The Case of the Very Fat Shop Cat

Dan's new Shop Cat (new only because the first Shop Cat now lives here at home with us-see bottom photo) is a dainty, solid black feral female that had slowly become really rotund during the last three or four months (left photo). One weekend, as a favor, I examined her from as close as I could get and decided this couldn't be a pregnancy because it had gone on too long. 

What could it be? My thoughts ranged from a tumor, severe parasite infestation, FIP, etc., etc., etc. Concerned, Dan trained Shop Cat to eat her meals in a kitty carrier and, at a pre-arranged time, he caught her so I could take her to our vet. I had been told this was a wild, feral cat! She occasionally let people pet her but was skittish and distrusting. I'd petted her once or twice prior to that day so I was expecting the worst. She didn't like the carrier and let us know it.

I put her in the car, transported her to the vet and talked my way into a waiting room so she didn't have to sit in the lobby with DOGS.

I took her out of the carrier and wrapped her in a towel so she wouldn't be scared. To my amazement, she cuddled up to me and started purring. I'm a sucker for cats who purr. Yes, I know, most cats purr. We'd lost our oldest cat last year, a Russian Blue named Arthur Ashe. The thing I missed most about him was his peaceful, loud purring. (But I digress, that is another story for another time). 

By the time the vet stepped into the room, Shop Cat and I were in love.

Doc performed an exam as we discussed the potential possibilities of the cat's round, tight abdomen. He checked for worms, listened to her heart and even shaved her belly to see if she had been previously spayed. She had not. She handled the shaving like a pro. 

She was negative for worms, had a strong heart beat and pulse, good gum color and all the right vital signs. The only thing left to do was an X-ray. The tech wrapped her in a towel and carried her out of the room.

Another tech brought a portable x-ray screen into the exam room and set it up. That's when I started to get worried. I'd just fallen in love with Shop Cat and now she was going to have some serious or exotic, terminal malady. Doc came back and explained that even though the X-ray was a little dark, the problem was clearly visible. 

In the background you can hear an imaginary drum roll along with gasps of surprise!

The dire diagnosis was—wait—are you sitting down? Shop Cat was ready to give birth in about a week! Perfectly outlined in the X-ray were several not-so-tiny kittens.

This was quite a blow for the great Sherlock Holmes of veterinary technician diagnosticians. I was right but I was wrong. My original assumption was correct. More people were feeding Shop Cat than anyone knew. That was the main reason she started getting fat. This was a few months before she found herself in a family way. 

I'd never considered this possibility because she'd been hanging around the shop since Dan brought the previous Shop Cat, Ashley, home to live with us. Everyone thought Shop Cat was one of those unfortunate cats who'd once been loved, taken care of and spayed, then left, lost or dumped. During the time she'd been around the shop, the black cat had never had any kittens. (Explanation: Shop Cat 1 is named after Arthur Ashe because she's a Russian Blue—but that's another story...) 

After Doc congratulated me and wished me good luck, I carefully tucked Shop Cat into her carrier and drove back to Jupiter Farms. Before I reached home, I'd already named her Noche (night in Spanish). She's going to live with us. After she has her kittens and they're weaned, she'll be making another trip to see Doc. She's going to be spayed so this kind of situation never happens again! Oh, and by the way, DOES ANYONE WANT A KITTEN?


Photos:
Top L: Shop Cat 2 aka "Noche"
Bottom Right: Shop Cat 1 aka Ashley

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Update: The next day at work, two of Dan's fellow employees said they wanted a kitten and they haven't even been born yet. Not bad for a very fat shop cat!


Second Update: (3/15/10) The kittens are 1 week old tonight. They are healthy and happy and Noche is the best MOM. There's still one kitten unspoken for? Any takers? Photos will be posted soon. Right now they are little black blobs against a background of a black mother cat!