy. In order to do any shopping, I have to take a pain pill before I leave the house and again later in the shopping trip. I don't do any housework or chores around the house, but I buy a lot more groceries than my share to make up for it.
I try to stay upbeat, and it helps that everyone here has a keen sense of humor. Laughter always helps a person feel better.
A couple of weeks ago a stray cat showed up at the house. He's a young tomcat who is used to living outdoors. He doesn't want to come in the house, which is good, because I already have a cat in the house. We've been feeding the outdoor cat a large amount of food. He's been eating nearly twice as much food as my 17 pound, 13-year-old cat (who still catches mice). Well, outdoor cat is apparently subsiding his diet with small animals. My brother saw him stalking a bird last week, and a couple days ago he brought a trophy to the door: a flying squirrel.
Outdoor cat doesn't seem to mind having my next door brother's dogs sniffing around. One is a Golden Retriever-Newfoundland cross, and the other is a Bernese Mountain Dog. These are both large dogs (80+ pounds). There's also a Miniature Schnauzer in our house who goes in and out frequently, and he and the outdoor cat introduce themselves nose-to-nose and then ignore each other.
Also, outdoor cat wants to be petted A LOT. As soon aos you walk outside he runs up to you, rubs your legs, and purrs. By the way, he's been de-wormed, and he's going to the vet to be checked for feline leukemia and to get a rabies shot. He appears very healthy, but he was skinny when he first got here, but he isn't eating quite so voraciously as when he first got here. His first meal here was nearly two cans of 9Lives (the size of a tuna can). That's a lot of food for a cat.
We live on the end of a dead-end road, and everyone has outdoor dogs. I'm not sure why he chose us, but it may be that we were the only ones to feed him. He's a very friendly and cuddly cat, so he obviously was a loved pet somewhere. We may have to get him neutered, but outdoor cat and my indoor cat are the only ones within a mile.
I've been feeling a little better in the last month because I got more pain medicine. If I'm under-medicated I tend to lay around like a slug, in pain and with no energy. In order to do any shopping, I have to take a pain pill before I leave the house and again later in the shopping trip. I don't do any housework or chores around the house, but I buy a lot more groceries than my share to make up for it.
I try to stay upbeat, and it helps that everyone here has a keen sense of humor. Laughter always helps a person feel better.