Leo The "Part Timer" Cat's Big Day...

Leo the Part Time Indoor Cat.

 A few weeks ago,  I took the rare and unusual action of taking one of the outdoor cats to the vet.   Leo,  A furry, fur ball of a Long hair cat,  was one of the cats that showed up on our doorstep this summer.  Thin,  Ratty, Full of worms and fleas,   we fed him food and nuked the parasites until he started showing up consistently and camping out on our front bench. He bagan putting on weight and gaining his fur back.  I doubt he is owned by anyone.

The other two cats,  Oreo and Rocket, are from across the street, where the owners have had them fixed at the very least.   The kids play with them and they occasionally ( more frequently now that they discovered we offer better food)  come over to our apartments for some play time and nibbles.

But Leo,  is not fixed.   A Fully functioning male cat,  he was gaining "war scars" from other cats as time went by.   And with the weather turning colder,  I wanted to see if he had the potential for being indoors.   It was strange, because he got along very well with our cat ( Hiro) and Rocket.   He was also a very cuddly, love bug to me and Cheryl.  ( And no cats like cuddling with Cheryl!)  He did bump heads a few times with Oreo.  Oreo ( the black and white cat,)   Is a little "rough" around the edges.   He had tore me up,  Attacked Hiro,  Rocket, and Leo.  However,  Each time,  Oreo has learned who not to mess with.  But I digress...

Looks humble,  and right next to a porn shop!  But inside
was state of the art!

Leo needed to see the vet to get fixed if he had any chance to become and indoor cat.  I called around, and many of the local vets were either swamped or wanted several visits before doing any operations.  Finally,  one of the vets offered the Iowa Humane Alliance.   A place where all they do is fix dogs and cats.  You don't even need an appointment if it is a stray or live trap feral cat. 

Well,  I se up the appointment for the 6th of December.  ( Right in the middle of Stocking rush!)  And had to wake up at 5 AM and drive Leo 1.25 hours away to Cedar Rapids for his little visit.   He was quiet as a mouse the entire trip. It was a little scary for me.... I felt like was was somehow, betraying him.

I then had return to get him.  They closed at 4:30 P.M.  In addition to the surgery,  I got a flea treatment,  Worm Treatment,  Rabies, and distemper shots. All for $70!  They also gave him a bath and a treat. 

Ah!  The Great Outdoors...  He doesn't mind
the cold with that huge Fur coat.

So now,  Leo has been showing up around sundown and coming inside to eat all of Hiro's food.  He is getting more and more playful as the weeks pass by.  But he still demands to go outside around 5:30 A.M.  Not sure why or where he goes, but he does not seem to mind the cold too much now that he has that huge fluffy coat. We shall see if he ever cuts off the outdoors  for good and decides to call us his new forever home.  But at least he is not getting into fights and spraying any furniture.   And if someone else ultimately adopts him and give him a good home,  well I would be ok with that..  he is quite the cuddler cat.

Oh!  And we are not final on the name.  Cheryl has been calling him "Wooly Bear" and I call him "Kitten" and "Fluff Ball"   He does not respond to any of those names. ( Including Leo!)  We shall see which one sticks and I will have to update the blog then.   We shall see.