Was NOT Chai...

It's been a week since my last chronicle entry.  So much emotional roller coaster rides.  The cat that looked like Chai in the video surveillance about a week ago was not Chai.  I had the camera mounted closer to the food source, and that same cat came back a couple of days later.  But it had dark stripes around the legs and rings around the tail, although it had the dark streak on the top of its head and along the spine and tail and had a white chin.  So very disappointed.

Cat#6 - Stripey Tail (Chai Imposter)

 On May 8th, the camera captured yet a new cat in my backyard, whom I shall call "Fuzzy".  This would be Cat #7.

Cat#7 - Fuzzy

So new cats keep on dropping by, but no Chai.  And of course, tons of raccoons.  I hate them.  I should trap and relocate them far away so that they leave the kitty buffet alone.  They eat up all of the peanut butter sandwiches AND the cat food.  Now families of raccoons are coming by at the same time.

And the second camera that was set up at Joyce and Buckingham have only caught a large tom cat, and a fluffy white (or orange, can't tell from the infrared video clips) cat, and your usual raccoons, possums, and crows during the daylight hours.  I will be moving this camera to Marlborough Rd tomorrow at Grace's front yard.  I got several calls from neighbors around this area reporting a brown cat.  I just want to rule out that we are talking about the same brown cat.  Perhaps there are multiple brown cats around here, one of which is Chai.  Not that I have a lot of hope, but for peace of mind, I need to do this.  Grace was very kind to give me permission to set up the kitty buffet and the camera there.  It's good to know that there are people who care.

As if I am not going through enough emotional stress, on Monday Java got out.  He tore through a window screen.  When I got home, he was waiting for me.  Immediately I saw that he has lost his collar (AGAIN!) and ID tag.  $17 lost.  I got him inside, and that's when Justin screamed, "What happened to his ear!?!"  I then saw that a huge flap of skin was carved off and was rolled up on the backside of his ear.  I dropped everything and rushed him to the emergency veterinary clinic.  3 hours wait.  Finally saw the vet.  They asked me to leave him there so that they could anesthetize him and get the flap sutured back on.  I then had to pick him up at 7am before they close down for the day.  The vet told me that because ears are not fleshy, there is only 75% chance that the flap would fuse to his ear.  He had the e-collar on so that he doesn't do anything to the sutures.  $1000 poorer and with Java back at home, I am giving him antibiotics and pain meds.  He was out of it.  He almost pee'd on my bed.  I took him to his litter box, and he just layed there.  And then he had a diarrhea.  Must be the antibiotics.  He also has a tough time eating because of the e-collar.  I have to take additional time in the morning and night to guide his head to his food bowl so that the collar goes over the bowl.  At least he is eating...

Then he escaped again yesterday when Jayden accidentally let him out by opening the front door to let his piano instructor come in.  The vet said it was important to keep him indoors while his wound is healing and while he had the e-collar on.  He has no defense mechanism with the e-collar.  John tried to get him inside, but Java would not come to him.  Of course not; the cats would only come to those they are bonded to.  When I got home late last night (I had a previous engagement to have dinner with one of the out-of-town colleagues who came to visit), I called out to Java for 10 minutes.  I heard his meow, and he is again safely in the house.  He is still out of it.  Sleeping most of the time.  Poor Java...  As bad as I feel about Chai's whereabouts, I would feel 1000x worse if anything should happen to Java.  He is my love.  He feels my emotions.  He comforts me and lets me sleep with my arms around him whenever I feel really sad.  I need to have the screens replaced to minimize Java attempting escape.  Why did I have John talk me into making him into an indoor-outdoor cat in the first place, especially after Kona and Cocoa were killed by cars???