Ron's Second Rescue
Whenever I go to rescue a cat a second time, I always wonder how he will react to me based on his experience with his first rescue. Did he perceive his first rescue as frightening, traumatic, pleasant, or just neutral? Even if the first rescue was very gentle and pleasant from my point of view, did he experience it differently? Does he even remember the first rescue? When I approach him this second time, will he regard me as predator or rescuer? Those are some of the concerns passing through my mind as I went, for the second time, to rescue Ron, the cool, orange tabby boy in Mandeville, Louisiana. I went over my notes from Ron's first rescue to remind me how that rescue developed and how he reacted. I remember feeling disappointed that Ron showed no interest in stepping on my lap even though he was a frequent lap-sitter with his family. I remember reluctantly dropping the cat bag around him from above and lifting him to collect the bag beneath him. I did it as gently as possible, ...