You may remember a post not too long ago about two stray cats who hang around our house.  Orange Kitty is still availing herself of our bounty and intimidating some of the natives as well.

Leave Mr. Mulder alone! He’s a Chicken Kitty!

There’s another cat that I have only been able to get a picture of recently since he is EXTREMELY shy and scared.  We call him G.T. (for Gray Tabby).

I did NOT sign a release for this photo.

I’ve had big plans to trap each cat and take them to the vet for complete check ups and neutering, but I just have not done it yet.  (Thanks for the loan of the trap Martha!)  We’ve recently started to worry about GT because he seems very old, he has something wrong with his left eye, he has an infected claw, a giant tick the size of the Hindenburg on his back, plus we’re pretty sure he’s deaf.  I didn’t want to traumatize him with the trap so I devised a plan to gently close him up in our kitty carrier instead.  GT has been getting a morning treat of soft cat food for a few weeks now.  Every time we see him on the porch we sneak as close to him as possible and put down a small stinky plate of food.  He goobles it up every time. So this morning I snuck out on my porch in my very sexy granny-style nightgown (a real treat for the neighbors, I assure you) and placed the carrier a few feet away from the old gentleman.

I showed him the food and he watched as I sloooooowwwwwly put it in the very back of the carrier.  I stepped back and he cautiously entered the carrier and started to eat.  I snuck up behind the carrier and shut the door!  Yay!  I was very happy to capture him with so little drama.  Jim and I made him a halfway house on the back porch with food, water, a litter box and a kitty hidey-hole.  We have a small tear in our screen that Jim covered with cardboard and leaned some firewood against so GT wouldn’t see it and try to make the hole bigger.  It’s only the size of a quarter, but you never know.  At first he was panting and he seemed frantic to escape, but about an hour later he looked like this.

I need to call my lawyer.

Mulder & Rowdy do not like the lingering scent of their new tenant.

Our plan was to get him used to the back porch until he felt safe and we could get close enough to pet him and possibly tame him before we took him to the vet for treatment of his ailments.  This plan, however, will not come to fruition.  I left the house for an hour to run an errand, and when I came back I found this…

He moved the logs, pushed aside the boards and widened the hole enough to escape the clutches of our hospitality.  We’ve probably set our progress back months now.  He’ll find it even harder to trust us and he’ll never fall for the old “food in the carrier trick” again. Oh well, we won’t give up and maybe one day he’ll forget the indignities he suffered today and let us try again to get him some medical attention.  At least Jim was able to get Mr. Bloodsucker off his back.  Small comfort. 😦