Cat Magnets
For the second time in a month we've taken in a stray cat. This area is all dogs and cowboys and cats most probably have a rough time around here.
The first was a small young female, very cute, who was in a lot of trouble. We had seen her for about a month and she was so starved she had been trying to get at the oil and charred scrapings under the gas BBQ. She needed help badly so we adopted her, had her fixed and she sleeps on the bed.
This other guy had been around for months and really kept his distance. He reacted with a lot of fear if you bent over for some reason and from other indications I feel people had launched rocks at him. He's a stocky dude with a huge head and shoulders. Cats are probably attracted to the fact we feed an awful lot of birds here and the huge commotion grabs their attention, plus I try to keep a couple of thawed water bowls since it's very dry in these parts. That's a real popular item at night for these guys, who we actually get along with pretty well:
That's Hoover. He comes in every night for the seeds the birds leave behind.
Anyway, it's strange that this time around both cats broke the ice with the Mrs; I'm usually the one who resonates with felines. But one day bruiser didn't run from her and actually vocalized some from the other side of a fence. We put a little food out and a few days later it was close encounters of the third kind. A few days after that we let him in on a cold night. Turned out he's a big older sweety with some pretty endearing traits. Here he is doing a sideways push-pull:
Now let's see if we can get them to somehow get along. The little one is petrified of him.
The first was a small young female, very cute, who was in a lot of trouble. We had seen her for about a month and she was so starved she had been trying to get at the oil and charred scrapings under the gas BBQ. She needed help badly so we adopted her, had her fixed and she sleeps on the bed.
This other guy had been around for months and really kept his distance. He reacted with a lot of fear if you bent over for some reason and from other indications I feel people had launched rocks at him. He's a stocky dude with a huge head and shoulders. Cats are probably attracted to the fact we feed an awful lot of birds here and the huge commotion grabs their attention, plus I try to keep a couple of thawed water bowls since it's very dry in these parts. That's a real popular item at night for these guys, who we actually get along with pretty well:
That's Hoover. He comes in every night for the seeds the birds leave behind.
Anyway, it's strange that this time around both cats broke the ice with the Mrs; I'm usually the one who resonates with felines. But one day bruiser didn't run from her and actually vocalized some from the other side of a fence. We put a little food out and a few days later it was close encounters of the third kind. A few days after that we let him in on a cold night. Turned out he's a big older sweety with some pretty endearing traits. Here he is doing a sideways push-pull:
Now let's see if we can get them to somehow get along. The little one is petrified of him.
posted by nolocontendere at 6:05 AM
8 Comments:
Hi there:
I adopted a cat recently. We were turned down by the SPCA here because they only allow people who keep indoor cats to adopt now, and we wanted our cat to be an indoor/outdoor cat.
A friend found a litter of "free cats" on Craig's List and I went and picked one of them. The owner told me it was a female but the vet says otherwise. He looks just like the picture of your female.
"Smudge" is running round the room as I type. He's a real little fighter and loves to take on our two small dogs.
He's going to be the boss of the house soon, it looks like.
gc
What sweeties.
Aww, good for you gc.
I envy your kittenage because it's so much fun. That's always been the way we did it. I actually didn't want pets just now because of our personal situation and the situation at large but hey, they chose us.
Hi strayer. Yeah, they both are pretty nice animals with pleasant personalities. This is dipshit cactus country and I think they're both abandoned pets. We lucked out though.
Hi Nolo:
I wanted to get an older cat and tried twice but was turned down twice. A kitten is nice but lots of work and hassle for people who work.
Smudge is a quick learner though. Came to his name on the second day. Was litter box trained when we got him at nine weeks. Was used to other pets (dogs) in the house and is very "people-oriented" he loves to be in the same room with people and will follow us all around the house trying to "help".
I wish there was somewhere on this blog I could upload his pic. I'm not very technology-minded.
gc
That top one looks like one of mine. I am happy they now have a good home!
We had a couple strays hanging out last summer, but I never could make friends with them because the dog kept scaring them. I know other neighbors were feeding them too, so hopefully someone was able to make friends and give them a home.
One thing about taking in older cats, and maybe I'm anthropomorphising but they have a palpable sense of relief rather than raising kittens that don't know anything different than what they're used to.
The little female was at the edge and slept for days straight when she got warm. She's my wife's cat, she's cute but kind of a snot to me.
What sweet guys you adopted! All of our cats are rescues; our last one was left behind when the people moved out of the house next door. Just left the little guy to fend for himself. Each cat is different, some took longer than others to adjust, feel safe, etc. but now they're all, in their own ways, loving friends. Thank you for taking in these guys; it's always wonderful to know there are people out there who care for animals.
How heart-warming it is to hear about all you kind people!
I'm so glad you rescued the little female. She will get used to you more and more.
My cats are all rescued, and one of them was shy for years. Then one day, he put a foot on my knee, and I held my breath, not moving. Little by little he got more confident, and now he's a lap cat! It takes patience but it's so rewarding to see them open up and trust you.
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