No More Farm Fights!

There's been some fightin' around here! New Year's morning began with a fight that ended with Daddy Cat in severe pain. Cricket must have attacked him in the night and bit his paw. I took him to the ER since it was a holiday. He began the usual round of antibiotics. The bill was a hefty $119 with no xray. It took about 10 days before he could put weight on his injured paw. I thought maybe it was broken but eventually it returned to normal and now he jumps with no problem. My poor baby!

The following week Little Bear decided to attack Coty! She learned this dominant behavior from her deceased brother Black Jack. She gets right in his face with such ferocious barking. He must have initially snapped back but when I got downstairs, all I saw was him leaning on the couch, his front paws resting on the cushion with his back to her paralyzed with fear. She ended up with two small bite wounds, one dangerously positioned under the left eye that eventually became swollen. I applied Zinc 7 Derm (natural antipurific that works wonders) and had to put an E-collar on to prevent her incessant scratching. It is almost healed. No vet bill but almost had to go in...

Tiger always chases Big Rock into a corner but thankfully no wounds have resulted (knock on wood) and I do keep them separated but on occasion they just end up all together especially if a door is not closed tightly. What is up with my neutered boy cats?

We now have a new friend on the farm...a black and white male kitty. He has decided to adopt us and will now stay in the barn. With Daddy Cat barely healed, this worries me. Yes, I have an appointment to neuter him Tuesday. He is not dominant but will resume the feline fight position where cats tilt their heads and move sideways in slow motion all while emitting long screaming meows. He does not fear Callie and chases her. She hisses and runs away. Cricket stares at him and seems to be the dominant one. Daddy Cat wants to protect his barn but then his behaviors change from dominant to passive...who knows. So far there has been no contact with eachother. This little thing is friendly and a little licker! Just like baby Bridget! If he chooses not to stay then at least I know he cannot father any kittens. But if he stays, I might name him Sylvester!