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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Pets / Animal Friends
- Published: 11/01/2018
Lexi
Born 1955, M, from Norwich NY, United StatesLexi
By Herm Sherwood-Sitts
For years now, my wife and I have had pet chipmunk’s in our back yard. We have pictures of all our grandchildren hand feeding them peanut’s. Some are third and fourth generation critters, that have become like family.
I have a healthy brush pile the other side of a low wall, made from cord stacked fire wood. This is on purpose for a safe haven for them to elude predators. The main predator that we protect them from is the neighbor’s cat (Sylvester). When I see him in the back yard, I step out onto the porch and blast an air horn a couple of times and it usually sends him running home. I wouldn’t hurt him; hunting is just natural for him.
One day, not long ago, the chippies were making chatter in the back yard. It’s like telephone; if one sees danger they let the others know and before you know it, they are all chattering. I stepped out onto the porch and sure enough, there was a small, long grey-haired cat hiding by a stump. She was doing her best to capture a chipmunk or a chick-a-dee. I gave her a shot of the air horn and she took off for the woods. This went on for a few days, until the horn didn’t scare her any more.
During the evening, I was putting some dog food out for a raccoon family that we had adopted; when she came out of the brush pile to greet me. With a little coaxing she came up to me and started chowing down the dog food. After that we became friends. Her eyebrows were raw from flea bites and she looked malnourished. After her tummy was full, I watched her run and dive over the wood pile fence after a blue jay. She landed in the bushes and wasn’t even close. I had to do something, by now it had been two weeks and she was still tormenting the chipmunk’s. She was pretty young, but survival was going to make her a better hunter.
I asked the neighbor’s if the cat was theirs and they said she wasn’t. Apparently she was either lost or dropped off.
We have two house cat’s, Odin and Precious. Odin was also a rescue cat. The only way for me to make peace for everyone was to make this one a house cat too. We named her Lexi and quarantined her in the shed until the Vet had an opening to check her out for diseases.
Her first check up, Preventive parasite screen, Feline V/FIV/HW snap test, Flea med's, Worm med's, Antibiotic, Rabies Vac, FVRCP+FELV Vac. was $200.
We went back a month later for booster and spaying... another $200. Then a few days later for antibiotic and more flea meds for another $90. There is no such thing as a free cat!
Lexi now resides with Odin and Precious. She watches the bird’s and Chipmunk’s from the window, has a full tummy all the time and get’s all the love she can handle. The Chipmunk’s and birds are happy too. So I guess it was all worth it!
Lexi(Herm Sherwood-Sitts)
Lexi
By Herm Sherwood-Sitts
For years now, my wife and I have had pet chipmunk’s in our back yard. We have pictures of all our grandchildren hand feeding them peanut’s. Some are third and fourth generation critters, that have become like family.
I have a healthy brush pile the other side of a low wall, made from cord stacked fire wood. This is on purpose for a safe haven for them to elude predators. The main predator that we protect them from is the neighbor’s cat (Sylvester). When I see him in the back yard, I step out onto the porch and blast an air horn a couple of times and it usually sends him running home. I wouldn’t hurt him; hunting is just natural for him.
One day, not long ago, the chippies were making chatter in the back yard. It’s like telephone; if one sees danger they let the others know and before you know it, they are all chattering. I stepped out onto the porch and sure enough, there was a small, long grey-haired cat hiding by a stump. She was doing her best to capture a chipmunk or a chick-a-dee. I gave her a shot of the air horn and she took off for the woods. This went on for a few days, until the horn didn’t scare her any more.
During the evening, I was putting some dog food out for a raccoon family that we had adopted; when she came out of the brush pile to greet me. With a little coaxing she came up to me and started chowing down the dog food. After that we became friends. Her eyebrows were raw from flea bites and she looked malnourished. After her tummy was full, I watched her run and dive over the wood pile fence after a blue jay. She landed in the bushes and wasn’t even close. I had to do something, by now it had been two weeks and she was still tormenting the chipmunk’s. She was pretty young, but survival was going to make her a better hunter.
I asked the neighbor’s if the cat was theirs and they said she wasn’t. Apparently she was either lost or dropped off.
We have two house cat’s, Odin and Precious. Odin was also a rescue cat. The only way for me to make peace for everyone was to make this one a house cat too. We named her Lexi and quarantined her in the shed until the Vet had an opening to check her out for diseases.
Her first check up, Preventive parasite screen, Feline V/FIV/HW snap test, Flea med's, Worm med's, Antibiotic, Rabies Vac, FVRCP+FELV Vac. was $200.
We went back a month later for booster and spaying... another $200. Then a few days later for antibiotic and more flea meds for another $90. There is no such thing as a free cat!
Lexi now resides with Odin and Precious. She watches the bird’s and Chipmunk’s from the window, has a full tummy all the time and get’s all the love she can handle. The Chipmunk’s and birds are happy too. So I guess it was all worth it!
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Gail Moore
12/02/2018Wow how fantastic to have all the animals right in your yard.
Very happy cat I bet with a fantastic forever home. Yes vet fees are twice the price of doctors fees.
Great story.
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Kevin Hughes
11/01/2018Herm,
We are both "soft touches" - until my daughter's left the house we fed every animal in the neighborhood- most birds, and even a few crabs, fish, and pet lizard or two. We had a pigeon for a while named Lazty-tweety, who would come to all of us to get a treat, but would only nestle on my wife's shoulder. So much so we bought my wife a bib to put under lazty tweety. All my wife had to do was "tweet" and Lazty would fly down from some nearby tree.
We called a halt to the kittens, cats, and stray dogs when the count reached ten. My wallet empty, I hardened my heart. We took the next few critters to the shelter.
Now, we live in a pet free environment - but the Grandkids have a backyard at their house. Hee. Hee.
Smiles, Kevin
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Herm Sherwood-Sitts
11/01/2018Yeah... I'm a big push over for animals too Kev. Thank you for your response. I like that we are similar my friend. Smiles back at ya!
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