Tonight, when I was out feeding in the enclosure, Dash allowed me to get close to her and pet her. I felt all the mats on her back, neck and shoulder and knew that I couldn’t put it off any longer. Not able to afford the proper type of clippers to clip off mats- the one I have now gets hot to fast and sputters. I decided to remove the mats from Dash the old-fashioned way; seam ripper, bandage scissors and comb and brush.

Mike isn’t able to hold the cats for me any longer, so I knew I needed help. I placed a call to Hailey and bless her heart, she came over about 7:00 p.m. I had already captured Dash and worked on her mats a bit, but it was difficult to scruff her and de-mat her without getting attacked in the process. Hailey was kind enough to help me, and we alternated between one of us holding Dash as secure as we could, while the other one worked on the huge mats she had.

It wasn’t easy and after an hour, Dash decided she had enough and she bolted all growl and hiss and snarl and leaped for freedom, only to find the chicken wire door in her way. There were a few tense moments where she was clinging to the wire, screaming, growling, snarling and hissing and Dobby who was on the other side decided it would be great fun to climb up and challenge her! They were nose-to-nose and fighting between the wire, when I managed to grab Dash with a towel and get her down after a few moments of struggle.

It took us three hours to remove the mats and I am so ashamed of myself for letting her get to this state. She was so stressed that she pooped on herself, so after all she had endured, she also had to endure a clean-up on her rear. I told Hailey that it would be at least 3 days before Dash would allow me close enough to her again, but that I would make it a point to touch her daily and brush her so that she wouldn’t mat up like this again.

Bless you Hailey for dropping everything and helping me with this feral kitty. Without your help, I would have been hard pressed to get the mats out of her and stay safe at the same time.

Poor Dash, I truly didn’t mean to scare you girl. I was only trying to help you and I know you feel better now than you did this morning.

A starling has made a nest in the knife shop. The area she chose isn’t a low-traffic area. She picked a shelf by the main door behind a tool box. The babies are gone now, fled the nest, flew the coop on to a better more safer place is the hope. There were five to them.

I pulled the chest out this morning to remove the nest as I know that empty bird nests are attractive to the barn cats. I was amazed to find besides feathers, dog hair, & horse hair she also used plastic and a leather and metal post that Mike uses to dry his knives on.

I wish the babies the best of luck in their new life and hope that next year momma decides to go for a more private area of our land to raise her babies.

A hissing cat can be a daunting, formidable creature. When a cat hisses, she draws herself into a crouch low to the ground. Her eyes are riveted on you, wide open as she needs to see what your intentions are going to be.

If her ears are flat, and her tail tucked protectively between her legs, she means business and you best back-off. Your best bet in this situation is to walk away and try again later to make some sort of contact with her. You will know when she is relaxed if you observe her grooming herself (but if she is over-grooming herself, including pulling out clumps of fur) get her to the vet as she is over-stressed or in great pain.

Dash arrived at our home along with four other tuxedo kitties. Found in an abandoned campground in Oregon, the kittens were malnourished and in pretty poor shape. Most worrisome was their refusal to eat any type of canned or dry cat food. Even cat treats were snubbed by these feline friends.

After two days of frustration trying to get them to eat, using every brand known to man on the market today, I hit a wall. I didn’t want to rush them to the vet and risk stressing them out further. But if I didn’t make a dent in the kitty hunger strike, they would all end up with health issues I couldn’t address.

Finally, out of desperation, I decided to serve up a campground meal. Set before the kitties was a campfire buffet fit for any girl scout; raw and cooked hot dog pieces, sliced and cooked potatoes covered in chicken stock, cubed cream cheese, fried chicken, all laid out on a baking sheet before them. One sniff and they inhaled the entire fare! For a few weeks, this became their typical meal, food they were used to finding in waste bins, were now prepared for them unspoiled and untainted. Eventually, I began to mix in wet and dry cat food until the four kitties were eating only cat food with occasional treats thrown into the mix.

They began to gain weight and muscle mass and Dash, at first thought by the vet to be part of the kitten brigade, shot up well ahead of the other three. At the end of a few months it was clear, this kitten was actually an older female, quite possibly the mom-cat. Another vet visit confirmed- Dash was actually a 6 year old female, while the kittens were 7 months old.

Because she arrived here so late in her life, her trust meter when it came to humans was set on low. She trusts no one, even to this day. One of the reasons we call her Dash is because when we come into a room where she is hiding, she dashes out. That coupled with the fact that she has a white dash of color above her mouth, earned her this name. It was a full 8 months before she would allow me to even touch her. It was then I learned that she must have Persian in her, as her coat was matted and thick. It mats every time I even look at her.

When it comes to flea treatment, grooming and medications, Dash and I play the Cat Wrangling Game. I shut down the tunnels to the cat enclosure after making sure she has dashed up the tunnels and is hiding in the house. Then it is a matter of herding her gently into a corner, ignoring her formidable hissing and scooping her up to administer her needs.

Initially, her hiss alarmed me. Making me back-off, letting her have her way no matter how matted she was, or what meds had to be administered. It was through this constant interaction, that I began to understand the hiss- the force field that she used to keep herself safe from me (the predator.) But, I couldn’t let it stop me from helping her.

One afternoon, she was crouched on a low shelf. She was so clearly matted, I knew if I didn’t get the brush and seam ripper (what I use to take out large mats) on her, she was going to become ill quickly. She was in full defensive posture, crouched low, ears flat, tail wasn’t tucked though and her hiss seemed endless.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I shut my eyes slowly and then reached out in her direction with my eyes still shut. With my eyes closed, I lowered the threat of attack she was sure was coming. I touched her silken fur and tried not to tense. I’ve been bit and scratched before by wild kitties and I am still alive, so I kept going.

She allowed me to pet her that day. I was able to gather her in my arms although she was hissing the entire time. I removed several large mats from her beautiful fur and in the end, she lay crouched and trembling in my arms, but she did not attack me!

Today, I am able to approach her and although she stays on guard, she won’t flee- her first indication to me that she understands my touch won’t “hurt” her. The defensive posturing and hissing continues to this day, but now the two of us understand each other. It is the first step towards many of bridging a gap existing because someone (some uncaring fool) hurt her long ago and she won’t forget. She can’t forget.

Cats never remember the good things we do for them. But, if you hurt them either intentionally or unintentionally, they will never forget. They are long to forgive humans too once they have been so traumatized and any human who approaches them, are subject to their fears. The hiss stands as a force field between them and those who might harm them in the future.