Scorch is about recovered

Tomorrow marks Scorch's sixth week with us.  He finally stopped having burn medicine put on his face this week.  He has a scar on the side of his face still. 

His whiskers are going back nicely.  He has been accepted and is now an official member of the Murrah Family. 

Little Scorch is accepted

Scorch is now 20 days out from his ordeal.  As you can see from the picture his face is about healed.  The burns on his face are all that is left.  He is just getting medicine on this face.  The vet is not sure if the hair on his face will grow back but his whiskers are.  He has finally been accepted by all the other cats.  Tonight will be the first night he gets to sleep with the big cats.

He is adorable but quite fisty.  That wildness comes out sometimes but between me, my family and four adult female cats, he is learning!

Scorch Continues Making Improvement

Little Scorch continues to improve.  Burns are a dynamic injury.  This means that his wounds keep changing.  His ear is now open so that needs treatment.  The burns on his face are healing.  He still has a large burn that has to have a hot compress twice a day.  His feet still need hydratherapy and he is still on antibiotics and gets covered in ointment twice a day. 

The last two days he has been very active.  Today he went to the vet and has gained a pound in the last week. :O)   Also Sissy, the boss cat, is getting along with him fine.  The other three girls don't feel the same way. 

He is much happier this week.  He loves us all now and has stopped hissing.  Although he had no problem hissing at the vet this morning!

Scorch's Progress

Well little Scorch was burned much worse than it initially appeared.  By Sunday morning that was apparent.  You can see his face was burnt under the fur.  By Monday, he stopped hissing all the time.

It is now Wednesday and the fur has now begun to fall off.  He is such a trooper as evidenced by him playing with the mouse toy.  He gets water run over his paws and for what we can, his face, twice a day with cream applied afterwards.  He’s on antibiotics and is eating really good.  He has special litter called Yesterday’s News that does not get in his paws and he lives in the guest bathroom when we are not holding him.   He has pulled the burned hair off his back and we are thankful that the worst burnt paw is passing it’s worse part.  He is blistered on all four feet so he will lose the cover of all of his other pads just like the one that was closest to his face.   The burns on the rest of his paws are not as deep as the left front one so we are hopeful they will not get as bad as it has.

Come back regularly and check his progress. 

Scorch the Cat

Friday March 25th was a very rough day for a small tabby cat from Hernando County FL.  Although we are not sure how he got in the neighborhood where he was, we do know he must have been cold.  He crawled up onto the engine of a Cadillac.  Not knowing what to do when the car started, we know he had to have hung on for dear life.  Scorch ended up on 86th Street and Palm River Road at a company called Transportation Control Systems. 

Bobby, the man driving the car, got to work, turned the car off and heard him meow.  The little kitten was placed in a box in a big warehouse where they make traffic equipment.  My husband, Tom, came into the warehouse and took the kitten up to his office.  Tom's boss paid for Tom and I to take the little cat, who has become known as Scorch to the vet.  Scorch, in addition to being badly hurt, was also very hissy and not used to being around people.  He sounds like a baby dragon trying to spit fire at us when he hisses.

As the days have passed,   little Scorch's burns have become apparant, as burns do.  What you can't see in the picture taken a few hours after he was removed from the hot engine, is there are burns all over the side of his face.  As you can see his feet look like they have black on them.  They don't.  They are all really pink pads as all his feet are white.  These are all burns. 

Kites Sited in Area

Swallow Tail Kites have been seen in the area.  This is a sure sign spring is on the way.  Look to the skies for this magnificant bird.  They catch their prey and eat it in mid-air.  Here is a picture of one with a dragonfly in it's talons.  This picture was taken at Lettuce Lake Park in Hillsborough County FL.

Ospreys in Safety Harbor Get a New Home

A big, big, thanks to CSX for paying for the ospreys new platform and pole.

EagleWatch, Audubon Center for Birds of Prey Volunteer Barb Walker, worked with CXS who footed the bill to move an osprey nest in Safety Harbor January 28, 2011 from their rail road lights over the road to a newly installed platform.  Barb said "They have been WONDERFUL every step of the way! They showed up today to help with this conservation project and let us know that they will PAY for the pole and platform allowing us to install another pole and platform elsewhere!"

 

I was there to witness the relocatation the birds home.  The ospreys watched us the entire time.

 

The whole CSX and Powertown Line Construction crews clearly cared what happened to the osprey.

Casey Jones, as the osprey has become known as, is a railroad entheusiast.  We know that he was thrilled that his home has a perfect view of the tracks.  He is the envy of all of the birds in the neighborhood!  His new wife was flying around checking out their new digs before we ever left. 

We wish them a long and happy life together. 

Bad Storm on the Way could be harmful to eagles

There is a strong storm on its way to the Tampa Bay Area.  This is a bad time for a storm like this to hit.  Eagles have babies in the nest and most birds of prey have eggs.  If you know where eagle or osprey nests are, please try to check them after the storm.  If there are babies, call FWC at 888-404-3922 or me.  If they are alive and uninjured, call my cell - my followers have the number. We will transport them to The Center for Birds of Prey in Orlando for care.  If they are injured, they should be taken after hours to FVS at 3000 Busch Lake Rd.  If it is during office hours, in Tampa take them to FVS, in Brandon take them to Care Animal Hospital on Bloomingdale, in Poke take them to the vet on Drane Field road near FWC.

Ducks

Winter is the time of year to find all sorts of ducks in your neighborhood ponds.  These are hooded mergansers right at the end of my street.

Look closer next time you see a flock of ducks sitting in a pond or lake.  You might see one you've never seen before!

The Earl of Trout Creek

Basking in the sun, he guarded his corner.  All he needs to do is simply come out of the water and lay there, his corner is guarded.  The Earl’s territory is a tight L curve in Trout Creek, a small creek off the Hillsborough River. 

He welcomed in New Year’s Day 2011 warming his large body in the sun.  Three kayaks were coming up the creek right at him.  Suddenly they stopped and began to paddle backwards.  He could hear them trying to guess how long he is, 12 maybe 13 feet.  They kept making comments about what a big and beautiful alligator he is, just laying there in the sun.  They kept their distance and just turned around leaving him undisturbed.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

We had just met "The Earl of Trout Creek."