Red flag warning...

Face man
Originally uploaded by newsgrrl.

For those that aren't current in national weatherspeak, a red flag warning is issued "WHEN VERY FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRE ARE OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL OCCUR WITHIN 24 HOURS."

Around here, red flag warnings go hand in hand with low temperatures... Tonight they say it's going to stay clear with a low near 34. Tomorrow it's supposed to drop to 33.

If not tonight, then definitely tomorrow night it's time to snatch Mr. Kitty and put him in his condo in the dog's room.

Mr. Kitty's real name is Sweet William - Liam for short, Face Man for fun. The picture above was taken the day after he "introduced hisself" and we're calling him about 7-weeks-old then. He's close to 6 months now.

He came onto my property one Saturday morning after a storm - straight-up screaming like a mockingbird for someone, any one. So someone went to check him out. Pris.

Pris is my rescue Rottweiler of indeterminate age - we'll call her 4 years old. The other two dogs watched - I yelled myself hoarse to get her back from a contact with a cat I assumed was rabid.

I mean, really? What cat in it's right mind would approach a strange dog?

A 105 lb dog that has the most intense 'stare' you never want to be on the front side of?

A newly weaned kitten of Maine Coon cat heredity, that's what. They're nothing but a dog in a cat suit....

Anyway, finally having to take off an overshirt to use as a leash, I got Pris away from him and put her up in the house. I lured him into the open for a can of tuna... As I was trying to keep her from flipping him on his back, I saw just how tiny he was. I then went out and bought him real cat food... He's been here ever since.

It took a week of using a flexileash and a pinch collar to get Pris over the thought of a cat sandwich - if that was ever her thought. I kind of think that his yelling brought out the mother in her... because while I know nothing of her history before I adopted her, I do know that she had had a litter at the probably ripe age of 8 months old. So, perhaps I misinterpreted her.

Now she either ignores him or plays with him. Everyone else is the same - but they have had a cat before.... But never one that chose them.

Anyway, I can't let him loose in the house because I don't want a confrontation between him and the cockatoo [a smallish one] and I want to have him neutered before he gets supervised run of the house. That's gonna happen next week.

Yo! Merry Christmas, Liam.

Tag: pets and winter