So, I was talking to Bingo the other day and he reminded me that I hadnt posted much about him in his own group for a while. So, here is a New Years update. Bingo and Bango have not changed much over the past year. Bango still will not let me near him (which is odd, since he was second only to Mama and Bingo at taking treats out of my hand before they were fixed.) Bingo has his moments, but is somewhat aloof .... except when I go to the bathroom, then he comes in, rubs against my legs, turns away from me, arches his back and turns to look at me saying Ok, pet me NOW!. Bingo was also the Alpha of the kids, but has seen that change and its interesting to see his response. More on that later. Bongo is one of the major stories of the year. After more than a year of sitting on the sidelines staring at me, she suddenly became a huge cuddlebug. Shes always the first to show up at treat time (otherwise known as bed time) and she often likes nothing better than to jump in my lap / on my chest and sleep there. That has changed somewhat over the past several months because.... Thor came to me at the beginning of the summer. I didnt see much hope for him at the time, so after getting fixed, I released him outside and he lived in the garage for a few months. He would always avoid me, running away if I even entered the bedroom on the way outside to put his food out. After a few months, over the course of about a week, he kept his distance, moving closer each time I put his dinner out. Until one day, he just showed up at the door, looked at me and said Im tired of camping. I want to come in Well, he has since turned into the biggest suck. If it were up to him, he would spend every second of every day in my lap or on my chest. Constantly purring. Unfortunately, he doesnt give anyone else a chance, including Bongo or.... J.J., who came along around the middle of the summer. After getting him fixed, I thought I recognized something in him and decided to not release him. After about a week of gradually giving him more and more freedom, he kept mostly to himself, but eventually, his true nature came out and he is super affectionate. He loves head rubs and often play chews at my hand. While Thor is hogging my lap, J.J. is usually on the back of the couch craving some attention. Mama is still an enigma. If you recall, after she was fixed in September of 2013, she disappeared for several months, finally starting to reappear around Christmastime. She gradually showed up more and more often until she was again living in my garage / yard where she stayed through til this past fall when she again ventured into the house. She now spends most of her time in a laundry basket on my bed. We have reached a detente of sorts. She knows when to expect her meals and is sitting there waiting. While shes not looking, I often sneak quick strokes of her back. She usually lets me get away with one before turning and swatting at me. The good news is, she rarely extends her claws anymore, so even if she makes contact, she rarely draws blood anymore. The sad thing is that she has absolutely no time or patience for anyone else, even her own kids. This leads to her swatting at anyone who comes within reach at treat time (or any time). She especially does not get along with J.J. or Bingo, who, as I said was an Alpha himself. Whats almost comical is that as vicious as Mama has been in the past, when someone stands up to her, despite her growling and snapping, SHE is the one who runs away and hides. This has emboldened Bingo to try to retain his Alpha status and then things get noisy. One last thing about Thor, possibly contributing to him being a suck. Over the past month, he has developed a skin condition of some sort, kind of a dry / flaking / dandruff / eczema sort of thing. Its worst on his hind quarters, but I believe also further up. While he doesnt appear to scratch any more than any of the others, he gets quite violent with it. He has also always been a particularly aggressive, slurping groomer. This has led, I believe, to several cuts on his shoulders, neck and head which he continually scratches and opens up. I first noticed it while petting him. I thought I had found a knot, or tangle of hair. Some time later, I found another, and another, and another. Turns out, they were the scabs coagulating on his hair. He has a particularly thick coat (though not long) and a very thick undercoat, so it was not possible to actually see what was going on until I got some clippers and started trimming him (It kind of looks like a cat exploded around here) so that I, and a vet, can see what it is. For the time being, I am treating him with moisturizer, which I can now get on his skin instead of his fur and it does seem to be helping. In the new year, I plan to get him in to the vet to determine the cause instead of treating the symptoms. Beyond that, everyone else appears to be starting the year healthy and happy.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 02:21:36 +0000
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