Humans are Scary..a Tale of the Detroit Cat Monster

Posted on August 29, 2013August 29, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Big Cat On The Loose In Detroit May Be Hybrid Savannah Breed

This is not the kind of stray cat you want to offer a saucer of milk, or even encounter on the street. For the last several weeks, Detroiters have reported seeing a large animal that has been described as up to four feet tall and as long as an 85-pound Doberman prowling their neighborhood in the northeastern area of the city.

Savannah Cat (domestic)

According to WJBK-TV in Detroit, an expert believes the animal could be a Savannah cat, a hybrid breed that is a cross between an African serval and a domestic house cat. The breed was first introduced in the 1980s.

African Serval Cat

The cat is putting residents on edge. Fourteen-year-old Paul Hatley told the Detroit Free Press he ran into the animal recently.

“It wasn’t normal,” he said. “It didn’t run away like normal cat. It just stared at you. … It was scary.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, several residents have spotted the cat, which has unique markings. They reportedly called Detroit Animal Control, who didn’t respond. On Friday, the Michigan Humane Society told the paper it would investigate the situation.

Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue has also set traps for the cat, Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek told WDIV-TV.

“What I think is that someone took this breed of cat on and then probably dumped it here,” she said. “They’re the wildest version of a domestic cat but they are not wild animals, they have been domesticated.”

Well it seems the humans that care didn’t move fast enough and the cat was shot and killed. Turns out the cat was a family pet (which explains why it didn’t run away) and yes, it was extra large. But it had escaped from the family home and not being micro chipped was wandering lost until some gun happy imbecile decided to shoot it.

Aside from the shame of destroying a beautiful animal, these are very rare and expensive cats.

Males and females that are from a first generation who have more than 53% serval in them can cost anywhere from $7,000 to $23,000.
2nd generations (29% serval) can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000. 3rd generations (16% serval) can cost anywhere $1,000 to $6,500, while a 4th generation can cost $1,000 to $2,800.

I can’t even begin to express how sickened I am by this outcome. Human’s are intolerant and we think we own the world. They couldn’t let the Animal Control people do their jobs and handle this. I’m sure the person who shot the cat is telling tales of his bravery in the face of this dangerous house cat. Grrrrr.

Is it any wonder that we have wars and crime and mayhem when we can’t even give a house cat a chance to find it’s home.

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on August 28, 2013August 28, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Rocky being Rocky

Posted on August 6, 2013August 6, 2013 by Dusty Roads

(Someone was upset because he is not getting enough exposure in these pages. So this post is to satisfy demands of furry creatures and restore peace and tranquility)

In case you were wondering what’s been going on with our Editor – in- Chief, well, I think he’s retired.

Editor in Chief

He seems to find more satisfaction in a basket of clothes fresh from the dryer. Oh yes, they must still be warm…And sports fans will remember “Manny being Manny”… I think we have a case of Rocky being Rocky. 🙂

It’s A Furry, Furry World

Posted on July 29, 2013July 29, 2013 by Dusty Roads

It’s been quite awhile since I updated everyone on my 3 cat home life. What brought it to mind was the chaos being reaped this morning. I heard a series of loud bumps and bangs and then a horrible crash. No sleeping in this morning! (For me anyway)

I dashed into the living room to see what had been destroyed this time only to see 3 innocent looking faces staring at me. No one was at war, everyone sitting calmly. Hmmmm maybe a bit toooo calmly.

As I began to get their breakfast together I began to see the signs. My electric fry pan that lives on my counter when not in use was still on the counter, but it hung precariously.

The small cat tree that arrived with Buddy was tipped over.

OK nothing broken. I fed them breakfast, refreshed the water and headed in to clean the kitty litter. My life revolves around mundane kitty chores before I can take my shower and have my breakfast.

Before I even started the first scoop a cat ran between my legs, nearly tripping me and bolted back toward the living room…Buddy. Right on his heels came an orange streak that nearly bowled me over….Rocky! Up over the back of the couch, a leap past the TV and the 2 raced to the dining room where Rocky bolted to the top of the china cabinet. Buddy wisely refused to try !

A few minutes later Rocky jumped down with a thud and the two crazy cats plopped down in the middle of the floor to groom.

Back to the chores I went. Then into the shower.

When I stepped out dripping wet there was Buddy making himself at home on my clean towel. Although I got him off the towel he wasn’t leaving. This cat is addicted to the hair dryer. In his little kitty mind he’s figure out that shower = hair dryer. So another ritual has been born. I just can’t take a picture when I have the hair dryer in my hands.

Finally I’m ready to sit down to my breakfast. So that means it’s time for Smokey to get in the act. His “thing” is to sit and stare at me as I try to enjoy breakfast. It’s his hope that I’ll drop something he can grab.

With the hot weather we’ve been having Smokey is a walking fur factory. He leaves a trail of kitty fur where ever he goes. Constant vacuuming (the rug)and brushing (his hair) has not seemed to make much of a difference.

Smokey is the referee. Buddy and Rocky get into some major tussles and if they get out of hand the clawless wonder (Smokey) jumps in an breaks it up. Hard to believe but the smallest, oldest and the only declawed cat in the household is the one to break up the fights that get out of hand. Give him a striped shirt!

Most of the fights seem to be play fights but every now and then it gets intense. That’s when Smokey jumps in and hits them with his paw! I try not to laugh. But they both pay attention and “stand down”.

Never a dull moment! But don’t they all look so innocent?

Baby Alpacas

Posted on July 25, 2013July 25, 2013 by Dusty Roads

If you have been following my posts for awhile you may remember a post from last November about a “Teeny, Tiny, Farm-ette”. In that post I introduced a friend’s little farm where he tends to Silky Chickens, alpacas, pygmy goats and horses along with dogs, cats and a parrot or two.

About a week ago he called me to ask if I still liked taking pictures of baby “critters”. Of course I said yes. At the time of the call he had a 2 day old Alpaca baby. I couldn’t go visit right away so the baby was about a week old when I got there.

The baby had a friend, another baby Alpaca that was 2 weeks old and an”older” friend that was about a month old.

I was surprised how big they were for so young but as grazing animals they would have to be able to get around quickly if they were in the wild to escape predators. I had a chance to pet one, not just take pictures and I understand why they are so valued for their wool. They are so soft and fluffy. They are softer than they look.

Mama didn’t like too much attention being showered on her young one but she behaved, no spitting but she did stick out her tongue once to show her displeasure.

They had more baby pygmy goats but when I went into the pen they crowded around me so much I couldn’t get any pictures. They were funny as they tried to chew on my jeans and nibble on my sneakers.

As I was preparing to leave I found out that some baby “silkies” had just hatched so a quick stop by the nest box yielded a picture of this tiny chick.