Wtf are you looking at, dumb hooman?
Yoda has decided to colonise a vintage crate wherein I dumped some old curtains abandoned by a previous tenant. Perfect for him to laze around in because it's rained a lot in the last few days, and all of his normal lurking spots outside are wet. Normally, he only presents himself for meals, and spends the rest of the time stalking birds or hiding under the prickly pear. I heard that some roving dogs chased him out of his lair the other day and cornered him but he fought back and gave them both a hiding. That experience brought him into the yard more often, although not in the house, until the rain. Thus, I got a rare opportunity to photograph his unruly self.
Curling up inside the box is for those who like to follow the rules
Unfortunately, he needs to go to the vet but I am out of cash to take him so it will have to wait. He seems to have an autoimmune response in his feet, called plasmacytic pododermatitis, aka "pillow foot" which causes his paw pads to swell. It isn't painful to him although it does cause cracks, which can ulcerate, but to get a proper diagnosis will require sedation and a biopsy so it will be expensive. Then there's also the problem of treating him. This is not a cat who appreciates being held still and medicated, he'll take your face off if sufficiently annoyed.
There are at least 2 paws affected
The vet thinks I'm nuts to tolerate this cat but the truth is that I adore him even though he's obnoxious. I raised him from when he was a five-week-old starving feral kitten that I found dying on a pavement in the inner city. He's 8 years old now and as feisty as ever. So we'll figure out something for the boy in due course
