Pumpkin On the Mend

As I was re-filling Pumpkin's water dish earlier today, he snaked out of his cell -- the big dog carrier in which he's doing six to eight weeks to help mend a broken pelvis -- and wobble-wove around my legs, his big motor of a purr rumbling cat-felt appreciation.

Having expressed his feelings so earnestly, Pumpkin settled nearby on one of the rugs and blissfully stretched out his full length, which is impressive.



It's been a week-and-a-half since Pumpkin was clipped by a car on a nearby road. Somehow, despite his broken pelvis, this intelligent creature managed to drag himself to the front of our barn, where we found him when we did the PM check on the horses.

He wasn't our cat, but we stood in for his people, taking him to an emergency veterinary clinic. We spent a good deal of time trying to identify his owner, to no avail. Last Friday, after a week of hospitalization and no owner on the scene, Pumpkin was released to my care.

Yesterday, I spoke with a woman who thought Pumpkin might be a cat she'd lost two years ago. It was improbable, as the woman lives out on the Wilson River Highway, a good distance from the ranch. She'd taken her kitty to a vet clinic in Hillboro to have one of his ears repaired and somehow, he'd escaped. As we compared notes, it became clear that Pumpkin was not the woman's cat. She'll resume her search and I wish her well. I hope she finds her kitty.