Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 155 Social Bandit, Leopard Cat Spot

A purebred leopard cat?

Chen Nian was visibly taken aback upon hearing Jiang Fengyu's words.

He remembered the leopard cat family he had tracked down before.

That family displayed the vigilance of felines to the fullest extent, able to spot Chen Nian and the others from a great distance!

Judging from Jiang Fengyu's tone, this animal near the rescue station...
Why does he seem like someone who's overly friendly?

Are they treating the shelter like their home?
"You should talk to Teacher Chen about this leopard cat, Lao Xu, since you were the one who rescued it."

Jiang Fengyu smiled and patted Xu Dafei on the shoulder, then continued to lower his head to adjust the equipment.

Xu Dafei took off his gloves, leaned against the table, and a look of reminiscence flashed in his eyes.

"This leopard cat is named Spot."

"The name was given by a young girl at the station. It was brought here in a cardboard box by a local villager."

"Its leg broke for some unknown reason."

"When it first arrived here, Spotty displayed a personality quite different from other wild cats; it was somewhat..."

Xu Dafei thought for a moment before uttering a single word.

"Social anxiety!"

Jiang Fengyu, without looking up, added with a smile, "It means social terrorist."

"what?"

Chen Nian blinked; his expression was the same as most of the viewers in the live chat.

Confused.

"Can there be social terrorists among wild cats?"

He simply couldn't connect the words 'leopard cat' and 'social terrorist'.

"of course."

When talking about Qidian, Xu Dafei's eyes softened considerably.

"When Dian Dian first received treatment, we still needed to anesthetize it. But after we fed it twice, it became exceptionally affectionate. Although it wouldn't approach humans on its own initiative, it also stopped showing any aggression."

"It doesn't resist any treatment we give it."

"The reason we say it's socially awkward is because this little guy has been at the shelter for less than half a month."

"I've already identified all the felines that are being rescued at the station!"

"His leg wasn't fully healed yet, but he kept circling around in front of people's doors, insisting on getting it treated before he would stop."

As he spoke, Xu Dafei pulled up a video on his phone.

Chen Nian curiously leaned closer.

The scene shows the familiar corridor of the isolation area at the rescue station.

You can see that each quarantine area has a small feline living in it.

A fluffy Pallas's cat was dozing in the corner, a desert cat had its ears perked up alertly, and there were a few other cats that were not clearly visible.

Just then, from the corner of the camera, a leopard cat with a white splint on its hind leg and a noticeable limp sauntered out.

It has typical leopard cat markings, but its eyes show no sign of the tension often associated with wild cats.

It was more like strolling around in his own living room.

Its relaxed state is noticeably unmatched by the other cats.

“This is Dot,” Xu Dafei said.

"Good heavens, you're running around even with a limp leg, huh?!"

Chen Nian couldn't help but complain.

Then, to Chen Nian's surprise, Dian Dian wandered into the first cubicle.

That is, the room of that Pallas's cat.

Without any hesitation, it brought its furry head close to the barbed wire fence and let out a cry.

The Pallas's cat, which had been sleeping, was woken up and opened its eyes in displeasure. But when it saw that it was Dian Dian, it just lazily moved its plump body and perfunctorily sniffed at Dian Dian's nose that was sticking out through the mesh, as if to say hello.

Dot seemed quite satisfied, flicked its tail, and contentedly headed towards its next target.

The desert cat clearly knew its neighbor's character better. Before Dian Dian could get close, it took the initiative to walk to the edge of the net, stretched out its paw and quickly touched Dian Dian's paw that had reached in, and then turned its head away aloofly.

Dian Dian didn't mind and moved on to the next household.
It limped along, persistently visiting all the feline patients in the corridor, making sure to touch each one even through the net.

"Hmm, definitely social anxiety!"

Chen Nian had never seen a wild feline so outgoing.

"That's not all!" Xu Dafei's voice was a mix of helplessness and amusement: "Look which way it went!"

In the video, after completing the feline social circle check-in, Dian Dian actually turned a corner!

Head in another direction from the quarantine zone!
"Isn't that the bird quarantine area over there?" Chen Nian asked in surprise.

"Yes, there were several injured snow pigeons and rock pigeons over there at the time."

"Is that little one going to go and say hello to them?"

"It will!"

Under Chen Nian's incredulous gaze, Diandian indeed walked familiarly to the outside of the bird quarantine area.

Even more amazing is!
When the large pigeons in the enclosure saw Dian Dian approaching, instead of fluttering in fright, several of them actively came to the edge of the net and, through the fine wire mesh, carefully used their strong beaks to groom the somewhat messy feathers on Dian Dian's head and neck!
Dian Dian lay down comfortably on her side, making pleasant gurgling sounds in her throat, and squinted her eyes to enjoy the pigeons' 'cross-border SPA' service.

Chen Nian was dumbfounded.

The world's great wonders.

He finally saw one today!

After a long silence, Chen Nian finally spoke: "This isn't a social terrorist, this is a ruthless social terrorist cat! And the kind that preys on both species!"

"You could say the same thing."

Xu Dafei put away his phone in full agreement.

With a look on his face that said, "You finally understand."

He continued, "Later, Dian Dian's leg injury basically healed, and it met the release criteria, so we took it to a suitable forest edge and released it. And then..."

Xu Dafei helplessly spread his hands: "That very night, the colleagues on duty discovered a leopard cat in the rescue station's isolation area—it was Diandian!"

"It somehow unlocked the door and came back on its own. Then, it naturally squeezed into the compartment of another male leopard cat that was recovering and was sleeping soundly next to him!"

"hiss--"

Chen Nian was completely convinced.

This leopard cat's level of "cowardice" has completely changed his understanding of leopard cats!
After finishing debugging the equipment, Jiang Fengyu clapped his hands and stood up, his face full of smiles: "After that, we reinforced the protection of the isolation area." "But Dian Dian seems to regard this place as home, not at all like a stranger."

"When we were still around, it would go out for walks during the day and come back on time at night to 'clock out and go to sleep,' just like it was going to work. Now it seems..."

He glanced around the somewhat empty shelter:
"Even after we left, it still didn't give up on this place."

He shook his head with a sigh.

Xu Dafei turned his gaze to Chen Nian.

His eyes became serious, with a hint of pleading.

"Teacher Chen, if you see Didi again during this time, could you please take a look at its legs?"

His tone revealed concern: "It knocked off the splint itself much earlier than expected. I was always worried that it might leave some hidden dangers when it ran and jumped."

As someone who personally rescued and cared for Dian Dian for a long time, this concern is obvious.

Chen Nian nodded without the slightest hesitation: "Definitely."

"If it comes back."

He was still very much looking forward to getting to know this leopard cat.

"Thank you so much, Teacher Chen!"

Xu Dafei smiled gratefully.

He knew that Chen Nian's knowledge of felines far exceeded that of ordinary people, and with his words, he felt much more at ease.

After the equipment was debugged, Xu Dafei and Jiang Fengyu hurriedly said goodbye, as they had to rush back to another, busier rescue station.

Just after seeing the two off, the familiar engine sound of an off-road vehicle came from outside the courtyard.

Xia Qiyue returned, looking travel-worn.

The trunk was packed full!

She jumped out of the car, her face beaming with the joy of a successful trip. Like presenting a treasure, she pulled out several bulging cloth bags from the passenger seat and waved to Chen Nian.

"Chen Nian! Come quick, I bought something great!"

"What good thing makes you so happy?"

Chen Nian walked over with a smile, and Xue Aotian, who was on her chest, curiously peeked out.

Xia Qiyue carefully opened the bag.

A fresh, sweet aroma, a blend of earthy and grassy scents, wafted towards me.

“Here, this!” She picked up a transparent bag containing golden, perfectly preserved dried flowers.

"Hidden Snow Chrysanthemum!"

"The locals said that it grows near the snow line and is especially good for health. I asked Lao Lin, and he also said that it looks top-quality. I'll soak it in water and drink it from now on!"

Next, she showed another bag containing various oddly shaped mushrooms covered in fresh soil.

"Look at these! They were all just picked from the mountain by the villagers, absolutely fresh!"

"This is a goose egg mushroom, isn't it pretty? This is a tiger paw mushroom, doesn't the pattern look like a tiger's paw? This... should be a porcini mushroom? Anyway, I've shown all the pictures to Lao Lin to confirm, they're edible! Delicious!"

Chen Nian picked up a goose egg mushroom.

It feels heavy in your hand, with a plump cap, a white stem, and a rich mushroom aroma.

(Goose egg fungus)

"It's really fresh and in great condition. Where did you find this treasure?"

Xia Qiyue's eyes crinkled into crescents, her smile bright: "It was Brother Gesang who took me there!"

“I ran into him on the road. I just mentioned that I wanted to buy some local specialties, and he immediately took me to the home of a fellow villager I knew.”

"These were all picked by the villagers themselves; you can't buy them this fresh and juicy at the market outside!"

You could tell she was very happy with the results of this shopping trip.

Chen Nian smiled as she recalled the tour guide who had a rugged appearance but a sensitive heart.

"How's Brother Gesang doing lately? Are you busy?"

After leaving the snow line, Gesang left alone.

He doesn't live in the county.

Instead, he lived with his wife in a small village next door, enjoying a very comfortable, self-sufficient life.

The two weeks they spent together at the snow line had already forged a deep friendship between them.

"of course!"

Xia Qiyue's tone was exaggerated, revealing genuine happiness:
"You have no idea how popular Brother Gesang is right now!"

"While he was taking me to buy mushrooms, his phone never stopped ringing! He received at least five or six calls, all from tourists who wanted him to be their tour guide!"

"He's a hot star in the tour guide industry in Xinlong County right now!"

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Chen Nian was happy for her friend's success.

"Oh, right," Xia Qiyue added, "Brother Gesang told me I must thank you."

He said that if it weren't for you, he wouldn't be so popular, and he invited you to visit his home sometime.

"Yeah, yes."

Chen Nian smiled and agreed.

"And you? How was the little one's day?"

Xia Qiyue looked at Chen Nian's chest and reached out to tap Aotian's little head.

Hum!
Xue Aotian immediately wrinkled his little nose and made a threatening sound that was both cute and fierce. He even pretended to scratch with his little paws. His bluffing little appearance instantly amused the two of them.

"Ha ha!"

Chen Nian took the bag from Xia Qiyue: "The equipment is installed. We can do detailed testing in a couple of days once it's sturdier."

He paused, recalling his discovery that morning.

Her tone was filled with the excitement of sharing a secret: "By the way, July, you know what? The noise I heard last night wasn't my imagination! A wild cat really came by, and it was a particularly interesting leopard cat!"

"Really?! Tell me quickly! What happened?"

Xia Qiyue's eyes lit up instantly.

The two of them, each carrying two large bags of ingredients, chatted as they walked into the house.

Xue Aotian, the creature in Chen Nian's breast pocket, also perked up its round little ears and began to eavesdrop openly.

(See those little dots at the ends of the nose? That's what they are~)

(End of this chapter)