Living with a wild thing Asanga's Story

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Catching the cazy wild thing

Poorly feet as he was first called lived in Sa Roca Forrest and was fed with other cats at the Buddhist temple. He was completely wild and  untouchable. One day I noticed he was limping, his fur was matted and he smelt very bad. I caught him by luck than skill and he clawed and bit the cage like a crazy wild thing. His paws were raw and bloody but he was desperately frightened so he continued to claw at the cage making them worse.
The vet said that he had a type of dermatitis. This made his pads raw and three times the size. It also meant that he was unable to scratch like normal cats, keeping their claws short, so instead his claws grew long and dug into his pads. His fur was matted with blood and he was skinny probably because he was not able to walk to food and the pain made him loose his appetite.
The good news was that it was treatable. Thanks to Cats in need Menorca he was treated and released back in Sa Roca where he was found.  However after the third time of trapping him to be treated it was clear that it was getting more and more difficult (cats are not stupid and rarely fall for the same trick twice) and although after each treatment he was better is was short lived. So I made the decision that this time he would live with me. That way he could have daily medicine and I could catch it at early stages.

Living with a wild cat

When he first came to live with me he would bury himself under blankets. It was a case of ‘if I can’t see you you can’t see me!’ For weeks he has lived under my bed hiding. I tried to encourage him to come out by wrapping him in a blanket like a baby, giving him some strokes and then letting him go according to his own will. He would run, crawling as low as he could to the floor to get to his shelter. He was so fearful and after six weeks I started to wonder if he would always be like this.
So I named him Asanga. Asanga was a Buddhist yogi who spent years meditating in a cave. On several occasions he become discouraged with his progress, give up and left his cave. However every time he left his cave he would see examples of how little actions that are consistent can produce big effects so he went back to resume his meditation practice.
It’s easy to give up on a cat that is wild, after all what is a life of hiding. At times I felt discouraged and I questioned if I had done the right thing, but then I knew that life in the wild was also hard for him and full of pain. So patiently every day we would have little strokes and his food bowl would gradually move further away from his hiding hole. Very very gradually he has become more and more confident. The change in him has been slow and after two months he started to hang around for stokes and now he wants so much fuss he trips me up by getting under my feet!

Poorly feet to poorly ear

Unfortunately its not a completely happy ending. A few weeks ago I noticed a growth in his ear. Thanks again to Cats in need Menorca I was able to take him to the vet and have my fears confirmed that it was a melanoma. He has had the lump removed and we are waiting to hear the results of the biopsy. I shall let you know how he gets on.

Thank you to all those who support cats in need

I would like to say thanks to everyone who supports Cats in need Menorca. If it wasn’t for your generous donations it would be impossible for wild cats like Asanga to be treated.  When we find a wild or street cat that need treatment we are left feeling hopeless. However Janice and her charity brings support and hope during these times.

Many Thanks Samsang and Asanga