Tatty-eared-toms scars

After not seeing him for about a week he turned up yesterday. The first pic shows his scars now they've healed from not so long ago, the second pic shows how nervous he still is as even while eating, he never took his eyes off me as I'd got a bit too close for his liking





I left him filling his face but it seems the second black cat had appeared and bullied him away from the food as he was there but no sign of tatty when I checked to see if he'd finished eating

Ian

Oh doesn't your heart just fgo out to him. Wonder where he's been. the scars are looking so much better. he's either a real trouble maker although it doesn'ty sound as though he is, or he's the poor soul bigger boulshier cats pick on.

I reckon he's just a pushover for other cats Kath, he's by no means big and not a troublemaker from what I've seen, he'd much rather back away or run.

Ian

I don't know if it's a fresh wound or just matted fur on the side of his face near his mouth, I got a proper *back off* hiss when I tried to have a closer look earlier. I think it's just a matt, at least there's no swelling that I could see and he ate ok, but he's one nervous cat, even if I tried to befriend him I reckon it'd be a waste of time.

Ian

Poor thing, hope it is just a matt, but if he's being traumatized by other cats, he doesn't have somewhere safe to go and who knows, he may even have been abused by people, I doubt very much if he'll come round any time soon.He's going to need a lot of time and patience.

It must have been a matt as it'd gone when he called last night

I'm not trying to win him round, I'm quite happy just making sure he gets food when he visits. Hunger must be getting the better of him, almost every nervous cat will run when approached but he just sits there waiting for me to put the plate/bowl down for him.

Ian

Ah he knows you won't let him down. So sad though, isn't it ?

Yeah, it's a shame, tho' I'm not 100% convinced he's a stray. As scruffy as he generally is and not forgetting the various injuries, he looks just too well fed, tho' he's not a porker by any means.

Ian

Could be more than you feeling sorry for him and so they feed him too.

That may well be it Kath, the number of houses here that have cats means it's likely he's found a few who've taken pity on him and that would explain why I don't see him every day.

Ian

Which is a good thing, as he has his freedom but still knows that he's got a reliable food supply

I won't start a new thread about this, but he's getting more confident around me, I still can't touch him but he'll come to me for food without cowering now.

I don't see him every day, every other day perhaps, and he sneaked in thro' the flap as I was lay on the sofa at 4.15pm, saw me looking at him and headed outside. As usual he was waiting there for food, ate 1/2 a 400g tin of pets at home own brand *whatever* then when I went to see if he'd gone, he asked for more

I gave him the rest and went back to the sofa and a few minutes later I heard the flap again, he'd come back in but this time I didn't look directly at him. I was waiting for him to go upstairs but when he didn't I checked the dining room and found him on the table, tho' he stayed there instead of running as I expected. I left him there to see what he'd do next and he headed for the flap after a minute or so.

A cat that can eat a 400g tin of food in one sitting must be starving, tho' he doesn't look it, but it seems he hasn't got a home if he can get this hungry.

Ian

Wow that's a lot of food. So good that he's feeling confident enough with you not to run. It's maybe that he'll never let you touch him, so be it, but the fact that he is coming in and staying a while is good.

He's always been able to put food away Kath, the bowl/plate is licked clean every time which suggests I wasn't putting enough down for him The catch is, that other (thieving) black cat is still hanging about and easily bullies tatty away from food if I'm not around.

Ian