bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
|
Cats
Feb 16, 2020 14:16:21 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Feb 16, 2020 14:16:21 GMT
I had a similar experience with my second cat, Scooter. As I mentioned above, my cats always had the run of the house - except the bedroom - for a number of reasons. I'm a light sleeper, I didn't want cat hair on the sheets and bed spread, there is clothing sitting/hanging all over the bedroom, and there is a bathroom off the bedroom that I wanted to keep cat hair-free.
The first night I had Scooter home as a kitten, he followed me everywhere, but when I went to bed I closed the bedroom door. Well, poor Scooter started meowing and pawing at the closed door for what seemed like an hour. I felt terrible but I considered it part of his training. And, EVERY NIGHT for YEARS, when I went to bed, Scooter would meow and paw at the door. Now, the length of time decreased over time, first the meowing and then the pawing, but not completely. I continued to feel guilty but I held my ground, rationalizing that the cat had the rest of the entire house to sleep.
Then a funny thing happened. Well, not really funny. One night I closed the bedroom door and went to bed but something was wrong. Scooter didn't meow and he didn't paw. He wasn't at the door. I jumped out of bed and opened the bedroom door but he wasn't there. I called out, "Here Scooter! Here Scooter!" But he didn't come. He stayed downstairs. And I had this terrible sadness come upon me. Scooter had given up, and I felt so guilty. It changed the way I felt about Scooter. I never took him for granted again and I appreciated him more. But I still kept the bedroom door closed. Ouch, I can imagine the gut-punch feeling when Scooter finally opted to stay downstairs for the first time after all those years. It's the outcome you always wanted, but not at his expense. But just like when we had to separate Penny from her sister, I wonder if it's harder on us than it is on them.
|
|
|
Cats
Feb 20, 2020 22:30:37 GMT
Post by lonelysummer on Feb 20, 2020 22:30:37 GMT
We seriously considered declawing our cat a few years ago, because she likes to claw EVERYTHING! But I read all the stories about what declawing does to cats, and decided that I could not go through with it. So I put up with her clawing our chairs, and ME! It does help a little that we got her one of those scratch pads/boxes. In fact, I just got her a new one yesterday. Our cat is named Angel, she was a stray that hung around the place where my brother lived; he adopted her, she had kittens, and many years later, she is still with us. She's a sweetheart. My family has always had cats. We've had some wonderful experiences with them, along with some heartbreaking ones. I was thinking just yesterday about the cat my brother brought home, named him George, grey/white tabby cat, big boned little guy; less than a year later, he was gone. Mom and dad believed in putting the cats out at night - looking back, that sounds horrible - but that's how it was. Little George kept wandering across the busy street to see a girl cat at the neighbors house, and the inevitable happened - he was hit by a car. Angel is strictly an indoor cat. She's 18 years old, and in great health. Aw, that's sad about little George 18 years for Angel though! That's great. Indoor cats do tend to live longer lives, for obvious reasons. My grandma had one live to 19 and another live to 21. I remember her getting bitey-scratchy kitten Mindy when I was just a wee kitten myself, and that cat passed away after I left home for university. My grandma always had cats in the house. At one point, the head count was up to 13!
|
|
zinczag
The Surfer Moon
Posts: 151
Likes: 90
|
Post by zinczag on Jun 21, 2020 13:43:42 GMT
Enjoyable thread/replies. Thanks to its creator.
I am against de-clawing. It doesn't bring use.
I subscribed to various cat FB pages & groups, check each daily due to newsfeed, give "red heart" likes without exception. Cats're big joy in the world. I recently adopted brother cat to existing cat. They befriended in no time. Btw, it isn't rare when several cats befriend. It's popular myth that cats don't get along with each other, start to envy, get to be rivals to get human's attention. They ain't as difficult as popular rep they're given.
There's been sad news (especially to James, of course) about cat Bob. He died due to injuries. FB groups been sharing-re-sharing it. Wish he lived. Who didn't see "A Street Cat Named Bob", check it out. Really good film starring real Bob. This year they'd been filming sequel again featuring Bob. It'll be in theaters.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 21, 2020 17:05:35 GMT
Thank you for sharing that, bellbottoms. I really appreciate it. I hope you'll keep us posted on any developments OK, it's been five months but here are the recent developments. Just to refresh, there are three sibling stray cats - a black and white female, an orange/rust female, and my buddy, the friendly black male cat. And, they're all still happily and healthily living in the neighboring yards! One of the neighbors feeds them three times a day.
A few weeks ago, I noticed the black and white cat exiting her home (the neighbor's shed) with something black in her mouth. I couldn't make out if it was a bird, a rodent, or something else. Then about a week later, out in the backyard was the black and white cat with the cutest little kitten, rolling around and playing in the grass. The little kitten is black with four white paws. I get a kick out of just watching them interact with each other. About the same time, a few weeks ago, I was cutting the grass around the side of the house when the orange/rust cat jumped out of a window well that was covered with leaves from a hydrangea. I turned off the lawnmower and peaked into the window well. Down there were these five little kittens all snuggled together - three gray/beige ones, a white one, and a black one. They were so cute.
So, it appears that my friendly black cat is not only a father, but a polygamist. He now has six offspring with two cats...I think they're all his anyway. My interaction with the black cat is still the same as January when I posted last. All I have to do is go out on the back patio and say, "Here kitty!" and he comes running from wherever he was hanging out. Sometimes if I'm doing something out on the patio, he will hear me and just show up. He will then follow me into the house. In January, I would leave the patio door open about six inches to keep the cold air out. Now in June, I keep it open about six inches to keep the heat and bugs out. The first thing I do is give the cat some treats; he scarfs them up. Then we'll play a little bit until my hands are actually bleeding from his sharp claws. Then, he'll take a time out to clean himself; that's a sign that he's getting ready to take a cat nap. A few minutes later he's asleep on the soft carpet. Sometimes the naps last a few minutes, sometimes they last a few hours! There are nights when he doesn't want to leave, but he usually just wakes up and walks out the door and back into the darkness.
I know it sounds crazy, but I STILL don't know what I want to do as far as adopting this black cat. The declawing is the big issue; I am still struggling with it. But, I'm also wondering now if the cat will be able to adjust to staying indoors permanently (which he would) and if he would "take it out on me" with bad behavior and habits. A part of me really wants to adopt him; he is just the calmest and friendliest cat. But then I see him outside having the time of his life, running around and chasing things, being with his cat friends, and having his two front claws.
UPDATE FROM YESTERDAY: I like to watch the five kittens from the basement window. They are getting bigger now. They don't just sleep and snuggle all the time. They are walking and jumping around this little area in the window well, and they are nibbling on the hanging hydrangea leaves. The mother is still nursing them, but I started to worry about their health, with no water down there and eating leaves constantly. So, yesterday afternoon I put a little bowl of water down in the window well. I then proceeded to the grocery store where I bought all of this canned and dry kitten food. Well, I got home from the store and took a quick look to see if the kittens were drinking any of the water - and three of the five kittens were gone! Where did they go? They were too small to jump out of the window well. Did the mother "rescue" them from me? I went into the garage and started peeking out the window. Sitting on the neighbor's deck was the mother cat, staring intently at the window well. A few minutes later the mother cat slowly walks across the yard and into the window well, exiting quickly with the little white kitten in its mouth. The mother cat transported this kitten to the neighbor's deck and under the deck which is secluded by large shrubs and plants. Now the kittens have a new home and it probably won't be long before I see mother and kittens playing in the yard, too. One big happy family!
|
|
bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
|
Cats
Jun 22, 2020 14:57:59 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Jun 22, 2020 14:57:59 GMT
Great update on the cats, Sheriff! I'm glad to hear they're doing so well and that your kitty friend is so... prolific, lol. Sounds like all the cats in your neighbourhood are living it up, and getting well cared for by the humans.
|
|
|
Cats
Jun 22, 2020 15:06:56 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 22, 2020 15:06:56 GMT
Great update on the cats, Sheriff! I'm glad to hear they're doing so well and that your kitty friend is so... prolific, lol. Sounds like all the cats in your neighbourhood are living it up, and getting well cared for by the humans. Yes, and my next-door neighbors are cat lovers. They faithfully feed the cats three times a day - 8:00, 12:00, and 5:00. They have two indoor cats of their own, and now they are are contemplating adopting the cute, little white kitten. We were talking yesterday and it might be a good idea to call the local Humane Society to step in. As much as we enjoy watching the cats and kittens playing in the yards, things are getting out of hand. All of a sudden we went from three cats to nine!
|
|
bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
|
Cats
Jun 22, 2020 15:17:00 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Jun 22, 2020 15:17:00 GMT
Great update on the cats, Sheriff! I'm glad to hear they're doing so well and that your kitty friend is so... prolific, lol. Sounds like all the cats in your neighbourhood are living it up, and getting well cared for by the humans. Yes, and my next-door neighbors are cat lovers. They faithfully feed the cats three times a day - 8:00, 12:00, and 5:00. They have two indoor cats of their own, and now they are are contemplating adopting the cute, little white kitten. We were talking yesterday and it might be a good idea to call the local Humane Society to step in. As much as we enjoy watching the cats and kittens playing in the yards, things are getting out of hand. All of a sudden we went from three cats to nine! Does your local humane society have a spay/neuter and release program? While it’s awesome that you and your neighbours are looking out for the cats, it does create a situation that will allow them to thrive and proliferate. Not suggesting you should stop caring for them (not at all!) but some intervention is probably a good idea to stop the neighbourhood from getting overrun. Those kittens would likely make great pets and end up getting adopted very quickly from a shelter.
|
|
|
Cats
Jun 22, 2020 17:30:56 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 22, 2020 17:30:56 GMT
Yes, and my next-door neighbors are cat lovers. They faithfully feed the cats three times a day - 8:00, 12:00, and 5:00. They have two indoor cats of their own, and now they are are contemplating adopting the cute, little white kitten. We were talking yesterday and it might be a good idea to call the local Humane Society to step in. As much as we enjoy watching the cats and kittens playing in the yards, things are getting out of hand. All of a sudden we went from three cats to nine! Does your local humane society have a spay/neuter and release program? While it’s awesome that you and your neighbours are looking out for the cats, it does create a situation that will allow them to thrive and proliferate. Not suggesting you should stop caring for them (not at all!) but some intervention is probably a good idea to stop the neighbourhood from getting overrun. Those kittens would likely make great pets and end up getting adopted very quickly from a shelter. Yes, we do have that spay/neuter and release program and I think I should contact them. I drove by the local Humane Society the other day and there were about six people standing outside in line at the door, waiting to get in. I have a feeling with COVID-19 they are very backed up and behind.
|
|
bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
|
Cats
Jun 23, 2020 17:44:16 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Jun 23, 2020 17:44:16 GMT
Does your local humane society have a spay/neuter and release program? While it’s awesome that you and your neighbours are looking out for the cats, it does create a situation that will allow them to thrive and proliferate. Not suggesting you should stop caring for them (not at all!) but some intervention is probably a good idea to stop the neighbourhood from getting overrun. Those kittens would likely make great pets and end up getting adopted very quickly from a shelter. Yes, we do have that spay/neuter and release program and I think I should contact them. I drove by the local Humane Society the other day and there were about six people standing outside in line at the door, waiting to get in. I have a feeling with COVID-19 they are very backed up and behind. Well, the new little ones won't start mating for a few months yet, at least. My little old girl Mimi is having a bit of trouble at the moment. She gets this recurring eosinophilic granuloma infection, which the vet says is an allergic reaction. She only started getting this a few years ago. I've tried putting her on different foods, limited ingredient foods, stopped giving her human food, and taken away treats entirely. It seems to help but every now and then it flares up anyway, and I have no idea what else could be causing it. It could be something in the environment but really I have no way of knowing what that is. My younger cat doesn't get them. But Mimi's sores look awfully painful, and it's always a challenge trying to prevent her from scratching at them and making them worse. So I have her wrapped up in a gauze bandage and she's really quite mad at me.
|
|
zinczag
The Surfer Moon
Posts: 151
Likes: 90
|
Cats
Nov 16, 2020 19:26:38 GMT
jk likes this
Post by zinczag on Nov 16, 2020 19:26:38 GMT
Jolly Christmas soon, cat enthusiasts.😺😺💪🥳😎 Here's Rocky boy, FB page "Rocky_onwheels". He can't use litter, he uses diaper. He got big luck with human family, NJ lady Dawn Firestone who is basically mother to him, despite she being mother to human children, 18 & 22. Good people.
|
|