Feline teachers, school of hard knocks

My feline pals have taught me many things.  For instance, I've learned that I am a sucker.  A sick or injured cat will cause me do stupid things.  I don't even like Darryl, the zombie tom, but when he was hurt, I had to save him. 

That's something else I've learned.  I love some cats but not all of them. 

And just like with human friendships, a person can pick the wrong one to hang out with.  Sadly, affection and dislike are not logical.  Even though Tommy was an outdoor feral cat, we became buddies.  And though the nosy fool was dumb enough to keep getting hurt, he was smart enough to come to me when he got in trouble.   

Tommy can't stay out of trouble to save his life, so I have to keep saving it.  It's a good thing I like him.   Since I can't afford any more of his nonsense, Tommy has been forced to become a house cat.  If Tommy had his way, he would come and go as he pleased.  But after his last escapade, which nearly killed him and cost him his tail, he lost his say in the matter. 

Because I've already adopted five cats, bringing  Tommy in caused some problems.  Although the  outside cats love Tommy, the inside cats hate him.  He's been in for over a year and there's still friction and fighting.  Squabbling hasn't been the only problem.  When Tommy moved indoors, he brought some baggage with him.  The first problem was ticks.  Tommy and the others all had to be treated.  They hate the tick medicine and I hate subjecting them to it.  Another nasty surprise Tommy brought in was worms.  Again, the whole group had to be treated.  Before they could be de-wormed, Golddigger's Animal Hospital insisted they all have physicals.  Dragging all six cats to the vet was a nightmare.  The pills were big enough for a horse and had to be administered by the hospital staff because I just couldn't do it.  The whole ordeal was expensive and very unpleasant for the cats, especially little Angie.  Angie hates the vet because she thinks the vet bit her. 

After all that trouble, it's no wonder the Fab Five hate Tommy. 

Since then, I've learned that there are worse things than fleas, ticks, and worms.  I've discovered that Tommy has feline HIV.  By bringing Tommy in, I've jeopardized the other house cats' health.

The whole point of this is if you already have indoor cats, think twice before you bring in a stray.

Now that calico, Vixen, is such a nice cat.  Sometimes I'm so tempted....