Tigger is NOT your average Cat May 11, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Animals, Life Balance.comments closed
Tigger has incredible manual dexterity. If we toss him a treat, he jumps up and catches it with his paws. If he misses the treat on the fly, he picks it up in his paws and lifts it to his lips.
He also handy with houseplans and blue prints!
When we found him, he was all alone in the world. Given his surprising dexterity, we wondered whether he’d been raised by raccoons after being abandoned or orphaned.
He stills works well without being micro-managed.
Another trait Tigger shares with raccoons . . . he loves water!
As a kitten, if we turned on the tap, he’d come running. If we ran water in the bath, he would hop into the tub and splash around.
He’s also a fan of lemonade . . . boxes.
In Maryland, when other animals and birds appeared on the deck, he’d growl and chase them out of his territory.
Except for the raccoons.
The neighborhood raccoons visited our bird feeders most nights. If the feeders were empty, the raccoons wandered around the deck to the sliding glass doors and knocked to let us know it was “dinner time.”
Tigger never tried to chase them away. Instead, he would rush over to the back door to meet and greet the raccoons.
But he refused to share his donuts or scones with them.
Tigger meets and greets us at the door. Rather like a dog. And not just us, company too. He wants to see and be seen.
None of our previous cats felt the need to be sociable to visitors. Or to us.
Tigger comes when called. If I’m headed out to the back deck and call him, he comes running.
Excited to be included in my plans.
Another unusual Tigger trait . . . he’s not afraid of the vacuum cleaner.
Our previous cats disappeared as soon as they heard the vacuum cleaner coming out of the closet.
Not Tigger. He stands his ground.
When BFF vacuums, even in close proximity, Tigger opens one eye, looks askance at the noisy beast, and returns to his nap, undeterred.
On that note, BFF thought of a tagline for our Kenmore Progressive . . . It Really Sucks!
Yesterday, we took Tigger back to the vet. Despite the change in diet, his blood glucose level is still way too high. Proving once again that Tigger is NOT your average cat.
Only 1 in 200 cats develop diabetes ~ less than 1%. Most of them are far older and far fatter than Tigger.
We’ve nursed a sick cat before. For eight years. It took a toll on us. We’re not sure we can (or should) do it again.
Tigger’s future is uncertain.
It really sucks.
Spirit Lights The Way 