Gabriel
and his sister, Angelou, showed up at a farmstead this spring. It was clear
they had been “on the road” for awhile. Fortunately, the place they
chose was owned by an animal lover who made sure they were fed, watered, and
had shelter from the February winds.
It seemed like Gabriel’s plan was to hang around long enough to make sure Angelou was safe and then move on. Not far from the farmstead, Gabriel and another animal fought and Gabe was beaten badly. He crawled back to the porch, feverish and unable to use one of his legs.
His caregiver trapped him and brought him into town. As we examined his leg abcess, we noticed that Gabriel had also been shot with a pellet gun.
In the meantime, Angelou (who was pregnant) had her five kittens in the back porch.
After Gabriel’s leg healed, we discovered that he was cryptorchid (had an undescended testicle), so a simple neuter procedure was immediately followed by an abdominal exploratory surgery, but the testicle was not located. The plan was to wait a month to see if the odor of Gabriel’s tomcat-smelling urine would abate. When it didn’t, we scheduled another exploratory surgery at Iowa State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Ames. This time the surgery was a success, and Gabriel is enjoying fostercare.
Gabriel is unusually accepting of other cats. He’s laid back, and adapts very quickly and easily to change.
DOB: 4/01—Male.
Gabriel likes: headbunting; other cats; being petted and hugged; watching wildlife; playing with wand toys.
He dislikes: quick movements; loud noises.
 —not
much |
 —somewhat |
 —quite
a bit |
 —very
much! |
| Confidence— |
Adaptable to change—
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Plays well with others—
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Activity level— |
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General Temperament—affectionate
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Last update: 8/14/03.