When I caught Kismet's mother in the Havaheart trap, I thought it was a good thing. It would be company for him, who at 4 months old thereabouts, would be lonely in my big old house. But it didn't turn out that way. Karma, which is what I called the momma cat, was a true feral cat. She stayed under the bed most of the time, and when I rousted her out, she was wild. I went in the room and sat there, talking to her, trying to get her used to me. But to no avail. She threw herself at the windows, and I have honestly never seen a cat jump that high. I read that manx cats had powerful back haunches, and now I believe it. But the worst of it was that Kismet changed. He had been coming to me when I called, and letting me hold him, and obviously enjoyed my company. But with his feral mother there, he began to return to those wild ways. I couldn't get close to him anymore, and when I did corner him, and tried to pick him up, he scratched me. Eventually, I saw that it was going downhill at an incredible rate of speed.
One morning I went to the studio, went upstairs to feed Karma, and she flipped out, jumping at the windows again. Then she looked at me, and the look in her eyes was terrible. I realized that she was miserable, and that even though it seemed to me that "taming" her was in her best interest, it was obvious that she did not agree.
So I shut Kismet in the dining room. I opened the door where she was, I opened the back door in the kitchen, and I made some noise. She ran out, down the stairs, and right out the back door. I haven't seen her since. But I feed her on the porch every day, and the food is gone every day. And she is fixed so she can't have more babies. I did what I could for her. And I will continue to feed her, and make a place for her in the barn.
And Kismet, the very next day, came to me and let me hold him. That was 6 days ago. Now, he is all over me, playing, looking for affection, and giving it back. He appears happy and he is growing in leaps and bounds.
Hard as it was, I think that my decision was the right one......for Karma, and for Kismet, too. And once again in this world, I accept my limitations.
