Yes, I am now caring for ten cats. My three cats, the five kittens who are almost ready to be rehomed as soon as I can get them fixed, the momma cat, and this little guy who showed up about a week ago.

Meet Fred. Or Fritter as I’ve been calling him today. I noticed him for the first time in the neighborhood about three or four weeks ago. He was running around looking very panicked and confused. I’ve seen him here and there since then, always looking very scared. Then about a week ago as I was doing my farm chores, he decided to make friends with me. He was very timid at first but he was hungry and lonely and once he figured out I wasn’t going to hurt him, he couldn’t get enough petting. He was obviously someone’s pet at one time and I assume he was dumped here. Sadly, this neighborhood is pretty notorious for abandoned cats.

His orange fur was absolutely chock full of black flea dirt and fleas and his coat was ragged, with something like bits of adhesive stuck under his chin that won’t come off. I went inside and got him the last Advantage flea treatment I had on hand as well as a bowl of food. He wolfed down the food and proceeded to follow me absolutely everywhere around the property while I completed my chores. He kept trying to talk to me but his little voice is so faint you can barely hear it. I can’t tell his age, but he seems to be intact so he’ll be coming along for the ferry ride to be fixed along with the kittens.

Right now he’s set up comfortably with access to my cold room off the house so he can get out of the rain and the wind and into a dry bed. He has made this his new home base. He cleaned himself thoroughly of all flea dirt after I treated him and he shows his unending gratitude by following my boyfriend and I absolutely everywhere when we’re outside. He even makes a point of going to greet my cats politely when they come by, even though they mostly just hiss and swat at him.

Who could have abandoned such a sweet boy? You can tell by his demeanor that he’s been traumatized and smacked around. Why does he have adhesive residue stuck under his chin? I shudder to think.

I may not like everything about the neighborhood I live in, but I do feel good knowing that I can help a few stray cats that would otherwise be out of luck.