cat distribution system brings me Susu
When we first moved into this house, there was a black and white male cat that liked to come by. He came so often that we called him Zoro. However, we didn't feed him regularly, only occasionally. Zoro was often sick, frequently having colds. Since we weren't ready to commit to taking care of a cat, and I wasn't ready to deal with the sadness of losing a pet cat—I had experienced it before and it was very painful—we didn't pay much attention to him.
After almost a year of Zoro coming to the house, we noticed another cat following him. This time it was a tortoiseshell female cat. We didn't know where she came from, but she was definitely fierce. We couldn't get close to her; she only stuck with Zoro. Since she came often, she eventually got familiar with us. That cat also caught Zoro's cold, and they both had flu together.
That was last year's story. One day, Zoro stopped coming, and we assumed he had died. It's normal for stray cats that aren't taken care of. But the female cat had gotten used to staying on our porch, and gradually she became healthy. I called her Telon, though Tortie would have been more appropriate; because of her three colors and it was just cute to call her Telon.
At first, I fed her every three days, then once a day. Over time, she learned when we came home from work and would always wait in front of the house, jumping for food. Eventually, we started stocking cat food as well. However, I still kept her as an outdoor cat. I'm allergic to cat fur now, easily getting itchy and coughing.
Telon often hung out and slept on the porch. Besides me, our neighbor at the end of the block, who also had cats, liked to play with her. My husband gradually grew fond of her and changed her name to Susu. (Why Susu? He said to name pets after something you like. Whether it's milk or breast you'll never know.)
It turned out Susu was quite popular in the neighborhood. Many male cats were after her. Twice I saw her pregnant, but strangely I never knew where she hid her kittens. She would disappear for a few days and then return with a flat belly—where were her kittens?
One day, she came with blood in her vagina. There were bloodstains where she had been sitting on the porch. I panicked and asked my husband to take her to the vet. According to the vet, she had a uterine infection; there was pus inside. The vet seemed like a bit of a scam because the treatment was very expensive and he tended to scare us. After checking Google reviews, I realized there were many paid reviews. But fortunately, the medicine he gave was real and Susu gradually got better.
From that incident, I was determined to implement TNR for Susu: Trap, Neuter, Release. Since she didn't go anywhere, there was no need for trapping; she was left on the porch. The vet said she couldn't be spayed immediately, so I waited until she was in better condition and started saving up...
Until finally, she disappeared for a few days and came back pregnant. I only realized this about a month later. We got caught off guard!
Slowly, Susu's belly grew bigger, of course. The neighbors now knew we often fed Susu; we even had proper feeding and drinking stations on the porch. From chatting with the neighbors, I learned more about Susu's history and other information. My husband and I didn't know before because we were out of the house most of the time.
It turned out Susu was a former house cat. Her previous owner left her when they moved and didn't take her. Perhaps that was when Zoro decided to "bring" Susu to our house. That's also why Susu was initially afraid of strangers.
As for Susu's pregnancies: she gave birth at a neighbor's house. Specifically, under their roof. The first time, she didn't take care of her kittens, and the garbage collector took them somewhere. The second time, she gave birth under the garage, according to my neighbor, and after that, they probably didn't survive either. My neighbor also mentioned that Susu broke their roof tiles twice while looking for a place to give birth. They had to call a handyman to fix it.
(Another note: Zoro apparently died in their garage. For some reason, the cats that liked to come to our house chose their place for important things like dying or giving birth...)
My husband and I were shocked, of course. It meant we had been inconveniencing our neighbor because we only fed her. So after discussing it with my husband, we bought a large enough cage for Susu so she could still move around—and of course, stocked up on food, litter, and water.
Our daily routine has now increased: every morning and after coming home from work, cleaning the litter and cage is the main agenda. I don't dare to clean it because of my allergies and fear of toxoplasmosis, so my husband does it all. He diligently clean the cat cage even after a full day work on site.
After being in the cage for almost five days, this morning Susu gave birth to three kittens. My husband and I are very relieved because the three kittens seem healthy and chubby. She also takes care of her kittens. Maybe she didn't care for her kittens before because she couldn't find a safe enough place to nest.
After this, I still have my plan: waiting until the kittens are big enough, then getting Susu spayed. Susu will be released again to become an outdoor cat once she's spayed. As for the kittens, we plan to keep one or two in the cage. The other one will be released as well and hopefully spayed. They can also be put up for adoption if anyone is interested.
I never thought I would end up taking care of cats. But I guess the cat distribution system has chosen us. I hope these cats stay healthy and happy.
