Bruce sleeps on our porch most warm nights, and he prefers to drink from my plastic watering can. He usually hunts at night and if we hear a loud meow around 11 or midnight, he has proudly brought a bunny or mouse to the door. Daytime is when he gets squirrels, chipmunks and birds, and he devours them... every piece and part. I got to thinking that since he lives outdoors, and fends for himself, he probably needs to be dewormed from all these wild creatures he eats. Heather brought the dewormer and got him to eat it in some pieces of cheese.
I had to insure he is not rabid either, since he wears no tags or collar and is a neighborhood stray. Heather made an appointment for him at the WF Animal Hospital, brought us a pet carrier, and 27 July I brought him in for a check-up. He was 14.8 pounds, got feline distemper and rabies vaccinations, and a wellness exam. The exam showed he did not have feline leukemia, but he has FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). FIV is the cat version of HIV, and thankfully cats can not transmit it to humans; however, FIV positive cats can give it to other felines through deep bites. The doctor recommended to limit spread, we confine the cat to indoors or put him down. Well, he hated being in a pet carrier for a 20-minute car trip, so I knew keeping him in my house was probably not going to work. Also, because I don't like having a bunch of dead rodents or birds in my house. I decided I would feed him morning and night, let him sleep on our porch, and try to make him as comfortable as possible. (to be continued)
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