A week with Other Buster 2 – The Outdoor Cat

This week I chatted with Other Buster 2 four times on video.

I also discovered that he looks similar to a neighbor’s cat and took him to see the vet for his bulging belly.

Other Buster 2 is the outdoor cat that we feed in the backyard. When he showed up in July, I assumed that he was a feral cat. But since then he has proven to be friendly.

Other Buster 2 and Mimi

Because Other Buster 2 is friendly, I decided to ask around for a potential home for him.

I posted his picture on my personal Facebook page. A neighbor thought he belonged to another neighbor. She had seen the son playing with him.

That evening I visited with the mom and her daughter. Their cat was on their sidewalk leading from their driveway to their house. Their cat doesn’t have an ear tip.

Mimi and B2 (Other Buster 2)

The neighbor’s cat is Mimi and is their only cat. However, they are feeding another cat that as abandoned by a neighbor. That cat’s name is Whiskers doesn’t look like these two!

This neighbor also does NOT own the cat I called Big Balls all summer. My trail camera revealed that he wasn’t fixed. Apparently, when I had asked before I didn’t show enough pictures to make it clear that it wasn’t their cat.

I am now calling Big Balls Chloe’s boyfriend (Chloe is the feral cat that was the mother of the kittens). He hasn’t been coming every day, but I will try to get him trapped and fixed before the weather is too cold for the surgery.

Other Buster 2 goes to the vet!

While chatting with B2 this week, I noticed that his sides appeared to be bulging a bit. After looking online, I was afraid that he might have FIP.

I made a plan. Since B2 seems to eat breakfast in the yard and go elsewhere during the day, I decided to put in the garage the night before the appointment.

I set up the playpen that was used when I socialized the kittens. And then lured him in with wet food.

On the second attempt of putting him in the pen, I was able to secure him.

This cat was not happy to be detained. So, I put a sheet over the entire playpen to help keep him calm.

The playpen had a litter box, food, water, blanket, cat condor, and carrier in it.
The playpen had a litter box, food, water, blanket, cat condor, and carrier in it.

Within a few hours, he ate most of the wet food (a 5-ounce can).

The carrier was in the playpen to make it easier to put him in it in the morning. He was also able to hide in it during the night.

By morning, he was not hiding. He was ready for me to pet him. Pushing him into the carrier was quite easy!

The vet confirmed that he doesn’t have a terrible disease!

He may have worms that are causing the “potbelly” look. Other Buster 2 was given a topical treatment for the worms. I will see how he looks in a few days!

That was the week with Other Buster 2! Did anything interesting happen with your cats this week?

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Heidi Bender is the writer and founder of the Joy of Cats. She enjoys sharing cat information and providing helpful cat tips. She considers herself a cat lady and currently cares for eight cats.

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