The Strong Woman of Flanders has been delighted again by a visit of Grumpy Man and The Mistress. Of course, most of the time was devoted to resting, eating, drinking and reading, but now and then a good conversation ensued and all were happy. Not so happy though was a forlorn little voice at the door of the Abode of Plenty. A sad forlorn little voice, anxiously emitted by a bedraggled and carious tick-infested ginger kitty. But boy does that one have balls !
We suspect that the poor kitling has been but fairly recently abandoned. It is rare for one of the Carious Tribes (2 tribes of cats that live near the Abode of Plenty, discernible by fur colour) to be so forthright, forthcoming, and social towards simians. Not only did he allow us to touch him, he positively vied for our caresses and tried to be under every hand at the same time. He remained steadfast for hours at the front door of the Abode of Plenty, keeping a faithful vigil that would put any elite soldier to shame. And every time one of us would venture near said door this orange waif would let his displeasure at being left out loudly known. He would try to enter too, the scamp, whenever one of us needed to get something from the car.
Grumpy Man, endeared by this little furry fellow’s bold actions, could not help but approach the cat with gentle intentions whenever he felt like it – which was all the time really, when he was not sleeping.The first time he found himself forced to relieve said furry friend of no less than 7 ticks. Throughout the weekend he would occasionally open the door and throw some choice titbits out, for our ginger guest to devour with relish. The feline door-guard clearly was hungry, and the tasty morsels apparently were appreciated. Well, actually they were inhaled. His teeth rarely touched the meat, such was his ravenous appetite.
But what is he and where does he belong ? His manners are too good for a feral cat, the pelt may be bedraggled but is still kept in reasonable order, his demonstrative affection towards humans -yes, and his almost desperate attempts to enter the Abode of Plenty also- clearly identify him as a once-beloved and cherished house-cat. Certainly his insistent and patient waiting on the rug just outside the door is proof of him once having called a home his own and knowing which way is in. His plaintive mews bespeak of a lonely and shattered heart. The crooked tail mentions an accident in the past. This kitty had been abandoned, as happens alas too often in the châlets-village where the Abode of Plenty is located. Most owners of the châlets only inhabit them during holidays. Some bring pets. And some abandon those pets upon returning home. Sad, and the source for many members of the Carious Tribes.
This feline friend has not been castrated. Nope. It was clear to see for all that this is still a virile tomcat, and if you think away the gaunt hunger-ravaged frame you might even say… a tom at the start of his prime. But we had to find a name to identify him with. And because he is a ginger tabby, because he is so frank and forthcoming, because he’s wont to walk around quite wide-legged (carrying his load of jinglebells with some discomfort we suppose) we now call him Brass Balls.
Brass Balls even seems to have his own tiny harem of 1 nubile little female, Dirty Paws. Dirty Paws is supposed to be black with white socks. The “supposed” part is due to her paws being not exactly the most clean parts of her not-so-formidable anatomy. And she keeps her distance from simians. Member of the Black Tribe, this lovely lithe she-kitty is a tad on the shy side but she too knows the value of staying close to inhabited abodes in expectation of dinner to come, which in our case usually consists of dinner airborne. We so love to throw morsels out, knowing that it is mightily appreciated, even expected.
Grumpy Man pondered about bringing Brass Balls to the House of Chaos, but decided against it in the end. For one thing, the Carious Tribes are still infected with that illness which has culled them sorely, and for another thing Brass Balls was positively teeming with ticks and we suspect he may have fleas too. Better not bring a source of infestation in when we just eradicated one last Autumn ! Sadly, the Strong Woman of Flanders too cannot take the kitty in, since she isn’t always home to give him the company and care a feline friend deserves. At least he won’t go hungry though, since Master of Lobo lives in the châlet-village too and he still puts food out for all the kitties.
Master of Lobo is a bit of a strange case. He claims to be of the Animal Protection, but they said they kicked him out. He puts food outside because those poor cats need it, but he refuses to lace them with anti-conceptives that would keep the numbers down and relieve the pressure on the cats’ survival. We don’t know what to make of it. But for sure he’s the major reason why the Carious Tribes survive Winter at all.
Brass Balls was staring sadly at us when we were filling up the car again in order to leave for home. No doubt he’s seen that before… and we left the Abode of Plenty with a slanted set of staring eyes burning in our backs.
Picture below: gastronomical bliss NOM NOM NOM ….
Agh, how those weeks fly by… it’s weekend again and this means the usual suspects over at The Friday Ark, Carnival of the Cats hosted by Chey’s Place, and The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos which takes place at Megan & Bad Kittens Three at Bad Kitty Cats Journal.
House of Chaos 