I went out to feed the outside cats yesterday morning. Scooter was in his usual place curled up on the doormat. When he looked at me, his left eye was swollen shut.

I had planned to catch him next month, but an eye swollen shut is a potential emergency, so I decided to trap him and take him in yesterday.

Scooter is FIV-positive (as is Gray Socks Ghost), and I have to correct something I was confused about earlier. The feline leukemia diagnosis is the one that is dramatically infectious to other cats and will result in euthanasia. The FIV is spread only by deep bites. With the FIV diagnosis, I know they will both be more susceptible to illnesses and will need to watch them closely and do my best to get them as domesticated as possible.

Scooter is less tame than Gray Socks Ghost, and Dr. Val described getting him settled enough to treat as “quite the rodeo.” Scooter came home this morning and has been released. I hope I’ll see him again soon, but for now, he’s gone into hiding.

While sedated, he was treated for ear mites, fleas, and the eye problem. He was neutered and injected with a 3-day pain medication to make him more comfortable post-surgery. He was also injected with a long lasting antibiotic for his eye, and received a Revolution treatment. He also received his annual vaccinations.

This should make our outdoor colony of four complete.