[Eremite]

I slaved over this boy, quickly, but it was hard! I am really jealous of whoever wins him and would love to have a breeding(I'd be willing to do the breeding since I did him and know how his pattern is done)
NOTE: This boy IS long haired, however the scary cat fur goes along with the fact he is feral and scared of people so all of his fur is standing on end.

ROUND #1: How did you get him home? (Minimum of 250 words)
Note: You DO NOT name him yet
No end date set yet
Do keep in mind getting close to a feral cat is NOT easy! I have worked in TNR(Trap, Neuter, Release) with hundreds of feral cats, it is safe to say all ferals will attack you. No joke, I must wear thick gloves when picking up a cat inside a cage because they will go out of their way to reach out and claw you. For those that don't know a 'Feral' is a cat that was born wild and has never been around people.

Code: Select all

[b]How I got him home!
[words here][/b]

[~Macmanus~]

(I've never caught a wild cat before, but I'm assuming this is a way to do it *Shrugs*)
How I got him home!
I'd seen him so many times before, It sparked my interest. I didn't want to hurt him, and I didn't want to frighten him, but I needed to help him. The creature was tired and hungry when I met him, but I kept my distance. I spent days feeding him, coaxing him, relaxing him, never approaching, until the final day, I sedated him with the food I left for him. The cat ravaged the meat, just as he had every day before. I watched as the tired creature barely made it back to the hole he slept in. I used a catch pole to pull him out, gently dragging him into the kennel. Several days later and he was still yowling and howling, claws against the gate, angered at only he knew what. I had let him out, of course with heavy gloves and a catch pole, to a yard the cat had difficulty escaping, unable to climb or jump over the fence, from the way the fence was curved in. He spent day and night out here. The yard was clean, it had some things for him, and I kept him fed and watered. There was a place where he could settle in to sleep for the night or cover from the rain. I assumed he would want to remain an outdoor cat, so I did not destroy the poor thing's wishes He didn't pay much attention to the grass, the trees, the birds picking for food. He paid only attention to the looming walls around him. He didn't know it, but he was here. He would soon call this home, hopefully.

[Bayfire213]

How I got him home!

Our greatest glory
is not in never falling,
but in rising every time
we fall.

~ Confucius

It was one of those hot summer days, you know the kind? All blistering heat, muggy, clingy air, and the sort of foul day where not even the shade of a good tree could offer respite. My friends were delighted, but of course, they wanted to go swimming in the community pool. Sluggish summer fire couldn't really bother you once you were enveloped in the sweet, soothing embrace of cold water, after all. That was fine for them, all bikini clad and showing off assets they didn't really have yet. Not that I could say much, since I was as flat as a board myself, but the idea of prancing around like that -even with the unbearable heat- wasn't attractive. I'd of much rather of spent the day indoors, curled up by the air conditioner with the fan on high, with the latest book in my favorite series in hand. Maybe a bowl of ice cream to add to that delightful fantasy...

But no, somehow my friends managed to drag me out of the nice, comfy, cold house with a few transparent claims of fresh air and 'fun'. I wasn't having fun. Watching a bunch of pre-teens and teenagers splash and flirt and squeal like right bloody pigs was not my idea of a good time. Especially since I certainly felt rather excluded, as was becoming more and more frequent lately, while they got swept up in the whole middle school drama I wanted no part in.

Finally at my whit's end after a solid hour in the sun, unable to read my precious book because of their splashing, I called out to inform the group I was going to get something to eat. A couple shouted to pick something up for them as well, and it was with an easy, half-relieved nod that I fled. I had every intention of taking the scenic route back, maybe indulging in some frozen treat that -because of the infernal heat- would be gone one way or another before I got back. Paying the man behind the counter for the half dozen sandwiches -because even if they didn't say anything, they'd still fuss if they didn't get anything- and my own guilty pleasure, it was with great reluctance that I left the blessed air conditioning. Wincing at the sudden assault of searing summer sunshine, a long lick of the vanilla treat offered the delightful health benefit of helping to regulate internal body temperature. No matter what anyone else may say about ice cream, it is good for you. Soul food, if nothing else.

A sudden clatter and disgruntled squawk saw me leaping four feet sideways, sticky, half-melted frosty treat slopping over to ooze down my hand. Yuck. Making a face at the unpleasant sensation, my curiosity was nonetheless roused. Curiosity killed the rat, my mind warned. But satisfaction brought it back... Teetering in indecision, a feline hiss made up my mind. Gaze softening as I remembered my own cat, who had passed away two years ago, there wasn't a chance I could walk away without at least checking. Even if I couldn't really do much myself, I still had the number for her vet memorized, though local animal control and shelters were a bit fuzzy. I could probably look those up online if there was any need- it might just be someone's pet messing around, or the cat might already be gone.

Peering into the alley, the first thing I saw was two of those large metal trashcans each as big as a car, heavy lids closed. Eyes adjusting to the odd gloom, movement stole my attention. Bright, baleful blue eyes kept me riveted. Blue, blue- blue as the sky so high, where there birds did fly, and a weary soul was lain bare and true. Hissing broke me from my trance, seeing soft eyes diverted to somewhere above the feline. Not removing him- her?- from my line of sight, but removing the direct, predatory gaze she knew would be taken as a threat. Relaxing, shoulders slumping, subtly angling myself so I wasn't facing the cat head on- that was the extent of my knowledge on body language. It was more for horses than cats though, and I wasn't sure it would work. Slowly slinking towards the ground, making myself smaller, the sounds of feline discontent only increased. Yet he didn't bolt, yowling when he even attempted to stand. Something was wrong. Concern spiking at this display, my cell was in hand and numbers dialed before I had even realized I'd moved.

"... don't approach it." Last call made, I reluctantly complied. Sure, I understood their points - parents, animal control, and vet all alike, but it didn't stop the fierce longing to coddle the poor feline. He reminded me of Merlin, my previous cat. He had been a lovely black kitten with a small white diamond on his chest, little ivory hairs spreading all over his body even back then. Brilliant yellow-green eyes like the 'spellfire' in one of my books, while his fur reminded me of a starry night sky. My sweet mister Merlin, who'd perch on my hip as I read my books, and curl up beside me after I fell asleep. A miracle from a litter the mother seemed to of thought all dead, finding them by chance under the old playhouse, not a sound but opening his mouth once and closing it again as she wrapped each of the poor little ones in a blanket. An hour spent trying to warm him, to get him to eat. Dad telling her he was already gone, to stop trying. Only it hadn't been my mind playing tricks on me. Time passed, and that cat became my most precious treasure. Short, soft fur and as clumsy as a cat could possibly be. My chest felt tight and my eyes stung a bit even now, longing something fierce. That cat was more of a best friend than any loud, crass, slobbery, sloppy dog could ever be. More of a friend than any of the humans I knew, even...

I missed him, more than most would care to admit. A constant companion for four years, but sick, ever so sick and fragile.

It is in our darkest
moments that we must
focus to see the light.
~ Aristotle Onassis

Looking at this scraggly, mangy, mess of terrified, starving feline... I remembered. I remembered all those 'what if's that had tormented me then; trying to help that poor little kitten and heart sore over the death of his four siblings. What it the mother had stayed, if the litter survived, if I never discovered their hiding spot? How would my little Merlin of grown? What would he be like now? Would he of lived longer..? Had I done something wrong...? Yet even with the eyes so different, fur possibly only dark because of the grime matting it like some kind of cheap carpet, I could see my answers. I realized Merlin would of probably turned out something like the feline before me. Wary, distrustful, hurt in some side alley. Merlin might of only truly trusted me, maybe my parents though that seemed more like tolerance, and fled from anyone else... but this cat didn't even have that. He was all alone, always fighting -food, territory, mates, survival- and without any of the care and comfort I'd always lavished Merlin with. No one would care if he were to perish in this alley right now...

Except me, I realized with a jolt, already feeling my heart reach out and bleed for the feline who reminded me of what could of been. For the feline who reminded me of my precious Merlin. My light amongst the dark, my shining star and darkest knight. My greatest treasure and much beloved companion. Now gone, his ever flickering light snuffed out far too soon.

But this cat certainly didn't share my infatuation, still growling lowly in the back of his throat. So we sat there. Both of us wanting to move but all the same unable. He wanted to run away, some sort of wound rendering him immobile no matter how much he longed to vanish. I longed to be closer, but heeding the experts' advice and without a wish to make things any more stressful for the poor feline. He'd had a rough enough time already, I wouldn't make it worse. So we sat there. Unable to take our gaze from one another. His sharp, wary, ever so blue eyes focusing their undivided attention on me, ears flicking hither skither as he caught a million sounds I couldn't even guess at. My own gaze the unfocused gloss of a daydreamer, studying him only in the barest, corner-of-my-eye snippets that even then I scarcely even dared. He was so skinny, practically skin and bones. Even with the wild mass of grimy, tangled fur, I could still make out -not quite his ribs, due to the sheer mass of hair- but the pelvis and femur most certainly. His skin hung off him like an oversized coat, draping over the bony frame beneath like a toddler playing dress up.

Growls slowly lessening to either nonexistence or a pitch I couldn't hear, an idea sprung to mind. Only to be reluctantly discarded. What if the feline had to go under anesthesia? I wasn't a vet by any means, and there was likely more at play here than I in all my inexperience could ever guess. Whenever Merlin had to go under, the rule of 'no food' was always stressed, and in all honesty I couldn't see the hostile feline before me willingly letting the vet anywhere near himself. But he needed help, he desperately needed help, and wasn't there some danger of eating too much after a period of starvation causing one to vomit? Even as my heart yearned to pluck the ham and cheese from my sandwich and nudge it closer to him using a nearby broom I'd only have to stretch just a little to reach... I didn't, logical mind winning over emotional heart even as the quarrel tore me up inside, making me feel like scum for withholding food from a creature who obviously needed it more than I... I was getting a little chubby anyway, and surely my friends would understand if I explained the situation... They were always fussing about diets and how they couldn't stick to one, so I'd even be doing them a favor in any case...

But no, I couldn't. We sat there for what felt like forever, the wary feline oblivious to my internal struggle, before anything really happened.

I can't really tell you about what happened next, only that everyone seemed to show up all at once. I was shuffled out of the alley in a whirlwind of hands, bodies blocking my sight as a great, yowling, howling, hissing, spitting, cursing commotion went up and my distress shot through the roof. I think my parents were surprised when I attempted to bolt from their grasp to see if the cat was alright- I'd been rather disconnected with the world since Merlin passed, and the thought of getting another pet was abhorrent for the longest time. I can't tell you what happened, I wasn't allowed to get close, in fact to this day I'm still in the dark about how they caught and transported the blue-eyed feline. So caught up in the swirl of events, there really isn't much I can say with certainty. The only thing, in fact, well...

Believe you can,
and you're halfway
there.

~ Teddy Roosevelt

That cat wasn't going to be put down. If no one else wanted him, he'd always have a home with me. Even if he clawed and bit more than my aunt's sugar glider. Even if I could never actually stroke him without being ready for him to lunge. Even if I have to fill his dish and push it to him with a broom to avoid getting hurt. Even if scratching posts don't have the same appeal as furniture. Even if flip-flops and shorts are replaced by boots and jeans as the new norm. Even if he is never truly tame, despite every effort I could possibly make... If he is never my snuggle buddy, never my Merlin... Well, that's okay. I don't want to replace my beloved companion, but... I think I'm ready to move on. After so long, I think those wounds are finally ready to heal. Working with a feline so jaded and high-maintenance as this one is bound to be won't give me time to think about the past. Merlin will always live on in my heart, but I'm ready to heal. I want to heal. I'm willing to get back in the saddle and give this another go...

So I'll repeat myself, loathe as I usually am to do so; this blue-eyed tom I met in some side alley, he'll always have a home with me.