POT PURRY
T’was just before midnight and all through the house, Not a creature was stirring – we don’t have a mouse. When what to my horrified ears should resound – The squall of a cat and the bark of the hounds! I jumped out of bed and on feet cold and bare, Flew down the hall and stumbled downstairs. There back in a corner, under a table Was a strange blue cat whose name was not Mabel!
Enough (?) poetry. The point is, what do you do when you are visited by a strange cat? This happens to folks with cat doors – even when the backyard is fairly well «cat proofed». The invader may be a sweet loving pussy cat under normal circum stances, but in alien territory, surrounded by a crowd of noisy, if not hostile feline homesteaders, he won’t be feeling very normal. The «pussy cat» is likely to have a very short fuse, so don’t attempt to scoop him up in your arms; you could get shredded.
First, banish the home crew from the vicinity; that will remove a great deal of the threat of the situation. Then talk to your trespasser and watch his reaction. Watch especially his ears. If they stay up and alert, good. If they flatten, keep your distance. His eyes also reflect his feelings.
With the feline threat gone, puss may relax and make friends, especially if you offer a tasty tid bit. You may feel it is safe to pick him up and it might be. The safest thing is to get him into some type of carrier. Even though he seems to be amiable, being a cat, he could spook and explode without warning.
«Blue» was not openly hostile, but he made it clear that he did not want me to touch him. So I placed a Vari-Kennel carrier in front of him and suggested he go in. He did! Maybe he thought it was a good place to hide. I carried him out to the patio, opened the carrier door and he left.
Sometimes, your trespasser will gladly leave the way he came (he knows how) if he has the opportunity. That is why it is essential to first get your own cats out of the way. Sometimes food will entice him to move out. Each one is different. Judgement on your part will tell you the best approach. Always keep in mind, that under stress, a cat, unlike a dog, will not resort to submission. With puss, its either flight or fight, so best keep hands off until you are much better acquainted.
Connie Condit