YAY! Tweeker gonna lose dem balls...doo-dah, doo-dah...

[badgerpup]

My next-door neighbor has given me permission to have Tweeker neutered!:bounce:

I'd invited her over to come share some plums on which I'd gotten a sweet bargain and we got to talking and I asked her if I could PLEASE take him to my vet.
"Go ahead. Just between you and me. Mariah (the Little Redhaired Teenager) won't know the difference." :fistbump:
NDN's tired of seeing him get beat up. He's a little tomcat (probably less than 10 lbs), and she says he keeps trying to start shit with much BIGGER neutered males. Wimsey and D'Artagnan will ignore him until he gets too annoying (according to NDN) then WHOMP. With Riktor, it's ON the minute the hackles go up and the eyes dilate. Don't mess with Riktor, he thinks he's got something to prove. That's just what she's seen with my guys. I've seen a few other cats truckin' through my yard- they haven't gotten close enough for me to tell whether they were male or female. They know they're on somebody else's turf and they hit the gas and boogie when I get close.

Anyway, I mentioned that Tweeker had come inside and made himself at home (he didn't spray anything while INSIDE, thank FSM!) but he had marked my screen door on the outside, so now I'm greeted with the smell of tomcat pee when I go outside.
"Oh dear..." and at about this juncture there's a mewing at the door I don't recognize immediately. It's Abby from next door, come looking for Mom! "I didn't want to be Mom, but they made me do it! I told Ron (her husband) that I was going to give Abby away and he said 'No, don't...she's grown on me'. What are ya gonna do?" Especially when you have a self-appointed feline escort come looking for you when you leave your usual environs?

I called the Sainted Vet and left a message (it was after hours) as soon as she left. She said she'd have money for the clinic in September and Abby will be attending that...if I have anything to say about it.
Apparently, I do!

[badgerpup]

1. The appointment is made!

I'm taking Tweeker in on Tuesday for a...er...change of life.:bounce:

I'm hoping that the tomcat behaviors (yowling, fighting, spraying- or at least that smell) will taper off as the 'boy kitty' hormones dissipate from his furry little brain.
He's not quite two years old, so maybe he'll settle down pretty quickly.

According to NDN, they've only had females before, so were unaware of boy behaviors.
I've always had my males neutered at about five or six months...before they figure out that they're boy kitties, so they thought the tomcat behavior was just Tweeker being Tweeker.

"So THAT'S why your kitties don't do stuff like that!"
:banghead: "DUH-UH!!" I do not say. She's really a nice lady and I'd prefer to get along with me neighbors...and my cats include their yard as part of their territory and on their patrol schedule.
The neighbors like them and are amused by their friendliness and sociability. :pals:
I'd like to KEEP things that way.

[Warpy]

2. Cat owners who get queasy about separating ttheir tomcat from his knackers

generally get over it pretty quickly after the third or fourth vet bill for abscesses he got in fights.

That and the wonderful smell after he's hosed down all the walls and furniture.

I can see having tough, scrappy un neutered barn cats. Not pets, though.

[badgerpup]

3. There's no queasiness involved here...

...just ignorance and a shortage of funds. I realize I have a bug up my ass about spay/neuter, so I try not to bang TOO much on that particular drum. I'd like people to listen when I make the suggestion.

These people honestly didn't know...or just forgot. I did try to warn them...:yoiks:

[Warpy]

4. Oh, I know you've done more than your part.

I've just met owners who have the silly idea that house cats will be just fine if they're intact. Then the female goes into heat and the male sprays and gets into fights...

[Curmudgeoness]

5. You are a good person to take this upon yourself.

I am with you on that soapbox regarding spay/neuter, and I wish that all pet owners would take care of business. You are a sweetie to do this. Let's hope that Tweeker gets rid of those horomones quickly.

[badgerpup]

6. Tweeker has been neutered.

He's also had a one-year rabies shot. Put me back $68, but I'm fortunate in that I'm able to do this.

NDN and I have made a deal that I have that much 'credit' with her husband for when I need to have some work done on the car, so it's all good. :thumbsup:

Also found her some info for low-cost vaccination every second Saturday. Pretty little Abby will be attending that next month...and I'm setting $35 dollars aside for September ('just in case') so she can attend the spay/neuter clinic.

Between my own beloved monsters, the neighbor's cats, and the advocating I'm trying to do for Charlie (the group home's cat), I feel like quite the crazy cat lady...

Does Rosetta Stone include 'Feline' in their selection of languages you can easily learn? :crazy:

It would make MY life less...er...complicated.

[roody]

7. Thank you!! No More Homeless Pets.