Billy cat has been a house cat a long time, ever since my brother-in-law rescued him many years ago. Since that time, the closest thing to being outside was when he was in the Florida room-style back porch with some of the windows opened. Out there, Billy cat could sniff the air, hear the birds chirping, watch the neighborhood cats as they strolled by, or annoy the neighbor’s dog when he was let out to do his business.
The condo has red brick siding that’s about 3 feet high with a ledge at the top; above that is vinyl siding. Occasionally, one of those neighborhood cats would get up onto that ledge, follow it around to the back porch, at which point Billy cat would notice him. The Florida room has a similar ledge at a similar height on the inside. Billy cat would race to where the ledge ends on the outside and face-off with the feline intruder, growling and smacking his paws against the closed window.
It was funny to watch. No harm done. The intruding cat would eventually leave, sometimes with my encouragement.
Because of Billy cat’s health issues and because he was never trained to use a scratching post, Billy cat spends much of his day in his own room. I let him out to come into my room or to investigate any new smells in the condo, but only while I can supervise him. His dedicated space is a nice size with two big windows and lots of things to climb on or to hide under, when he needs a little privacy.
Every morning I go into that room to give him food, change his water, and to clean his very stinky litter boxes (he has an intestinal problem that needs a lot of litter box space). As you might imagine, that room needs to be aired out. And so, each morning I open one of those big windows to let in some fresh air, while the ceiling fan is running. The window has a screen. So I’ve never been concerned about Billy cat trying to get outside. In fact, on those rare occasions when a door was opened to the outside and he was close by, he never showed any interest in going out there.
That changed this morning.
I had given him food and water, had cleaned out his litter boxes, had left the window open for a while, and had gone back to my room to do some work on my computer. I heard what sounded like a couple of cats fighting somewhere out behind the condo. That happens occasionally. Sometimes the neighborhood cats don’t get along.
Then I realized … that sound was very close. I remembered that I had left the window open. There is a box with a padded mat at that window to give Billy cat a place to sit and look out at the backyard. The growling I heard sounded a lot like how Billy cat sounded when he was fighting intruders through the Florida room window.
I jumped up and ran to Billy cat’s room. What I found was funny and scary at the same time. One of the neighborhood cats, an orange tabby, affectionately called Clemson kitty by me and a lot of other folks, had noticed Billy cat at the window and came over to visit. Clemson kitty is actually a full-grown adult cat, probably a little larger than Billy cat.
Billy cat did not appreciate the visit. When I walked into the room what I saw was Billy cat, still in the window, but his body was sticking halfway through the screen. He had busted through the screen and was snarling and growling at Clemson kitty, who was about 2 feet away, down on the concrete patio. As I reached the window and looked down, Clemson kitty had what appeared to be a surprised look on his face, implying he just wanted to visit, and Billy cat was objecting loudly to the intrusion.
The only part of Billy cat that I could get a hold of was his tail. When I first grabbed it, Billy cat turned his head toward me and made a sound that helped me to understand I needed to be cautious. I gently grabbed it again, pulled him in a little, and grabbed one of his hind legs, pulling him the rest of the way in. Then I closed the window. Although I had not made a sound, Clemson kitty took that opportunity to leave the premises at a rapid rate.
There were no obvious injuries, but Billy cat was extremely upset and breathing heavily. I talked to him as calmly as I could and very cautiously petted him until he calmed down. He’s okay now, but still keeping a close eye on that window.
I suspect that, if Clemson kitty tells this story to his cat buddies, he will probably suggest that he won the altercation. What I saw was quite different. Billy cat, protecting his property, busted through the window screen and scared the crap out of Clemson kitty.
By the way, where can I buy a new screen for the window? Preferably one that is Billy cat-proof.