Timeshare Prince

 

Oh my God, I love Amir but he's a naughty kitty. 

As most of you know, we've brought him into our home with the intentions of adopting him and having him fixed. I've also mentioned how I sometimes feel he's not quite our cat, that he might belong to someone else or has another home somewhere else. 

I've come to the conclusion that he doesn't want to be owned---by anyone, really. 

We've had him vaccinated, which went well. It was still cold back then. He was content to remain indoors, for the most part. Even though he snuck out and disappeared several times.  He always came back. 

But as it got warmer, his disappearances became longer. Remember my friend Donna from last blog? He's shown up inside her porch, sitting on the furniture and just waiting for her to acknowledge him. She doesn't need another cat right now, and she knows I'm trying to get him to stay home, so she resisted his cuteness in the hopes he would go home to me. 

I managed to get him an appointment for the Spay Clinic, which means they need to do lab work on him before they neuter him. When his appointment was four days away, we worked hard to keep him inside. He sprayed twice, and screamed to be let out. Everyday he begged. I kissed him and loved him and played with him, assuring  him it would all be okay soon. I left windows open for him, so that he could still smell the fresh spring air, even if I wasn't going to let him wander. 

That was a mistake. 

The day before his appointment, I was working  goofing off on Facebook, when I heard ripping sounds coming from the bedroom. A quick check revealed that the small screen was GONE. I got there in time to find Amir wearing said screen around his belly, and he was already easing his way down the siding. I grabbed his tail, but let go immediately. I didn't want to hurt him. He's a thirteen pound cat. By the time I made it around the house, Amir was GONE, leaving a shredded screen on the ground.. He had actually pushed himself through a perfectly unblemished screen, and jumped the six feet to the ground with it hanging off him, just to escape. 

I worried. Not just because he ran away, but would he come back this time after I grabbed his tail? Was the trust broken? I saw him in the yard at around 9:30 that night, but when I stepped forward to approach him, he ran like a feral cat. 

I worried even more. I thought, 'That's it. The trust is broken.' and I wondered if I'd ever see him again. According to Jackson Galaxy, Trust= Love to a cat. A cat that doesn't trust you, doesn't love you.  But as I was preparing Freya's shot at 5:30 am, I hear him meowing at the door. He came inside, wolfed down a large serving of wet food, and took his place on the couch for a bath and a cuddle.

I'm not sure what to do with him. I don't think I'm going to win this one. Dan keeps letting him out because, "He's not a prisoner." and my vet hasn't called me back. I had to cancel his appointment with the Spay Clinic, of course. I've started keeping track of when he comes home, trying to see if I can decern a pattern so that I can GET. HIM. NEUTERED. No one needs to stress this importance to me. 

So far, I'm not having any luck with a pattern. Last week, it was 5:30 in the morning. This week it was 11:00 at night. 

Right before I began writing this, we had the door open for fresh air, and guess who sauntered in and parked himself beside my desk? I yelled, "Amir! Baby! What are you doing here?" He jumped up, and looked around like, "What? Where's the fire?" I scooped him up for kisses, and put out a dish of wet food, but he was more interested in the catnip I'd given Grendel and Freya earlier. 

I'm still planning on having him neutered. It's the responsible thing to do, but remember when I said I wasn't sure he was MY cat? Maybe he isn't. While it's clear he was once domesticated, (He loves human attention.)  maybe he prefers to roam now. Maybe he doesn't want just one human's love and affection. Maybe whoever else is feeding him has a different variety of food than we feed him.

Did I mention he's gone through SIX collars? Once he came home with his collar around his tummy. Once he shed his collar after sleeping under the bed. I don't think anyone is taking them. He just seems very determined to live his life on his terms, and I'm trying to understand. 

What am I going to do with Amir? I'm going to be his friend and I'm going to love him, whatever that means. I'm going to feed him and shelter him and I'm going to get him neutered for his own health and for the neighborhood and for any female cats in the vicinity. It's the right thing to do. 

Wish me luck.