Little Splash will always have a special place in my heart. I fear he had a horrible beginning in life.
Tuck brought him home one day. I was surprised he was accepted into the group. Fluffy and Brother had started
doing patrol and usually chased any new cats away before I would even see them. For some reason they let Splash stay.
Maybe they knew he was not long for this world. Maybe he was just determined to stay as he did not have the energy left
to search for someplace else.
He was starvation thin. I would have estimated about six to seven months of age and wearing a flea collar
that was way to tight and starting to interfere with eating and breathing. There could be no gradual taming with this
guy. Immediate intervention was needed. He was trapped and taken to the veterinarian for shots, deworming, flea collar
removal, and eventual neutering.
The flea collar left an indentation that lasted for about four weeks. He had a hard time adjusting to
eating again and had constant diarrhea for the first several weeks. I really wondered if he was going to make it, but
suddenly he turned around. He started gaining weight and is now a little butterball. I suspect he is part Persian
as he has that body type.
He must have been badly abused. He is often afraid of his own shadow. He has slowly begun
to trust again. He loves to be petted and brushed. He cannot tolerate any type of correction, however, without fleeing
in terror. Just the slightest bit of sterness in the voice and he is gone. He wants so bad to be an inside cat,
but panics in the house and must be let back in the garage with Tuck and Brother. He does make gains each month and
I think he will eventually spend a lot of his time in the house.
UPDATED JUNE, 2005
Splash may rival or surpass Jade for the most changed cat over the last year. He now spends
much of his time in the house and never is outside. He has calmed down from his prior afraid of his own shadow self.
He loves to be petted and brushed. I can hold him in my lap and even carry him for short distances. He loves to
be fussed over and chortles with glee when he is the focus of attention. Splash essentially raised Domino and Blaze.
He adopted them as soon as they arrived and cared for them diligently. He even would trill like a queen to call them.
They remain a tight knit family unit within the larger group even though Domino and Blaze are now almost grown.
He has recently adopted Grayson into his family. He just loves kittens. Still not as trusting as the other adults,
I think it is just a matter of time before he becomes a real lap cat.
UPDATED OCTOBER, 2006
Splash has made great progress over the last year. He has lost much of his fear and even
is one of the first to approach visitors. He loves to be petted and brushed. I think he misses having kittens
to raise, but he remains very close to Domino, Blaze, and Grayson. His fur is incredibly soft. It is just wonderful
to touch and stroke.
