I thought you may like to read about how Percy and Peter came to be living at the stables in Broadmayne. Feral cats which Marie has taken in over the last few years number 13 now. All have their own personalities and are loved individually...
A Pair of Veteran Warriors....by Marie Cook (July 2004)
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We were contacted about a problem stray cat on Portland. He was a large black and white Tom who was entering cat flaps and stealing food, spraying and generally fighting with other cats in the neighbourhood. We agreed to neuter him and take him in to assess his manners to see if he was homeable. We named him Percy and although he very quickly trusted me it soon became apparent that he was a bit of a bully to the other cats. I reassured ‘top cat’ Louis whom Percy particularly disliked that he would soon settle down after neutering. Percy certainly was (and still is) a character, frightening to look at with his mean eyes, crooked ears and many battle scars, evidence of a hard past trying to survive uncared for. |
About two months later, it was pouring with rain on a cold March day when I noticed what looked like a black bag in the long grass across the field. I went to investigate and found a soaking wet, skinny, black and white cat which I thought at first was dead. I touched him and he tried to get up and hissed at me, terrified I was going to hurt him. For all the world it could have been Percy but for the fact he was right behind me as curious as any cat could be. I got a towel and wrapped him up so that he couldn’t bite or scratch me and carried him into a stable. He was shivering and I noticed a large wound on his face. I left him with some food and a dry bed and contacted Lynda to report what “Marie has found now”! |
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The short story is that we gave him weeks of antibiotics for a nasty facial abscess, probably again caused by fighting, fed him well, and got him neutered. Enquiries to find out where he came from drew a blank so he stayed as well. The irony is that for the first couple of months Peter and Percy fought for position but they have come to an understanding that they are equal in rank and tolerate each other as gentlemen, even sharing a bed sometimes. Percy isn’t such a bully now although he does still pull faces at Louis if he invades his air space. It seems the more cats that have come in recent months the more peace and harmony reigns and that makes caring for them all the more enjoyable and worthwhile... |
Look out for our next newsletter around Christmas 2004...!