2008/09/27

Solar Paneled Cat

The temperatures dropped in the night. It was quite chilly outside compared to most of September. The temperatures dipped down to about 54F outside, and 55F inside... The nice thing is that the humidity is down to a dry 60-80% so it isn't too bad at all. Unless you are sleeping under summer-weight towel-blankets.

This morning, because the temps dipped in the night, I awoke to both of my feet cramping, the arches cramping, the toes cramping. I was able to get the cramps out of one of them, but no sooner had I accomplished that "mean feet", than the other one decided to cause me consternation. So I got up, hobbled around until they were not looking so much like talons anymore, got dressed and went outside just to see if Keiko had come back.

Keiko was standing there looking at the genkan, shivering, wondering how to step up. I filled up a bowl of cat food and he gorged on that. Then I fed him 1/3 of an uncooked hamburger and he devoured that. When I came back, he was up sitting in his chair, shivering.

This cat is REALLY skinny.. his bones stick out all over the place, and instead of having strong shank and thigh muscles, they are concave (not a good sign).

We did our morning rituals here in the house as usual. I was just sitting here enjoying my coffee when I heard this thud! Crash! and I knew what was going on....

Keiko was in the midst of attempting another prison break!

So I went outside and saw that he had jumped over the low blockade, and had attempted to push the high one out of the way. But instead of being successful, I guess he knocked it down on top of himself and it had pinned him to the sidewalk. What a silly cat!

I decided to let him wander around out there, but he lay on the concrete for a while to get some warmth, perhaps. Then he got up and hobbled around, collapsing on the wet moss in the yard (no grass, just gravel). He tried to get up after possibly realizing his mistake, but couldn't. So I picked him up, carried him back to the walk, "knocked him down" again and left him there. A few minutes ago I went out to see if he had left and he was back in the genkan drinking water. Then I peeked out again and he was back up in his chair.

I just put the chair out in the sun to see if he likes that.... he seems to be staying there quite happily. (A double check and then a triple check reveals that he is still there... so I took the next photo.)

Maybe he will be here later, maybe not. Maybe he will return, maybe not. I just do worry because his body is far too concave for his own good, and he really can barely walk. Who know? Maybe a wild (hungry) monkey will get him for a snack in the middle of the night, though I must admit that the monkey would probably be rather disappointed at the lack of meat on Keiko's young bones. An emaciated cornish game hen might be a better catch...

Perhaps Keiko is a Solar Paneled Cat...

I'm going riding.

I love you!

Cam

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