Pets

Yeah, that was all I had on me and she seemed hungry.
No, the neighbors would not have left a dog. They're pretty good with dogs and usually have one or two in the car with them when they visit. This one just wandered up. I live in the country farmland area and a lot of people have larger field dogs that generally stay within the boundaries of their property. Sometimes they get curious and wander off un-fenced land though. I mean acres, not from smaller home lots. I guess they could also get out of home backyard fences too. Never really know out here.

But yeah, she waited on that porch. It kind of blew my mind lol.

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"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear

On the left is Bill, the old man. He's a TNR cat that started showing up a few years ago and ended up adopting us. He likes to sleep all day and roam at night. Brings us mice and an occasional bird. Not much we can do about keeping him inside, he's an outdoor cat. Manny, on the right, showed up last winter in our feral cat house and has never left. He either got lost or was abandoned. Manny, the young punk, is a grown kitten and now shows no interest in leaving the house. Bill tolerates Manny but Manny loves Bill.

Nice cats @Hey Fredrick What is a TNR cat? ( I may be behind on my internet lingo)

I notice Bill didn't even wake up for the photo. . Ah, what's more important than sleep anyway- isn't that where the word catnap came from?

TNR is trap, neuter, release. Someone trapped him/caught him and then dropped him off at the Humane Society where they neuter them, give them a couple shots and then release them back to the wild. Usually you can tell a TNR cat because they have one corner of their ear clipped off. At least that's how they do it around here.

How's it going with the new cat @Miss Vicky? Is he getting a little less nervous, hopefully settling in a little bit?

( forgot which thread you last posted on so I thought I' d ask here on the Pets thread)

He's having a really tough time adjusting.

I tried having him in my bedroom the first day/night, but he ended up going into a full on panic and I was worried he was going to hurt himself, break my stuff, and/or traumatize my pet rat. So then I moved him into a large covered dog crate in my home office for a few days. He now has the run of that room, but refuses to come out of hiding when I or anyone else is in there with him. He does let me pet him and gets really into it, especially when I rub his chin, but he's still very nervous and often hisses at me when I first approach.

But I can't blame him at all for being scared. He was with the same foster since kittenhood, except for the month or so he spent away when he got adopted the first time. The rescue said he was returned because the adopter's other cat was bullying him and he seemed quite traumatized by the experience.

I'm trying everything I can think of to help him with the transition. I bought him a covered cat bed that I sprayed with Feliway, I've got the Feliway diffuser going in the room and I bought him a special food that's supposed to help relieve stress. I also bought some stress relief treats - which he won't eat - and a pheromone calming collar, which he managed to get his paw underneath of and got stuck. I felt really terrible about that, but he actually seemed less afraid of me after I had to rescue him from it.

I'm gonna keep working with him as much as my schedule allows. Hopefully he'll come around soon.

Here's a photo I managed to snap of him (he wedged himself in the little cubby on Jasper's cat tree that is really too small for a full grown cat). Forgive the blurriness, I've been keeping the room fairly dark and didn't want to startle him with a flash:


Here's a photo of him from his Petfinder profile:


The rescue was calling him "Copper." I'm not crazy about the name and may end up changing it, but I haven't got a clue what to change it to.

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Aww, he's adorable.

Ditto on that .

Well it 's a good sign that he likes you to pet him. Probably he'll get more confident as he gets to know you. It's wise of you to find a place in your home he likes- I believe most cats are particular about where they like to be. And a shy cat can take a while to bond with you, but then become a very loyal friend. Let us know how it goes.

Another thing I think helps - and if you're not a cat person ( and even if you are) you may think
I' m a bit daft to say this: I think when you talk soothingly and compliment a cat, it really perks them up. Ah well maybe that 's just me

And maybe you can try out a few different names and see if he - and you- like one of them. Keep up the good work @Miss Vicky.

Lovely cat. Sounds like there are some rays of light in all this. Hopefully he'll come around. Keep at it! You're doing a good thing.

Oh I've been doing lots of that. Sitting there feeling like an idiot slow blinking and carrying on softly about what a good and handsome kitty he is.

And then I go out and spend time with Jasper - who gets called such ego-boosting things as "Turd" and "Weirdo."

I almost found Rosemary or Thyme this morning. There was a little spotted kitten in the middle of the road. I got out and tried to get it. It would run away, cry, run away, etc. It was 0500 and dark and I didn't have anymore time to spend.

At least it got out of the road.

Poor cat, so scared. It will take time, as you know, but I hope it all works out for you.

Are you very worried about introducing him to your other cat?

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Yikes, could you possibly go back & look for it? Poor little thing cannot survive by itself.

I’m not too worried about it at the moment. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now I’m just focusing on building his confidence and bonding with him. He rolled onto his back and was purring while I petted him this morning. He still wouldn’t come out of hiding and hissed when I sat down but I think he’s making some strides.

He’s a beautiful cat & I hope everything will work out. We have 2 indoor kitties & 5 outdoor kitties so I can relate.

When I go home tonight I will drive the same road. If I see it I'll get it.

Kinda of busy with the animals as it is. One of the Westies got ran over and had her pelvis reconstructed. She's has to be carried outside and have a strap under her to hold her up so she can go.

I like the name Copper, cute cat

Interested in some pet updates, if you have them.

It hasn't been long since you brought home your new kitty @Miss Vicky, but I'm wondering if he's settling in a bit?

All going good with the sweet Puppy who adopted you @ynwtf?

And anything new with the boys @cricket? Or perhaps you are pet- sitting for some newcomers at your animal friendly b&b?

Progress is still very slow. He's warmed up to me, but will still only come out of hiding if he's alone or if I'm sitting on the floor near him. I've been leaving the door to the room open during the day, but he's made no attempt to explore the rest of the house. Jasper comes into the room every once in awhile, but usually just stares at Copper for a little bit and then leaves. They still hiss at each when this happens, but not every time and there's been no sign of true aggression between them. I think this weekend I'm going to start leaving the door open at night, too.

I also have come up with no ideas whatsoever on a new name and I wanted to get his microchip registered and get him an I.D. tag before the 4th, so he's just going to stay Copper.

Thanks for the update @Miss Vicky. Glad he's warming up to you. That's a good sign, and he's only been in this new home a week. Very cautious and shy cat, but I think his natural curiousity will kick in soon - and he'll start exploring the house. Probably within a few weeks. maybe even by next week. . You seem to have a handle on it all, introducing the cats and letting them get to know each other on their own feline way.

Wouldn't it be nice if you woke up one (not too distant) day and he's in your room? Is he purring yet?

Keep us updated when you can. You may not see the changes as it's a slow daily work in progress, but it sounds like he's coming along. Baby steps.