Category: Cats

Where the cats are

Kuro, one of our garden cats, has an injury at the joint of his tail. Chris guesses he might have been bitten by some kind of animal. Before, he also had an injury on his right side, but it has completely healed. We just hope the one at the joint of his tail will be better quickly. For the past some days, Chris has been spraying it with ‘The Protect’, which was recommended by an internet shop vet. The affected part has been getting better, but it was also chapped and cracking, so he was hurting him, and I heard the loud voice of him complaining.

To explain about ‘The Protect’ (and that’s really what it’s called): we originally bought it to treat Kyoku’s chronic runny nose, but he ran away whenever he heard the spray sound, so we can’t use it for him. It’s for animals, and safe for them to lick: super-special water for infections and injuries (as they say). It’s pretty expensive: more than we’d spend for ourselves.

Kuro and Kogu get along well and usually sleep together in the same box; but chubby Kogu might have been touching Kuro’s injury whenever he moved his body, and it seemed Kuro got mad at him whenever he did. (He made a loud voice.) Both of them usually get along well and have a tender personality, but personality never reduces pain.

This afternoon, I heard the patrolling voice of Boss Hana (his actual name is Ryo) and looked outside. I found Kogu by himself, packed into a styrofoam case that we used for a bitter melon plant last summer, and which still has soil in it. Was he scared of Kuro, because Kuro got mad at him?

In the room facing the veranda where Kogu was sleeping, Kyoku was sleeping without knowing Kogu was just outside: because they were separated by a curtain and a patterned frosted glass window. I’m sure Kyoku would really want to see outside if he knew who was there.

Kuro was sleeping by himself in the usual box. Probably he felt more pain yesterday: he seemed better today. (Yesterday, poor Kogu, the object of Kuro’s anger, stayed beside the box, on the washing machine, for a long time.)

This is how the three cats acted in the afternoon, today. Kyoku still doesn’t like the two newcomers. But these three boys all have calm, cute personalities. We especially think so whenever we see the harsh faces or quick fists of our female garden cats (Shiro, Moku, and Icchan – daughter of Moku, and sister of Kuro.)

–YS, 18 February 2006

18 February 2006