Conference misery::feline_v1

    Sandy you deserve a GOLD STAR.  
    
    If it's any consulation I don't think many of the outdoor kitties
    came in last night.  They seem to know these warm days are numbered.
    I mean 64 on the 19th of November.
    
    Mocha ate his dinner and bawled to go out and we didn't see him
    till 8am this morning. The only thing that bought him in them
    was he was hungry. I feed the kitties the last thing before I
    left the house, now I don't have to listen to that Ragdoll bawl
    all day.
    
    Hope everything turns out okay for Van Gogh. His future in your
    home will be filled with hugs and loves.
    
    Barbara

    Sandy,
    
    Please let us know if he shows up tonight.
    
    You do deserve a gold star - 5074.1.
    
    Julie

    Sandy,
    
     You're WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!
    
     I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes! I'm glad no one has come in my
    office ;-)
    
     Good luck with your new guy at the vet. Hopefully, anything that is
    wrong will be easily fixed. You both are in my prayers that this guy
    will have a happy, warm "full" life with you, and will be as welcome by
    the rest of your family as he is by you.
    
     I LOVE this file!
    
    Y

    You are truly a patient and loving person Sandy....bless you. 
                     
    					lidna

    There are many folks in this file that have worked with very
    wild feral cats....and the feeling you get once you get to them...
    is a feeling I can't even explain.  I get the willies and tears
    in my eyes just thinking of how far we have come....and how
    he hugs me now.   It is the greatest feeling in the world!!
    
    Well he better show up tonight...and hopefully Barbara you
    are right and he was just enjoying the warm weather.   I'll be
    a nervous wreck tomorrow!!!!  He's not the lucky guy...I'm the 
    luck lady who gets to keep him!!
    
    Sandy
    
    

    Sandy,
    
    Your note brought back many memories. Our Corey is a former warrior
    with a similar history ..though we were lucky enough that he came to us
    by the time he was no more than a couple of years old.
    
    Bob first noticed Corey skirting around edges of the garden
    ....being very careful to keep his distance and ready to run at the
    slightest movement.  Bob spends hours and hours in his garden and
    whenever he spotted Corey he would just keep talking softly to him
    while he kept on weeding. It was months later, just as the summer days
    were starting to turn cool, that Corey braved getting closer, climbed
    into Bob's lap ..and Bob sat there for over an hour with Corey curled
    up purring up a storm ..for all the world like a lap cat. Bob was
    ecstatic when he came in the house to share the news with me.
                                                                         
    I started leaving the barn door open and Corey seemed glad to have the
    shelter and the food that was left for him.  Bob started searching the
    neighborhood and putting up posters to find out if Corey had people
    looking for him.  Then he disappeared. We were worried, but hopeful he
    had just gone home. 
    
    Early morning, about a week later, I saw Corey standing outside the
    sliding glass door to the kitchen ..skinny and matted ..with a chunk 
    missing from his ear, a scratch on his face ..and a front leg torn and
    swollen.  It was then we decided that if Corey did have people they
    weren't taking care of him.  It was time to interfere.
    
    Amazingly, Corey let me scoop him up, bring him into the house for the
    first time and flush his wounded leg with peroxide ..rinsing it off
    into the bathroom sink. This was the first time I had handled him and
    he seemed somehow to understand that I was helping him.  I dropped him
    at the vet's on the way to work and he was treated, neutered, tested
    and innoculated. ...all of which he tolerated very well.
    
    Our intention was to place Corey in a loving home, but it soon became
    clear that Corey had picked Bob and Bob had picked Corey. To hear Bob
    tell it, Corey is still the best cat in the house. (I don't let my
    Birmans or Sity (my 20 yer old Siamese) hear those remarks!) Corey became
    an indoor/outdoor cat for quite awhile and he followed Bob around like a
    dog. If Bob sat down near the garden Corey climbed in his lap. If Bob
    bent over to pull up a weed ..Corey climbed into the middle of his
    back. He put his two 'arms' around Bob's neck and hugged him like a big
    teddybear.  Weeding the garden now took twice as long ..but seemed to be
    twice as much fun.
    
    After lots of 'scare stories' Bob finally witnessed a really close call
    between Corey and one of the several cars that speeds by our house
    every day and, reluctantly, Bob agreed to convert Corey to an
    indoor-only cat.  He adjusted easily and thrives on all the attention
    Bob gives him.  This former-warrior has become the biggest lap-cat in
    the house  ...all 20 lbs of him!
    
    I hope your warrior returns home safely tonight ..and brings you many
    years of love.
    
    Linda   

    Sandy,
    
    What a story.....It brings to mind all the work I went through with
    both Suki and Cyrano, who are also feral.  Especially the part about
    how Van Gogh would run from his food if you came near.....my two did
    the same thing and I would always feel SO awful and try to back off and
    hope they'd come back.  I'm so happy for you and Van Gogh....don't
    worry about him not coming home.  My mom's cat Bandit didn't come home
    last nite either...or at least when she called he wouldn't come.  It's
    the warmth of the nite and the urge to hunt and prowl I'm sure....he'll
    be back at the first sign of a cold snap!  Hopefully in time for his
    vet appointment, the naughty boy!  Keep us posted.  
    
    Nancy
    
    P.S.  Sometimes I think some of these stories (Van Gogh's,
    case-in-point) should be gathered and published in a little book of
    "true cat tales."  We FELINERS are suckers for these
    things...especially the ones with happy endings....  :-)
    
    

    Van Gough sounds like my feral adoptee  Buster The Cat....I hope he 
    showed up last nite.  I wish him well at theg vets.
    
    

    Update on Van Gogh
    
    Last night when I drove in my driveway...I was really expecting
    Van Gogh to be sitting on my porch waiting for me....but NO...
    he had other ideas!!!  My stomach was in a knot...and I was real
    upset thinking the worse (of course).   Well we had to go out for 
    awhile...but when we did return...the big guy was sitting there 
    patiently waiting for us.  Boy was I happy to see him!!
    
    When we brought Van Gogh in the cellar...we noticed a few new
    battle scars...so my guess is that Van Gogh was out on his last
    rampage!! (hopefully!!) I snickered under my breath...so he 
    wouldn't hear me.....ha ha...last time you'll run around town!!
    
    Van Gogh was a gentlemen and went right in the cat carrier...he
    was brought to the vet this morning with instructions to do
    a complete "tune-up".   If nothing is terribly wrong...we will
    be picking him up late tonight.  We have decided to graduate him
    from the cellar to the spare room...but I will still keep him
    away from his brothers and sisters while we treat whatever he has.
    They can play footsie under the door for awhile!!
    
    Please keep your fingers crossed!!!! I'm a nervous wreck and can't
    wait for that bear hug when he comes home!! 
    
    Sandy

    
    
    Sandy,
    
            You are such a WONDERFUL kitty "mom"....Kitty prayers galore
         are yours today for a healthy check-up for Van Gogh...
    
    
    
    Diana, Tykey & Domino

    ...Fingers and paws are crossed that Van Gogh will get a clean bill of
    health.  
    
    Linda

    Sandy,  just an aside....ever since I read your base note I've been
    walking around humming "Starry Starry Night."  :-)  What's the story,
    here?   :-))
    
    Anyway, I love the name Van Gogh and I love the parallel of his life to
    your little Van Gogh's life before he met you.  I just love the name.
    
    Call me a romantic, what can I say?  But I love the song too, and now
    whenever I hum it I think of your Van Gogh.
    
    Bless you both,
    
    Nancy

    
    Nancy, I did the same thing!  Jane Oliver does a WONDERFUL rendition
    of it and I have been humming it ever since I read the note! :')
    
    

    Jane Oliver?  I'll have to try to find a copy and listen to it.  I
    think the melody and the lyrics are just so haunting...then again, I
    just love Van Gogh.  I have never been fond of the other
    impressionists...much too insipid, but Van Gogh's work was so
    powerful...his heavy strong use of paint and the shocking yellows and
    blues...
    
    Not to get away from the base note...but in a way he resembles 
    Sandy's Van Gogh... rustic and tortured and strong and sensitive all at
    once...
    
    Anyway, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one out here humming Starry
    Starry nite....
    
    I forget all the words, but keep singing the same parts over and
    over...  especially the part that goes:
    
    	"and when no hope was left inside on that starry starry nite,
    	 you took your life as lovers often do,
    
    	 but I could have told you Vincent,
    
    	 this world was never meant for one 
    		as beautiful as you....."
    
    	(sigh)
    
    Nancy

    I learned this song once (by heart, all verses) because my boyfriend at
    the time was a guitarist who liked the song.  (For those of you who
    know musicians once they start learning something, I did learn this
    willingly, not because I'd heard 500 times.)
    
    "And when no hope was left in sight, on that starry, starry night,
    You took your life as lovers often do.
    But I could have told you, Vincent,
    This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."
    
    I could reproduce the entire song here, but I think that would be a
    copyright infringement.  I believe the version we listened to was by
    Don McLean.  I'm not certain who wrote it; I never heard of Jane
    Oliver.
    
    Lisa Dean and Snoopy

    Sandy,
    
    Glad to read your kitty made it home last night!
    
    Let us know how the vet visit goes!
    
    Julie + Heather kitty
    
    

    Update to Van Gogh......(I'm so happy!!)
    
    Van Gogh's checkup went very well...and he has been given a
    clean bill of health...with the exception of tape worm and
    a pretty bad case of mites. All tests were negative!  whew!
    His ears are packed with dirt, wax, and mites and we will be 
    treating his ears with Mitox. The vet would like to see him in 
    another two weeks to check his ears again and check another stool 
    sample.  Found it hard to believe there were no signs of Roundworms.
    The vet could not believe the size of Van Gogh's neck...he said
    "I"ve seen alot of whole males...but this guys neck is huge".
    
    The vet estimated his age at 7-8 years old but appears he has been 
    out on his own for awhile.   The interesting point is that the reason 
    why it appears he is missing an ear..is that the ear had been
    operated on atleast 3 years ago and during the operation the
    muscle had been cut.  The vet guessed that Van Gogh had a 
    hematoma in his ears...and whoever owned him...had it operated
    on.  So Van Gogh must have been loved before......
    
    When we picked Van Gogh up he  was not groggy at all....the
    vet said they worked on him first thing in the AM...so he just
    hung around the office all day.  We brought him in the house
    and put him in the spare room....he was not happy at all. After
    all he went through all day...and now being in a room he was
    not familiar with...he cried and scratched at the door constantly.
    He wouldn't even eat...and just wanted out!  After awhile we decided 
    to let him go down the cellar (which he considers his)...and Van 
    Gogh was his happy old self...he purred, gave me bear hugs, ate
    and snuggled up into his favorite chair.  So that is where the
    big guy will stay for a few days...even though it is dirty and
    I would prefer him in my spare room...he would prefer the cellar.
    
    I am not looking forward to the introductions...while Van Gogh
    was in the spare room Bogie sat at the door and had a hissy
    fit!!!   This should be fun...and of course I don't have Tamba
    with me to be the mediator!! But Tamba would be happy to know
    that Van Gogh has finally joined our house.
    
    I do have a few questions...has anyone else dealt with a cat
    with a hematoma in the ear???   And in all my cases of treating
    Ear Mites or ear infections...I have always used Tresaderm or
    Panalog.   Has anyone used Mitox before...and what is the difference?
    
    Thanks for sharing the words of the song....now I'll be singing
    it all day!!!!  I guess is name fits him more then I could of
    ever imagined.  
    
    Stay tuned to Part II...I now need to work harder with J.C. (last stray
    who I also have been feeding for a year)  to try and get him in the 
    cellar prior to winter...and I'm sure I'll have many more Van Gogh 
    stories too!!
    
    Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!!!     
    
    Sandy 
    

    Hi Sandy,
    
    I'm so happy for Van Gogh and for you too!  :-)
    
    I don't know much about the Tresaderm/Mitox thing, but when I
    brought my first three home they had mild mites and so they were 
    put on Tresaderm.  But when I brought my last one home (the feral
    male) his ears were so caked with mite residue that it must have
    taken the vet 30 q-tips to clean them out.  The poor little guy
    cried and cried....even blood came out.  The vet told me that he
    was going to use Mitox because it was better at killing live mites...
    that tresaderm was more for getting rid of inflammation and helping
    to lift the remaining residue out of the ears after the mites were
    gone.  I didn't understand this because when my first three came
    to me, they too had mites but not as bad and I was given tresaderm.
    So it must be able to kill mites...but maybe not as much as Mitox?
    Anyway, the mitox did work (Cyrano had three applications of it
    during his stay at the vet) and then when I got him home a few
    days later I was told to follow up the mitox with ten days of
    tresaderm.  His ears still have residue in them, but my vet said
    the mites are definitely gone, and that I should just put tresaderm
    in his ears now twice a day and use a cotton ball once a day to
    remove as much of the residue as I can...(the tresaderm, like I
    said, helps to break up the residue and get it out of their ears).
    
    I think I'm babbling...  :-)
    
    Anyway, I will continue to hum "Starry Starry Night" (with the
    right lyrics --- thanks for the correction!!!) in Van Gogh's 
    honor.
    
    Love to you both!
    
    Nancy

    Glad to hear everything went well, Sandy!!  That's great news.
    
    I have found in my dealings with ferals that all seem to have
    roundworms, even though it appears that they don't.  The vet didn't
    find them with TK when I brought him in for his "tune-up", but the
    first bowel movement he made at home (outside the litter box) confirmed
    that he did.  Most shelters, upon getting in new cats, will worm for
    rounds as a precautionary measure.  My advice is that you do it too
    just to be on the safe side.
    
    Tapes are easy to kill; one Droncit pill usually does the trick.
    
    JJ Chaison's cat, Sasha, had a hematoma removed from her ear and the
    tip folds down now as a result.  If you would like more info on
    hematoma's, contact JJ.
    
    Good work, Sandy!!!  Five gold stars for you!
    

    
    Great news Sandy!!!
    
    Carole

    The Mitox is a bit stronger than Tresaderm.  I have used the Mitox on
    my strays for their very bad cases of mites, then switched to Tresaderm
    towards the end of the treatment.
    
    In some cats, the Mitox stings a bit.  Watch for signs of irritation.
    
    Jo

Don't ask Beth about Mitox!!  We treated her during her very first vet visit
when she was just a wee lass and she absolutely hated it!  She screamed her
little head off!  I also used it on Mikey when I rescued him and he didn't
seem to mind all that much.  Of course, he had so many things being stuck in
various parts of his little body, that didn't seem to matter much.  But poor
little Bethie that it was the ultimate indignity (wait till she gets a load
of her post-surgical care.....).

    
    	Close Roberta....it was Brandi that had the hematoma! =)
    
    	Basically she had an irritation or something and just kept
    	shaking and shaking and shaking her head so much (amazing
    	that we didn't really notice it till it was too late...hazard
    	of not being home much =(  ) that she broke the blood vessels
    	in her ear.  She had this HUGE 'lump' that had to be removed.
    	After it had been removed there was no cartilege or muscle left
    	so her ear folds over.   We call her our 'half scottish-fold' =)
    
    	re: Mary
    
    	Does your note mean Beth made it through ok?  I went by your
    	office but you had left....
    
    	JJ
    

    Sandy,
    
     I'm so happy for you and Van Gogh!! I was hoping you would enter a
    note before I head off on vacation! He's one lucky kitty, and you're
    one wonderful and lucky person yto have him in your life!
    
     Good luck with the other kitty! I'm sure you'll work wonders with them
    both!
    
     I LOVE Happy endings!
    
    Love to you and yours!
    
    Y

        Thanks for sharing Brandi's stories...it sounds like exactly
        what must have happened to Van Gogh.   Well...I always planned
        on having a Scottish Fold someday...so I guess a half of fold
        is better then none!!
    
        Jo thanks for telling me the difference between Mitox and
        Tresaderm.  I sure hope it don't hurt my big guy to much!!!
       
         Sandy  

    Hey, are you gonna call him Vinnie for a nickname??  I can just hear
    it..."Yo, Vinnie!"!!
    
    Good luck to you and "Vinnie"!  He's so lucky to have found you.  And
    don't pay attention to his hollering at you for the Mitox!  A Mom's
    gotta do what a Mom's gotta do!
    
    Hmmmmm.....Vincent Van Fold......
    
    Mary (who's a tad silly tonight)
    

    Vinnie Van Fold Gogh!!!  Whew...what a formal name...I like it!!!
    
    Well the big guy is gone again....Van Gogh cried and cried all day
    Friday and Saturday morning.  We had got the okay from the vet to
    let him out Saturday...but we were doing what we could to keep
    him in.  But...by Saturday afternoon he got to us...and we let
    him out.  All that night I sat by the window waiting for him
    to come back home....but I haven't seen him since.  It's been
    raining and very damp!!
    
    Obviously he doesn't know my rule yet...(never out at night) and
    this is one place where I'm sure we will have many disagreements!!
    I fear he is really Peeded off at me and will never return!!  This
    big guy is going to drive me nuts worrying about him. 
    
    Sandy
    
                         

    re: .27
    
    Sandy, please don't worry too much, Van Gough probably went off to 
    lick his wounds (He was neutered, right).  We experienced this a lot
    with the feral males we had neutered.  They would disappear for a few
    days, and then they would start coming around again.  Confinement is
    new to them, and they probably arn't sure what to make of it.
    
    Well wished that he returns......
    
    Michele
    

    Thanks Michele for the support!  I'm use to taking in strays
    who are normally happy to be in a house...but Van Gogh was
    much wilder then the rest of them...and I'm just not use to
    dealing with this.
    
    I found it funny too because I'm not sure he knows what a litterbox
    is?  When he was just sleeping over he never used the box down cellar
    and would wait until he went out in the AM.  But since he was down there
    for three days...we noticed he wasn't using the box...but decided
    to go on the rock ledge. (Our house was built on a ledge and we
    have a very big rock in our cellar that the cats just love) So
    when he does come back...I think we're going to have some training
    to do!!  
    
    Of course...while he is away...he is not getting is ear medicine!!
    God...all these cat worries are going to drive me insane!!
    
    Sandy
    
       

    Sandy, he really sounds like Buster.....he never used his box
    either!

    If you are thinking of making Van Gogh an indoor cat, I've found that
    it takes about two weeks for them to realize that they are indoors for
    good and to stop saying "I'm asking to go out, NOW!)
    

    All my kitties are indoor/outdoor...but are only allowed out during
    the day....so Van Gogh will have to follow the same rule.   All my
    kitties are use to the rule...but I have a feeling I'll have a harder
    time with Van Gogh.
    
    I hope he is sitting on my porch when I get home...or I'll be out
    searching for the big guy all night!!!
    
    Sandy

    Sandy-
    
    Another thought....
    
    Nippa is outside all day (well when it gets colder it's from 5:30am
    to about 7am and then (4:30-5ish to 6 or 7), to her discretion.  She
    knows when the last person to leave will leave, and get's herself
    in before we go.  Although, when she was younger, she would tend to
    stay out all nite, and then want to come in, in the am and sleep. I 
    didn't go for that....so If she did that, I put her right back out 
    till I came home from work.  Also I feed her at 5:30 am and 10pm....this 
    way she will come in to eat in the evening.  Since I regulated her 
    schedule, she's only stayed out once or twice in the past 2 years.
    
    This really worked for me.

    Sandy,
    
    Please keep us posted!  I love hearing good stories like this
    one!  Did Van Gogh come back after letting him out Saturday?
    Glad to hear that he had such a good vet visit!
    
    Julie + Heather kitty

    Re:  Mitox
    
    Better late than never.  When my vet prescribed Mitox for a bad case
    of earmites Amelia had, she also prescribed Panalog.  I was supposed
    to use the Mitox to kill the mites and the Panalog to help ease and
    irritation.  Worked great, at least I think it did.  Amelia never
    complained and since I didn't put the stuff in my own ears I'll have
    to base my assumptions on her lack of complaints.
    
    Jan

    He's back!!!!!!  Van Gogh came home last night around 7:00 and
    as soon as I opened the cellar door...he bolted downstairs as
    happy as could be.   After giving a few hugs...he decided it
    was time to eat...and boy did he eat!  Once he was done...we
    decided to try the Mitox...and boy what a trouper he was.  He
    just sat there and let us work on his ears!!  It's real hard
    getting in the ear that folds down!!!  The vet requested to see
    Van Gogh early next week so he can relook at the ears to see how
    they are doing...so maybe I'll get different medication.  Mitox
    didn't seem to bother him....
    
    Michele...I do something similar with my cats...supper is not served
    until they are all home.  And if anyone is stubborn...I chase them
    around the yard until I can get them all in. But like your Nippa...since 
    the cold weather is here...they would much prefer to just stay in
    the warm and cozy house.   Suits me fine...but I just wish I could
    stay home with them!!! 
    
    I'll keep you posted on Van Gogh...not too sure when I'm going to
    start the introductions yet!!  Bogie is already having a hissy
    fit...just smelling Van Gogh through the doorway!  I'm not looking
    forward to this one!! 
    
    Sandy 
    
                             

    Sandy, you may want to hold off the introductions for a few weeks to
    allow the neutering to have an affect on Van Gogh's hormones.  Right
    now, he probably still gives off the scent of a whole male, and
    probably still has the aggressive tendencies of a whole male.  Things
    may go smoother if you hold off for a short time.
    
    Jo

    
    Good idea Jo...especially holding back the introductins to both
    my aggressive jealous males (Barkley who is top cat...and Bogie who is
    trying real hard)   These two have just learned how to cope with each
    other.  Van Gogh doesn't seem aggressive at all...but by the looks
    of all his battle scars......I'm sure he was Mister Macho out in the 
    wilderness.
    
    There is no hurry...because he is very content down in the dirty
    cellar with the rock ledge.  He must feel like he's still outside.
    I also would like to see his mites and worms cleared up before
    he joins the crew.  
    
    I do have a questions...how the heck an I going to get him to
    start using the litterbox.  I have read up on some old notes...
    but this isn't a litterbox problem...he just don't know what
    the heck it is!!   I did try leaving some older poop in there...
    to try and give him a hint...but it didn't work!!!! I've cleaned
    it out completely...that didn't work!!!  And I also keep
    putting him in it...and he looks at me like I'm crazy!
    
     Any ideas????   
    
    Sandy
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    Is he going in your house, but not in the box?  Or is he just holding
    it until he gets outside?
    
    One thing you can try is to fill a litter box with dirt.  That is what
    he is using outside.  Then you can gradually shift him over to litter.
    That might work.
    
    Jo

    Jo...he normally holds it all night until he gets let out in the A.M.
    But since he spent 3 days in my cellar...he did go down in the cellar.   
    It might be because my house was built on ledge and there is
    a very big rock ledge in my cellar...so he probably thinks he's outside!
    
    I like the dirt idea...I'm going to have to try it!!  Thanks...
    
    Sandy
    
    
    

    When you say 'old poop,' do you mean his, or another kitty's?  I think
    his own should give him the right idea.  The dirt idea sounds smart,
    too.
    
    Lisa Dean and Snoopy (Doorstop Cat)

    It was his own...but that didn't work.   I'm going to take some
    dirt out of my garden this weekend and try that.  All cats love
    my dirt in the garden!!
    
    He is back on his schedule of going out in the AM...but he shows
    up on my porch between 6:00-7:00PM and he spends the night in
    the cellar.  He's so darn cute...he's like a rolly polly chunky
    teddy bear...and he just loves fresh catnip!!!
    
    Sandy
                           

    
    
    	What a great note this has been - I've enjoyed all the daily
    updates.  If your cat is anything like our deceased "Popeye" indoor/
    outdoor cat - he never had a litter box in the house.  He just waited
    till we let him out and he never had an accident until he got quite
    old.  I really don't think I'd go to all the trouble of trying to
    litterbox train him, if you plan to keep him an indoor/outdoor cat.
    We use to literilly have to throw Popeye out in the cold weather to
    go potty.  I swear that cat would rather "hold it" then put in paws
    out on the cold ground.  He was such a sweetheart.  He too was a big
    male neutered tiger that adopted us when he was just 2 months old. 
    Just wandered into our yard and started screaming at the door.  No one
    claimed him (and we asked) so we feed him once - 16 yrs. later he was
    still with us until he was attacked by a dog in our yard while sleeping
    under an apple tree.  He went out like he lived - always fighting.
    
    	I guess this is why I now have two indoor only kitties.  This way I
    know they won't be run over by a car or attacked by another animal.
    
    	Good Luck with ALL your kitties!
    
    	-dee
    
    
    

    Sandy,

    What a gripping saga! The base note was wonderful - had me sniffling 
    at my terminal - so I extracted the note to read later, but only got 
    around to reading it today. The extract ended at the point where Van 
    Gogh had been to the vet and then gone AWOL again. Oh no! What a
    cliffhanger! Would he come back? I couldn't wait to read the updates.

    I'm so glad he did come back - he sounds like a real character. One 
    of my cats, Fat Sam, was a semi-stray when I got him. He'd been 
    ill-treated and was very scruffy and very, very nervous. I know how 
    frustrating it can be, but also how very rewarding as you gradually 
    gain the animal's trust.

    (Oh dear, now I've gone all soppy again remembering when I first got 
    Sam!)

    I hope all goes well. Keep us informed!

    June