I once kept a mountain cat. Cats that go up the mountain are called mountain cats. (1)

I once kept a mountain cat. Cats that go up the mountain are called mountain cats. (1)

My hometown is in the rural area of ​​Northeast China. Generally, cats are kept for only six or seven years. Most cats will run into the mountains and become wild cats when they reach adulthood. This is also called going up the mountain. Therefore, the relationship between people and cats is more like employment than keeping. You give me food, and I work for you (catch mice). The length of the employment period depends on the cat’s mood.

Cats that go up the mountain are also called mountain cats. Perhaps it is because most cats in the countryside are civet cats. Mountain cats are extremely wild and generally will not approach people.

I once kept a mountain cat. It was the winter two years ago. My mother and I went back to my grandmother’s house for a short stay after the New Year. My grandmother’s house has many cats and dogs, including three or four dogs and seven or eight cats. That night, my grandfather heard his dog barking wildly. When he went out to see, the dog was grinning at the corner of the wall. My grandfather took a light and a big civet cat started to cry hoarsely.

This is not the cat in my grandfather’s house, but a civet cat that I have never seen before. It looks like the pattern has been in the mountains for a while, how could it run to a place with people?

My grandfather reached out to grab it, but the cat did not hide, but just cried louder and louder. After a closer look, I found that there was an iron clamp on the cat’s front leg.

Judging from the size, it was probably a trap put in the mountains to catch rabbits, or maybe it was accidentally stepped on when walking in the mountains. It couldn’t get rid of it by itself, and remembered the “employment experience” in the past, so it ran here to ask for help.

My grandfather opened the clamp and shook his head when he saw the leg. My mother sighed and said, “It’s a pity for such a good big civet cat.”

It was indeed an excellent big cat. Not counting the tail, it was longer than my forearm. It was fat and strong, with shiny fur. I think it lived a very comfortable life in the mountains.

I touched the cat’s fur, and the cat didn’t hide. It seemed to know that we saved it, and it didn’t struggle. It looked straight at us as we applied medicine to it.

“It has been clamped for too long and the blood has not come out. It must have gone bad.”

The cats at my grandpa’s house were anxiously wandering around. They were not as big as this cat, nor as strong as him, but cats have a sense of territory. Soon, these two or three big cats who usually don’t look at each other formed an alliance, gathered in a circle, and their fur stood up and made threatening purrs.

The mountain cat also stood up with its back fur, and it jumped up and down with its injured leg hooked. Seeing this, I quickly picked it up and waved the broom at the cats a few times in a bluffing manner. The cats scattered, and I put the mountain cat on the edge of the kang. It stayed next to me steadily and looked very obedient.

“Mom, I want to keep it.”

“Why do you keep this thing?” Mom’s answer was within my expectations.

“Its leg is lame, and it can’t find food in the mountains. There are so many cats in my grandpa’s house, all of them are from the same family, and it definitely can’t stay.”

Mom thought about it and acquiesced.

The adults continued to chat. I was still worried about whether the cat would be infected, and they had already followed the clues and talked about the cat’s previous ownership.

“Didn’t Lao Wang’s cat go up the mountain some time ago?”

“It’s probably his cat.”

I was shocked when I heard that, and quickly pulled my mother.

“Then can I still take this cat away…”

“The cat has gone up the mountain, his family must not want it anymore. They are already looking for kittens.”

The two adults laughed, and I felt relieved.

Fortunately, the cat was lucky. It only took one anti-inflammatory pill and survived the night. The fever was gone the next day, but it was still very weak and limped along with its half-broken leg. Grandpa

said that the leg could not be saved. It would be a hindrance if it dried up, so he asked me if I should find a saw to cut it off. I don’t know if I was afraid or I had the hope of saving the mountain cat’s leg, so I didn’t cut it off.