Compo The Cat
Sneaking into our yard the small black cat was seen scoffing the cat biscuits left for another stray and was every time chased off by our resident Maysie, a fierce greedy fat cat who is intolerant of any intruders into her domain.
This continued for some time, just getting glimpses of this new cat on the block.
Huddled and Frightened
Eventually the cat was found huddled and crouched on the inside our wooden compost box, squatting on the thick polystyrene block placed there to provide heat retention when the compost was working to reflect the heat generated, so it must have been this that the cat liked, the heat of his body reflected back.
It was emaciated, its ribs were quite apparent even under its fur and it was small in comparison to other cats.
We fed it and provided some blankets for it to squat on. Food was always devoured in an instant and the weather was kind and warm in the evenings and so it could stay outside for the time being.
From its behaviour we were certain it was a female , it hissed a bit when we first tried to stroke it but was too pre-occupied with eating to resist our attempts.
Photographs for Facebook
We took a picture and posted it on Facebook on the village page and had hundreds of hits, even someone claiming it was their cat until they came to collect him and realised it was a mistaken identity as their cat later turned up.
Touring the village enquiring who had lost a cat turned up a firm lead, but alas this proved to be wrong as well all the time feeding and protecting him from the fierce attentions of the evil Maysie the resident house owner cat.
Identity Chip
Eventually we decided to take the cat to the vet, this was easier said than done, but bribing it with a generous helping of best cat food proved to be too much to resist, we grabbed it and shoved it into a cat box.
To our amazement it was not at all fazed by this and calmly sauntered out of the box at the Vets room.
RSPCA
Expecting it to be announced a stray we were astonished to find this cat was indeed a male, and captured and chipped by the RSPCA at Cricket St Thomas some miles away only in August. The RSPCA had neutered him tagged him and let him go. We later learned the captors regarding him too “feral”for re-homing.
This is untrue as Compo as we have named him from the compost heap is friendly and a delight to be with. Friendly and full of character.
Eats at the speed of light
His appetite was insatiable, devouring all his food with the speed of light, and always looking for more. This sounded like he may be feeding roundworms in his tummy, so was given a dose of worming tablets over three weeks. The medication was successful to some extent but he still eats swiftly and claws the food all over the floor.
He won’t come into the house whatever the enticement, is deterred by the fierce evil cat who lurks inside.
Tea Chest
So he took a liking to the tea chest under the carport used to store plastic bags, so it is now lined with a pillow , blankets, polystyrene and hessian sacking to provide some warmth and protection from the weather. In addition he has his own central heating in the form of hot water bottles in the cold winter days and nights and he can now be seen snuggling up in the box at night. He is comfortable warm and safe.
The challenge remains to get him accepted by the wicked evil cat in the house, he has been caught eating from her bowl and this ended in a nasty encounter which he has not forgotten.
He rarely strays from the confines of our small garden, we think he does not want to get lost again.
Running the Compo Gauntlet
Running the Compo gauntlet every time we step into the yard or to gain entry to the garden or garage is becoming difficult as Compos nimble dance of attention always manages to stand him in the place where you want to tread, this causes a delay if one is going anywhere.
Getting trod on does not deter him at all. He just loves attention, he never gives up and insists on being first at all times.
Trust
Compo is the only cat I have ever met who touched noses with me, that in the cat world is trust indeed. Following us about all the time, helping during the hedge clipping, climbing up the thin twigs and getting stuck.
His coat looks in better condition now and he has fattened up, his ribs are well covered with a layer of fat and although he will never be a Tiger of a cat he is by default a lovable cat.
We are going to look after him from now on.
