Callie and I are rebuilding our relationship, where she's more trusting of me now but has yet to come running to me nor sit on the deck.
I had forgotten to post an update from the 17th here (had posted on Facebook).
May 17 at 5:14pm:
Anyone know how to give a mourning dove the Heimlich maneuver?
There's a dove sitting in the bird feeder for the past 10 or so minutes, shaking its head like it was sneezing, but now that it had turned around sideways, I can see it trying to move something in its throat.
May 17 at 6:28pm:
An hour of watching her (I say "her" because two other doves tried to mount her while she was on the ground), following her around the yard, talking to her in hopes that she'll understand (HA!), and numerous failed attempts at trying to grab her, the mourning dove finally flew away into the woods after Zim lunged at her
She had a huge crop, but only to the right side. The feathers around her neck was all fluffed up. Despite being in distress, she kept trying to eat, but every mouthful she took, she spat it back out.
I hope to God that she'll be ok, that whatever is stuck in her throat will eventually be softened then swallowed, or she finally coughed it up and out.
May 17 at 6:48pm:
"Dorky" just flew back and tried to eat more seeds. The other doves immediately started to poke at her head
May 17 at 8:26pm:
Instead of catching and helping the mourning dove (which flew away as soon as my fingers touched it, in the first 5 minutes of walking outside), for the past 1+ hour, I watched Callie (my resident feral cat) play with a mouse that emerged out of the shed. She first caught it with her mouth when it peeked out, walked about 10 feet towards the middle of the yard, then dropped the mouse. Then she proceeded to swat then stalk then pick up then drop the mouse again. She did this until we were at the opposite side of the backyard. Every now and then, Callie would come back to me for some head rubs and to hear me tell her that she's a smart kitty. She finally lost sight of the mouse when she got distracted by a chirping bird nearby, though she continued to search in the same area despite being told that the mouse had ran off in a different direction. After about 10 minutes, she finally believed me in that the mouse ran away and gave up looking, then we walked back to her usual spot next to the shed, where she ate some dry kibble (because I ran out of her favorite). Then I came back into the house because I was fast becoming a bug pin cushion.
May 17 at 10:12pm:
Just so no one worries or think otherwise, the little mouse was never harmed in any way. There were no puncture wounds nor injured limbs nor blood anywhere. In fact, at one time when Callie swatted it, it actually turned around and slapped her hand! Every time the mouse squeaked from being picked up, Callie would immediately release it.
May 17 at 10:55pm:
WOW! This is a definite first!
I was just outside to put the trash out at the curb. After I placed the trash can at the curb and turned around to get more, I was stunned to see Callie sitting on the empty lot, out in plain view. I squealed out "Callie!", to which she returned a "MEOW!"
After putting all of the trash at the curb, I walked over to her as she ascended the dirt mounds. She immediately rolled over onto her back, stretched, and looked over to me. After about a minute or so, I extended my arms and clapped my hands together, and asked her to come over, and she did! A few head scratches and back pets later, she walked back to her dirt mounds and proceeded to eat a few blades of grass that were strangely growing out. By now, I was already being eaten alive by bugs and asked Callie if she wanted me to walk her home (I didn't do that earlier because she was still engrossed in finding another mouse; could that be why she was still here?), but she wasn't interested. Instead, she lied down in a crevice on the dirt mound, as if she was getting ready to go to sleep. That was when I bid my goodnight and came in.
I have another amazing update to post. Will do that later after I have it all typed out in Notepad first (so as not to lose it).