Cat flies by the seat of his pants!

OF ALL the animals I’ve ever taken care of, Thong, one of the two soi cats who consider my house their personal “cat hotel”, has to be the least graceful.

I’ve stopped counting the times he’s ended up at the vet’s with muscles badly strained when he accidentally tripped over his own feet trying to jump from a tree down to the soi.

He’s finally learned how to jump down as well as up, but he’s still rather clumsy.

Just the other morning, when I called him and his best friend Thep in for breakfast, I saw Thep jump gracefully from a roof to a fence to a bush and then down to the soi.

Poor Thong followed, but when he tried to jump from the same roof to the same fence, he slipped, and I was treated to the sight of a cat landing on his rear end, with his tail pointing in one direction and all four feet extended in front of him.

Despite the humour of the situation, this type of fall is extremely dangerous, whether you’re a cat or a human. You could easily injure your pelvis or even crack your tail bone.

He finally staggered down to the soi, but then ran under a parked car, and he wouldn’t come out, no matter how much I called him.

Thep slipped under the car too and stayed with his friend. At least a year older than Thong, Thep always looks after him.

Thong hadn’t limped or shown any sign of pain, but he wouldn’t come near me. The boys didn’t show up for their evening meal either.

Although I was worried, I thought Thong was resting his body, waiting for it to heal. Perhaps he also remembered that if he showed any pain in my house, he’d end up at the vet’s, a place he’d rather not visit at all.

The next morning, the two boys did show up, waiting patiently by the gate to be let in for breakfast.

Then I saw something I really didn’t want to see - ever.

Both boys had oil on their shoulders. By the smell, it was motor oil. The oil is poison, and I knew both cats could become very, very ill just by accidentally swallowing it if they started grooming each other.

I grabbed one and then the other, using baby powder and a grooming brush to remove the oil. That baby powder is much more effective - and safer - than liquid detergent.

Even worse, from the position of the oil on their shoulders, I knew that in the coolness of the night time, they had crept up into a car’s engine for some warmth. They could easily reach the engine from underneath the car.

They do have the sense to hop out before anyone starts the engine, but what would happen if one time, they didn’t hear the car owner in time? They’d die a horrible death.

For their own safety, I’d love to keep the two soi boys inside my house permanently, away from the dangers of the soi. They’re too wild, though, Thep especially. They’re tame enough to let me pick them up and pet them, but not comfortable being kept inside for long. Despite my good intentions, the stress of confinement would be too much for them.

So, please don’t tell me cats always land on their feet. Thong’s rear end is still slightly sore from his crash landing. And please don’t tell me how cats have nine lives. My two soi boys have already gone well past 100.