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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Boss Update

Boss Update

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Drove over to Harry and Chatman’s farm (Harry is my vet and good friend), and Harry said that Boss is just a total angel and it looks like there will be no need for a giant red CAUTION stamp on his chart. Harry actually said that it was “quite a change of pace” from Tunch. Boss came out of the surgery ok, had a few ear mites, does not have feline leukemia, some mild fleas, is now up to date on all his shots, had his nails trimmed, and should be ready for me to pick up tomorrow afternoon.

One weird thing that Harry said he hadn’t seen before was Boss has seven toes on his right front paw, six on his left front, five on his back left, and four on his back right. Weird.

Reader Interactions

116Comments

  1. 1.

    NickT

    Clearly Boss comes from a tribe of mathematical cats obsessed with counting by means of their toes.

  5. 5.

    Violet

    Bossman can count! He’s very smart. Hope you’re prepared. And glad everything went okay with his surgery today.

  6. 6.

    pat

    Yay, thanks for the update. Looks like you have another remarkable animal on your hands.

    I still like Mr. Manytoes.

  7. 7.

    quannlace

    “Boss has seven toes on his right front paw, six on his left front, five on his back left, ”
    *************

    The Cat From Another Planet.

  9. 9.

    LesGS

    I thought he was The Cat Formerly Known As Boss…

    I’m glad his surgery (and check up) went well. Hopefully memories of *this* visit won’t lead to Caution being noted in his chart *next* visit.

  22. 22.

    Schlemizel

    @aimai:

    You owe me a new keyboard, but the laugh you gave me I’ll call us even.

    I still think you should name him something like Doctor Clawus Von snugglebutt

    Any killer with 13 stilettos up front should be able to perform surgery pretty well

  31. 31.

    JPL

    Phew… at least he doesn’t have a total of 27 toes because you know what that would mean.

  38. 38.

    phoebes-in-santa fe

    Cole, don’t overthink this name business. Just keep him as “Boss”. It’s cute.

  40. 40.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @Comrade Mary: Yes! One of my favorite X-Men / Avengers.

    If it’s not going to be Fezzik, it should be Henry McCoy.

  46. 46.

    LolaDelGato(formerly bcinaz)

    Variable polydactl – and this little piggie went to a Stillers game, and this little piggie bought a lottery ticket.

  47. 47.

    dance around in your bones

    Based on his odd toe count, you could call him Mutant, Mute for short (since he’s not vocalizing – at least yet). Or Mutt.

    Or Fuzzy Widdle Puddy Tat.

    I love how you are taking care of business here, JGC. And – all the male cats I have had never missed their balls one bit. I know it makes guys cringe, but the cats forget within a day. Sad, I know. But true.

  48. 48.

    Villago Delenda Est

    So, John, is Boss going to stay Boss? It sure seems that way from this post.

    I’m still holding out for Mongo, but hey, Boss is just fine.

    At least you didn’t get totally trendy like my sister, who is the abject slave of a Maine Coon named “Gizmo”.

  54. 54.

    MomSense

    @aimai:

    HA!!!

    @John Cole

    I think you are going to love having a Maine Coon Cat! They really are the best.

  56. 56.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @dance around in your bones:

    I know it makes guys cringe, but the cats forget within a day.

    Nope. My first tom was fixed as soon as the vet would do it. Never went tomcatting. And when one of the girls we adopted later went into heat early, before the vet would do her surgery, and backed up to him, chirping madly, he climbed over her, bit her neck, got this confused look, and meowed pitifully at me.

  58. 58.

    olivia j nichols

    How about lengthening Boss to Bossa Nova? That’s kind of a romantic dance for lovers, isn’t it? Also too, the name incorporates the Boss sound he may already be accustomed to.

  60. 60.

    Jay C

    @NickT:

    Clearly Boss comes from a tribe of mathematical cats obsessed with counting by means of their toes.

    What strikes me most is that said “counting” goes counter-clockwise: what’s up with THAT??

  62. 62.

    NickT

    @Keith G:

    There’s at least two weeks of agonizing and changing of minds to be gotten from that furry beastie and its putative name.

  64. 64.

    Joy in FL

    I love reading about Boss. I’m glad he is doing well.

    Can we also please have some Lily and Rosie photos soon?

  65. 65.

    Jay C

    @Keith:

    And I bet your most-used password is “password”??

    Dude: you should really do a security review…. ;)

  66. 66.

    dance around in your bones

    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:

    I had a couple of toms that did the same thing – they forgot what to do! I guess the mounting behavior is somewhat hardwired, but after that? Anyway, I’d take the mounting and confused look any day before actual intact tomcat behavior. Saying that as someone who tried to calm and sooth an intact tom all night as gals in heat wailed beneath our window – it was very difficult and he was in REAL distress. The mating impulse is incredibly strong.

    I was sooooo glad when he got his nads whacked (a day or two later). No more death grip on his neck as he growled and cried. I guess I’m just saying that we tend to fixate more on the immediate ‘oh my gawd I’m cutting his balls off!’ thing rather than the long term effects which are overall much better for the cat. I’ve just always found that guys tend to cringe and clutch their package when neutering is mentioned.

    Of course, we all know it’s better for the cats – in the long run.

  70. 70.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @dance around in your bones:

    My Cocker Spaniel/Lab cross Lucky used to dig out of the yard and go down the street to visit his girlfriend every day and then eventually wander back. Two days after getting him fixed (after the swelling had gone down) he dug himself a hole and went trotting down the street to his girlfriends house and stopped half way there, had this look on his face which said “why the fuck am I doing this again?” and came home. He never left the yard again.

  73. 73.

    pat

    @Origuy:

    I thought of that too, but I spelled it Abacus. Then I deleted that comment and went with my favorite,

    Mr. Manytoes. Sorry, I love it.

  74. 74.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @dance around in your bones:
    Meh, it is also better for the husbands, mine was fixed (vasectomy) when I met him, I honestly think that the fact that I could get rid of birth control (which I always had problems with) was one of his selling points. We are still together 22 years later when menopause has long since solved the problem but damn knowing that a man couldn’t impregnate me was attractive.

  75. 75.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @dance around in your bones: I was never sure if he was crying “What do I do now?” or “Why isn’t is working?” Fortunately, the vets no longer make you wait until they’re 6-8 months to spay.

  83. 83.

    Mnemosyne

    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:

    My late great Boris — who had been neutered years before — did the same thing before Natasha was spayed, but he was more confused by the instinct than anything else. It didn’t trigger any other kind of tomcat behavior, so I don’t think he really missed out on much.

  85. 85.

    Mnemosyne

    Also, too, get your female cats spayed in a timely manner, preferably before their first heat. I waited too long and that’s probably why Natasha developed the mammary cancer that killed her.

  87. 87.

    Keith

    @Jay C: And you should really watch more movies (that’s a line from “Spaceballs”, except the combination was 1-2-3-4-5)

  89. 89.

    Julia Grey

    Y’know, John, there are different ways of “bossing” a household. Some cats do it with sweetness. Being the “Boss” of everyone in your vicinity doesn’t always mean you’re the bad guy with a big stick forcing people to do things because they’re afraid of you.
    Sometimes it means manipulating your people, like keeping perfect strangers mesmerized for 90 minutes, and getting your belly rubbed exactly how and when you want it rubbed…..

    I think “Boss” is a fine name for that particular kind of feline fella. He’s gonna be your boss one way or another. Heh.

  90. 90.

    Lizzy L

    Names are important. I once named a rescued cat Strudel, because she was so sweet. A month later, after she had made it quite clear to all the beasts in the house, including the two sixty pound dogs, who was in charge, I changed her name to Monster. You’ll find the right one, Cole.

  91. 91.

    dance around in your bones

    @Litlebritdifrnt: That is a funny story.
    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: The sooner the better , IMHO.

    I have also had experience with a tiny female kitty who went into heat at a very young age – approx 6 months. It was FAR harder to keep her inside and away from the yowling tomcats than it was with the male. She eventually got out (tore a hole in the window screen) and bang! was knocked up in ten minutes. This actually happened three times (yes, three litters) before I was able to get her to a vet and get her spayed (we were living in Mexico, pretty broke and transportation challenged).

    When we took her in for the spaying, the vet said afterwards that she was full of milk still. Like, it was leaking all over the place. I said, so sorry, but this cat has GOT to stop! having kittens! Literally it would take her a month after having a litter to get knocked up again, despite our best efforts to prevent it.

    If you haven’t lived with unaltered pets you have NO idea what it is like. I have seen dog parades on the beach in Baja with four or five males following a single female in heat for 3-4 days. From the biggest to the littlest, they all wait for their chance.

  92. 92.

    TaMara (BHF)

    I still kinda like Boss as a name. I don’t think anyone would argue that Bruce Springsteen, while forever the Boss, is also a kind and loving soul.

  93. 93.

    Felanius Kootea

    How about Cariad for his name? Google translate tells me that’s lover in Welsh.

  95. 95.

    WereBear

    One weird thing that Harry said he hadn’t seen before was Boss has seven toes on his right front paw, six on his left front, five on his back left, and four on his back right. Weird.

    That is so awesome! That is a ONE OF A KIND kitty there!

  96. 96.

    wmd

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    My cat is named RC Gizmo (Rodent Control). he answers to RC, Gizmo, Mr Giz, buddy…

    A previous tomcat of mine was not castrated. I was able to convince the vet to do a vasectomy on him, after which he was still interested in female cats in estrus. I’d read that cats ovulate after mating, and since Sancho was shooting blanks he’d potentially be causing litter size to decrease.

  101. 101.

    Certified Mutant Enemy

    One weird thing that Harry said he hadn’t seen before was Boss has seven toes on his right front paw, six on his left front, five on his back left, and four on his back right.

    Growing up we had a cat with almost that exact toe layout (I don’t remember left/right but he was the same back/front).

  104. 104.

    Mnemosyne

    @wmd:

    A previous tomcat of mine was not castrated. I was able to convince the vet to do a vasectomy on him, after which he was still interested in female cats in estrus. I’d read that cats ovulate after mating, and since Sancho was shooting blanks he’d potentially be causing litter size to decrease.

    Apparently some TNR (trap-neuter-release) programs are doing that now (at least with the adult males) instead of neutering them because the males will then continue to protect their territory and prevent other males from impregnating “their” females without being able to make more kittens themselves.

    ETA: This is for cats that will be returned back to feral colonies, not for adoptable cats.

  105. 105.

    rikyrah

    One weird thing that Harry said he hadn’t seen before was Boss has seven toes on his right front paw, six on his left front, five on his back left, and four on his back right. Weird

    EGBERT is a special cat…

    LOL

  106. 106.

    melissaD

    @schrodinger’s cat: I am soo mathematically challenged (and in light of my deficiencies I think pure mathematicians are geniuses) but if your formulation is significant and with the connection to the cat in Life of Pi, I love the name Pi!

  108. 108.

    schrodinger's cat

    @NickT: Oh I know it isn’t exactly 22/7, it is an irrational number but it is a good approximation.

    Pi = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795
    22/7 = 3.1428571428571428571428571428571

  109. 109.

    schrodinger's cat

    Too many its in #108, trying to rewrite the comment so it is comprehensible.
    @NickT: Oh I know Pit isn’t exactly 22/7, since it is an irrational number. 22/7 is a good approximation.

    Pi = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795
    22/7 = 3.1428571428571428571428571428571

  111. 111.

    Julia Grey

    He’s also “Boss” in the sense of the old hippy adjective. You know what I mean.

    Cooool, man.

  113. 113.

    e.a.f.

    So Boss had a “spa day” at the vet, complete with drugs. He won’t care what happened. A spa day with drugs is still a good day.

    Agree, the name change might be good. Naming a cat Boss is dangerous. They already consider us staff, so if you name him Boss, it is all over. I was staff for a cat for a long time. Found him in a forest where he had been living for 2 yrs. Once he moved in, you’d think he had been raised at the 4 Seasons. He did not like travelling in the truck. Wanted the caddie, every time.

    Enjoy your new companion. I’ve had one cat, 3 dogs, 4 husbands. the cat and dogs were definitely better company and more faithful.

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