Saving Lucky

I am sitting here in my office during lunch, and it is cat-free. Even still, there are reminders everywhere. Fur on the clothes, scratches on the hands, my “rescued” calendar, and my “catffeinated” mug. But the sorriest of all of these is my Chinese bamboo or Good Luck plant.

I took “Lucky” home for the summer, and it was not a memorable holiday for her. The way our house is laid out, we don’t have a good “afternoon sun” window – and bamboos thrive in beach-like weather. Hence she ended up in our kitchen so at least I’d remember to change her water.

The cats found her, knocked her over a few times, and munched away on some of her leaves. So I took Lucky to my hubby’s study, which is cat-free. It is also care-free – neither of us remembered to replenish her water, and now here she sits, gnarled and yellowed. But, hopefully, resilient.

When folks bring a cat or a number of cats into their home, they really have to remember that they are not bringing in stuffed toys. Cats are natural carnivores who like to play with their food.

If you were only a few inches high, Fluffy would still love you – love chasing you, breaking your neck, and playing with you for hours before eating most – but not all of you.

It is every shelter cat worker’s nightmare – whether they are volunteers or paid – to have a cat go to a home where the folks have a Disney idea of cats. Cats do purr and snuggle, but they also bite and scratch – and sometimes quite severely.

In the last few weeks I’ve had to euthanize one cat because – without provocation – he bit deeply into a caregiver’s arm. Another adopted cat bit the eye of her feline “friend” – requiring an expensive surgery. And a third laid a major scratch on the scalp of the new owner – she had to go to hospital to get it cleaned out and to have a tetanus shot.

None of these cats had shown aggression before and it’s possible they might never bite or scratch again. But, as I remind people again and again and again, Fluffy is a natural hunter – her weapons are her claws and teeth; and in the cat world, nature can be stronger than nurture.

By now you are thinking – maybe guinea pigs are more my thing. They are vegetarians and peaceful. Ha!

Just for fun type in “vicious guinea pigs” and you’ll find monstrous stories about “Vampig,” “Sid Vicious,” and “Spike.” Apparently even pocket pets can develop a taste for meat.

And you’d better develop some pretty big pockets. Did you know that guinea pigs can get as big as 150 pounds with the increased size of teeth and claws to support such an appetite? OK, it’s a special kind of g.p. called a “capybara,” and they are normally found only in South America. But with global warming, these giant herbivores are making their way into the southern states.

I think Lucky is actually safer with my cats.

Jan Carrie Steven is a volunteer with Cat Adoption Trust Sudbury (CATS) and the co-ordinator of Small Things: Kitty Boutique and Cat Adoptions. For more information, go to www.smallthings.ca.