I’m a Ginger Tom

By Leah

Intro

I hope you like my true story of a cat that visits our garden a lot. He lives just down the road but he has to cross a busy main road to get to us. The photos were taken while he was having a nap in our cat pen, he’d had his breakfast with us as well.

I’ve tried to make the story quirky but in reality it’s a warning of the consequences of not having your cat neutered and the pitfalls they face during their life. As well as what happens below they also have a shorter life expectancy. Females should also be spayed because they have numerous unwanted kittens which in the wrong hands are handed to just anyone and they go on to have more unwanted kittens. The mating process for females is also very unpleasant and when in season they can be brutalised my numerous males sometimes ending up injured and bleeding as well as pregnant.

Please get your cat neutered; in the UK it can even be done for free. Just approach the Cats Protection league and they will send you a voucher to take to your local vets. Please do it, after all how would you like to not have any say about when you get pregnant? How would you feel if your babies were drowned at birth or given away to a child abuser?

Cat rescues are full to overflowing because of irresponsible uncaring people who think its fun ‘to get a kitten’ but with any animal comes responsibility so come on do right by them!

To summarise;

• Your cat will be happier, relate to you and build a stronger bond.
• He will not be responsible for producing unwanted kittens.
• Will be less likely to fight therefore not be prone to scratches, bites, abscesses.
• He will be less at risk of STI’s.
• Will very likely live longer.
• He will be less prone to testicular cancer in later life.

Anyway now for my story…….

Story

Hi my name’s Ginger, I’m what you humans would call a Ginger Tom; Tom traditionally meaning un-neutered, intact, unaltered yep I’m in full possession so to speak!

Now many of you humans would prefer me minus a couple of round furry aspects of my anatomy – yeowch! I like them just where they are thanks very much! Mind you I can kind of see your point because they do have their pitfalls in the modern world.

You see although I sound quite friendly I’m actually not, I’m grumpy most of the time and I like to get out there, I like to roam, on the prowl as it were to impregnate all and sundry. There’s so many of my kittens around here now and they are having kittens of their own! I’m a dad, granddad, great granddad maybe even a great, great granddad!

One of the main problems though I find these days is that it’s getting harder to find what I’m looking for and I’m needing to go further afield dodging cars, dogs and the like. That’s why I’m grumpy and tired most of the time hence not friendly to people; well wouldn’t you be the same? I constantly have one thing on my mind and believe me it’s not always a bed of Roses; there’s just not the available pussy out there that there used to be!

Yeah it’s certainly not easy being a Ginger Tom these days especially when there’s others like me after the same female! Things can get pretty heated! I get scratched and bit like you wouldn’t believe! Then there’s the abscesses and believe me I’ve had a few of those! And vets! God I hate them! Some would say they have their uses because they can vaccinate us against Feline Aids, I’ve not had mine but what can I do? My mom isn’t really bothered about these things, says it’s a waste of money so I just have to take the risk and hope those that are willing haven’t been with too many other Toms. Not the only way I can get diseased though I’ve also heard I can get it through those horrible scratches and bites.

You know a funny thing happened to me the other week; I went out without a collar and returned home wearing one! Some mad human caught hold of me and forced me into this damn girly collar with a note in it. Apparently she wasn’t too happy with me and wanted to let my mom know! She only told her that she was irresponsible and that she should get my bits chopped off! The cheek of it! Just because I made her 3 precious girlies howl on her conservatory roof! She let my mom know that I was there every day bothering her females and that they were scared and I was upsetting them! My mom wasn’t too happy she said the nosy so and so should mind her own business.

Anyway that’s enough about me I’m off to see my pal Titch up the road he’s not been very well, he’s still intact like me but he’s getting on a bit now and he’s got this awful swelling on his nether regions, his mom isn’t too bothered so she won’t take him to the vets but they say it’s a tumour whatever that might be and its inevitable really because of his age and because he still has his bits and pieces. They say he’ll die and it will be very painful. He won’t say anything though he’ll just keep quiet about it.

Right nature calls so I’m off on my travels I’ll leave you with a picture of me (you can see my war wounds!) I’m not at my best at the minute because of all the travelling; my coat is out of condition and a bit greasy but never mind the girls seem to like the slick backed look!

Bye all!