Homeless

Chapter Four

Dr. Mac crosses the railroad tracks with a first aid kit and an empty cage, and Maggie waves her over. Sunita explains that they can’t find Socrates, and a whole colony of stray cats lives here, too. Neighborhood kids have been feeding them, but the parents want them gone, and Animal Control is coming to take them.

Dr. Mac says patiently that they need to handle one thing at a time. Sunita can tell her the rest on the way to the clinic. Sunita isn’t sure if Dr. Mac is fifty-five or sixty, but besides her white hair, nothing about her gives away her age. She runs marathons, writes a newspaper column about pets, and travels the world giving lectures, full of energy and great with animals and kids.

Dr. Mac kneels a foot from the injured cat, and Sunita explains he was hit by a car and won’t eat or drink. Dr. Mac evaluates him from head to paws without touching him, warning Sunita back when she offers to help. This isn’t a stray cat used to human touch. This is a feral cat, born in the wild, that sees people as predators. Maggie and Sunita trade surprised looks, unable to imagine a cat disliking Dr. Mac. She pulls a giant pair of oven mitts from the equipment box, explaining the cat could carry disease and will scratch and bite, so she’ll need the mitts just to get him caged.

Dr. Mac is right. As she lifts the blanket, the cat sinks his teeth into the nearest mitt. She says the best thing to do is get him to the clinic quickly for a sedative. She cages the feral cat, drapes a towel over it to make him feel secure, then asks if they found Socrates. Sunita shakes her head sadly and reminds her that he’s hurt.

Dr. Mac sighs; Zoe already told her about the fight. Socrates has chased cats out of the yard before and always come back, but she’s clearly thinking about the dangers he could run into. Sunita can’t bear to think about it. They just have to find him.

Dr. Mac checks her watch. If Socrates doesn’t turn up by tomorrow, the kids can make flyers, but they need to get back to the clinic now. As she picks up the cage, the cat meows, and Sunita asks about the other cats. Jamie’s mom said Animal Control is coming tomorrow to take them all, and what if they catch Socrates, too? Dr. Mac promises they’ll talk about it at the clinic.

Back at the clinic, the kids head to the kitchen for a snack, but Sunita follows Dr. Mac into the exam room. Dr. Mac sets the caged cat on the metal table and draws a liquid sedative from a vial, explaining it’ll relax the cat and ease his pain so they can see what’s going on.

Dr. Mac positions herself behind the cage and asks Sunita to stand where the cat can see her but stay far back, distracting him. Sunita makes squeaking noises to hold the cat’s attention while Dr. Mac slides the needle through the bars. Right as the needle hits his rump, the cat whips around and shoots a paw through the bars.

Dr. Mac yelps as the cat scratches her, blood welling on her hand. She washes it with hot water and soap. The scratch is deep, which is why she gets vaccine boosters every other year, so even if the cat has rabies, she’s protected. Sunita asks if she’ll need antibiotics, but Dr. Mac says only a bite would require them. Antibiotic cream should be enough.

Dr. Mac explains that’s just how cats are: dogs usually signal irritation before biting, but a cat can attack without warning. She jokes that maybe they should call him Tiger, and warns Sunita that feral cats are unpredictable.

Sunita says he just needs to feel better, so they can find him a good home. But Dr. Mac shakes her head. He might look like a house cat, but he was likely born in the wild to an abandoned or runaway pet, and cats raised wild have no interest in being pets.

Sunita keeps quiet, but she thinks Dr. Mac is wrong. Tiger has had a hard life, and he just needs tender, loving care. Sunita is sure she can teach him that humans aren’t bad and tame him while he recuperates. That won’t happen overnight, though, and Animal Control is coming for the cats by the train tracks tomorrow. They have to find a way to stop them.

The sedative relaxes Tiger enough for Dr. Mac to examine him. His heartbeat is strong, his breathing fast but clear, and there are no broken ribs. His leg might be fractured, though, so they’ll need an X-ray and he’ll stay confined while it heals. They’ll also need to neuter him so he won’t father kittens.

Dr. Mac hangs an I.V. of sterile water and nutrients on a metal stand and connects the needle to a vein in Tiger’s leg to rehydrate him and help him feel better.

Sunita tells Dr. Mac about the conversation with Jamie’s mom. Dr. Mac explains that state law lets officials remove animals that endanger public health, and the woman is likely worried about rabies. It’s common in wild animals but pets can catch it, too, spread through an infected animal’s saliva when it bites. Rabies attacks the nervous system and brain and is fatal once symptoms start unless a bite victim gets treated quickly. That’s why the law requires pets like dogs, cats, and ferrets to be vaccinated, to keep animals and owners safe.