Taco the bareFinally and appropriately on July 14, National N*u*de Day, my foster kitty Taco finally gets to go au naturel.

Our one-year old foster kitty, Taco, moved in with us on March 22, after volunteers at Irving Animal Services sent out a desperate plea for someone to take a badly injured cat. Taco, who suffered suspicious burns, hasn’t gone nekked since that day… until now.

Taco Sock Taco Shady 054Taco’s wound ran from the base of his skull to the between his shoulder blades. He reluctantly submitted himself to daily hydrotherapy treatments. But healing is itchy business, and Taco wouldn’t leave his burn alone. Because of the location and his very limber back legs, the wound couldn’t be fully covered with a bandage or E-collar. To protect Taco from himself, he wore an adhesive bandage around his neck and a shirt (originally made from my husband’s beloved 30-year-old athletic sock–a huge sacrifice).

Taco tshirtAfter he shredded his sock, Taco graduated to puppy tshirts. Despite all the protection, he still managed to reopen his healing injury. The best protection came from his final garment, a goth Old Navy dog tshirt displaying a dog skeleton.

french nail capsHe also was further humiliated by having to wear pink and white French-tipped nail caps on his back claws. He managed to quickly remove them. Eventually he got used to wearing them and left them alone (most of the time. Lest you think I make him wear feminine nails caps to poke fun at his masculinity, the pink makes it easier for me to see when he’s chewed them off. But I also confess, it’s funny to see the boy’s boy cat wearing pink “polish”.

But today was a big deal for my boy. He cast off his earthy  cloak. He didn’t die. He finally got to take off his bulky clothing and show off what God gave him. In celebration he streaked (both in the dashing around and the lack of clothing sense) literally and around the house for the first time since he joined our household.

 

_Taco sheds his shirt IMG_32_247Finally, my little charge’s wound has shrunk to the size of a pea. Taco is almost ready for his forever home. He’s the perfect kitty for a home with gregarious cats and dogs. If you’re a Texas resident and interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application.

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