My Feral And Rescued Cats

[Furballsmom]

BJ, baby, you awesome little talker, cat of class, and guard kitty .

 

[Jcatbird]

1CatOverTheLine My cats have been my family since I was a child. They have even protected me as though I were their kitten. Always will be my family. I have a couple of human family members but the cats are ALWAYS here for me and I would never let them down. I understand your bond completely.

 

[Jcatbird]

Very good news today I’m regards to Mittwo and Jazzy awaiting adoption at the shelter. They were both featured in the pet adoption spot of the City newspaper yesterday. I have been worried about re adoption possibilities for Mittwo since her return and Jazzy since she has been there longer than any of my kitties. Jazzy is the oldest kitty I have ever sent but is still not an old kitty. I am hoping this will get them both adopted into the right families.
BJ is making progress and beginning to explore his room more. He did get upset last night at some loud noises. When I approached him he was very nervous. I know it will take time for him to understand that his room is secure. For now he guards the house.
The other kitties her are coming along well. Flowers now comes out to be petted and has allowed me to put her in my lap. She is a little scared of the other cats but it didn’t help that Mitsy swatted her. All things considered I think the remaining ferals are making great progress. They have noticed that BJ was dominating my attention so I got some kitty stares today. I had to make amends with lots of petting and compliments.
I got an update on little ET from my friend. He learned how to jump in and out of her bathtub. He is actively playing with his siblings. He is very cute. He has a perfect white tip on his tail. I hope the little guy does well.
@surya I hope you got my message. Still working on it.
Mamanyt1953 You rock! I heard you and Hekitty helped another kitty.

Here are our smiles for today thanks to some great kitty personalities.

The watch cat ,BJ , alerts!

Stands guard duty to protect the house

Decides he should be put on a pedestal

And rewarded for his loyalty!

The kitten I got an update on is learning!
ET discovers that chasing a toy into the tub can leave you in a slippery place!

But a good leap can get you out,

And your siblings will be waiting for you.

I have discovered that giving too much attention to BJ can get me some very critical looks from some of the other cats! They always let us know when we make a mistake!

Lady

Banjo

What a look!

Mitsy

Thrasher who really “ got in my face” about it

And Whistle!

I stand properly corrected and smiling at all the purrsonality.
Fortunately I managed to get back into their good graces. Kitties are very forgiving. With so many cats in the house, I am very grateful for forgiveness!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

What a lovely end to a long, long day! Putting together flat-pack furniture, and of COURSE taking twice as long as it should. But I'll be back at some point this next week!

 

[Jcatbird]

The kitties have kept me hopping today. I’ve been working hard to do more socializing. Each cat moves at their own pace. BJ has surprised me at every turn. We played games tonight but I think showing you the proof is more fun.
But first......
I do want to express to those who are also doing rescues and adoptions that persisting is the best tip I can give when it comes to any part of the process. Another rescuer is doing just that @surya has started writing about “Somewhat Unadoptable Misfit Cat Available for Forever Homes” . She has been doing TNR and socializing cats to save lives. Whenever I get tired or frustrated I come across great TCS members who inspire me to keep going. I wish to send her great vibes, prayers, wishes, hope and any help I can provide as she struggles to get these cats out of a high risk situation. Her continued efforts are admirable and I hope they will serve to demonstrate to new TCS members that we can make a difference.
Now for our smiles. Once again I have to thank BJ for the fun. I have already written about Mackie being my laughing cat. He is always quick to show a happy spirit. BJ is turning out to be a real joker. I never know when he is going to hide in a cabinet with only a tiny mew to lead me to his location, stare at me through the window, scream for me like a banshee or give me an unexpected slap as he purrs. Tonight was all a game.

BJ! BJ! BJ?
Time for supper. Where are you BJ?

Hmmmm. A foot?

Are you there BJ?

BJ, I can see you.

Playing hide and go seek?

I’m pointing at you BJ. That means I can see you. Come on out.

You’re so funny! Go ahead and laugh BJ.

Proud of yourself, aren’t you? Lol

I think having BJ around is going to be fun and a bit of a challenge! Joker cat.
His expressions certainly made me laugh!

 

[Jcatbird]

Tonight I have spent time with BJ. He is settling down a little. The area was quiet today so my watch cat was quieter too. Not silent, I can’t imagine that BJ will ever be without something to say, but he didn’t seem to be disturbed by anything. We did spot the black cat. Briefly. It was back to eat. I am wondering if it has a home nearby since it has not fed here every day. BJ will keep me posted on that. We will be watching for that kitty.
I thought our pictures for tonight should be updated on some of the other kitties here. We don’t want them to feel left out in all the recent comings and goings of others. I caught them in various activities. Two photos were actually last night but they made me smile so I include them here.

Yesterday I joked with a friend that I wished my cats could help me out by learning to drive. My laughing cat was quick to give his opinion of my driving instructions!

Banjo, being a teenager, was more interested in learning to drive.

Shopping day brought contentment from my fluffy lady, Smokey. A new container of cat litter.

Saffron is all about searching for fresh supplies of cat food.

Bonjure is victorious in his discovery of more cat food and claims it for himself.

Flowers takes advantage of grocery day distractions to claim petting from Mom.

Thrasher has been napping and wondered what all the excitement was about.

Flowers bravely approached a sleepy Thrasher.

Banjo prefers to stay out from under foot and lets herself into the nearest cage. No one is stepping on her tail!

Bonjure grabs me around the neck every time I bend down. A subtle reminder that the baby needs extra attention. Lol

Dolly placed himself right in the middle of the chaos. What better spot to be noticed?

Lambie preferred to conquer the clean pile of laundry.

Lady did not approve of the disturbance of her routines.

Frankly, Tortuga could not care less!

Alley always looks a bit worried. I reassured her and told her we were just restocking the kitty supplies.

Liberty found a high spot to observe the entire thing.

Mitsy and Cally has a debate over who would get the first cat treats.

Blue is a wise older Tom and just waited patiently.

Mountain Bear made regular inquiries as to when fresh food would be delivered to be eaten!

Goldielovks was curious about why I allowed all the fuss and bother to occur in my house.

What could I possibly say to a sensible cat to explain all the noise in the house today?
A few of the kitties continued their naps unconcerned. Whistle hid under the couch. Poor Whistle. He got the first dish of fresh food. All things taken into consideration....... the kitties did very well today. Progress continues and BJ is calling! Goodnight everyone!

 

[Norachan]

You have so many beautiful feline friends in your house.



I'm so proud of the progress BJ is making. It's amazing how quickly he came round. BJ and Blue look a lot alike, don't they? Are they related?

Don't worry, I know how difficult it is to answer any questions about the family tree in such a big colony. Whenever anyone asks about my cats I tell them they're all cousins. It's close enough.

 

[Jcatbird]

Norachan Very observant of you! BJ does look like Blue. Because I spent a great deal of time observing what was going on outside I have a pretty good idea of the family trees of most of the cats. BJ actually stands for Blue Junior. I cannot be sure of his parentage. He was one of the true woods ferals so when I first saw him he was already grown. He always took off if he spotted me but he is younger than Blue and Blue was the only male around at that time as I had already pulled in his male family members and one sister.( Beauty, Backpack and Uncle Mitty) Blue was far less feral than BJ but I could not catch him at the time I got his litter mates. He was the king of the cat world here and claimed all the females. I started out grabbing up females to Spay but when I went after Goldie he decided to allow himself to be captured with her and his babies. I have never seen such a bonded cat family. He could have eluded me to remain with the other females but he adored his family. I even saw him chase a human away from them once. An amazing husband and father, he still loves Goldie and snuggles her with the last baby Bear who remains here. ( the last baby Bear is Mountain who is now grown. Mountains’s Sister, Kodiak has just gone up for adoption with Gingerbread Mom, Kelly and my Missy. The third Bear, Black Bear , was adopted some months back. )
After Blue came inside, BJ took his place as the male here. He was the oldest male outside and took over protecting the cats. Also, as the new Daddy cat. The Flower babies were his, as were the Cloud babies and Gingerbread babies. He will, sadly for him, be neutered.
It is complicated to follow but I do keep track. Banjo and Whistle are Blue’s Neice and nephew and possibly BJ’s first children. Mitsy is their mother and was the last of Blue’s litter mates to be caught. A dozen cats who are not spayed or neutered can quickly turn into a huge colony. There were more than a dozen adults that showed up over the past year but I am hoping that I have ended the uncontrolled expansion of the population. Time will tell!

 

[JosieQ]

Okay I have a lot of replies to make and no time right now, but hopefully later...

In the meantime, Jcatbird (or anyone else with experience): HOW do you get so many cats to coexist peacefully!

My space is very limited but I've provided everyone with their own little hidey-spots, bed for you, window for you, pillow for you... I mean, okay, we're not having any out-and-out fights, but no one actually LIKES anyone. Is there any way to encourage them to bond, or has that ship sailed because my three house cats have already snubbed each other for years? D:

I feel worst for Lady Fluffington, who used to be okay sitting by me on my foot stool when she first came, but Fiddlesticks reclaimed it and now I can't get her to come and mingle, or sit on my lap, or join me in the bed. She just exiles herself in the kitchen and I know she's lonely out there. :c

 

[Norachan]

He will, sadly for him, be neutered.

Well, he's done a wonderful job of passing on the family genes so far. My feral lineage went;

Hige San (Mr Mustache)

Junior

Henry Lee.

The two older males had to stay as barn cats after they were TNR'd. Henry Lee was fixed at 6 months old so that was the end of that.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Henry Lee.
View attachment 259804

Henry Lee, oh Henry Lee,
Won't your please come home with me!

In the meantime, Jcatbird (or anyone else with experience): HOW do you get so many cats to coexist peacefully!

JosieQ - The cats do all the work. As a clowder grows, it becomes easier and easier to enlarge it without squabbles. You might see one brief encounter between a newcomer and the alpha cat, or a passing disagreement over whose chair that is, but for the most part, the newcomers simply assimilate like good little Borg.

Mirò was Cat Number Eleven when she joined the Family in the house just about a year ago. Released into the open for the first time (she'd been sequestered for a week, and all the cats had already learned one another's smells), she walked 'round the house, waving and nodding like the Queen at a Saint Swithens Day parade, and it seemed she'd simply always lived here moments after that.

There's no real "magic number" but I've never had an household of six or more cats act in any manner other than welcoming to a newcomer. As with everything else in Life, Love and patience win the day - unless you have a nice corned beef sandwich on rye with a little mustard, in which case, the sandwich wins every time.


.

 

[Jcatbird]

Norachan Hige San, Junior and Henry Lee are such handsome gentlemen! I love the way Henry Lee holds his tongue! A precious picture. I would love to snuggle all three. The genes certainly tell the tale. I can never resist a cat with a mustache. Remember my black and white baby you admired? Domino? Her Dad was Blue. That litter of kittens got adopted very quickly when I made them available. If only we could keep them all right beside us.......
I guess I’d do nothing but scoop litter from now on though. Lol I’m not sure if I have posted my favorite picture of Sister to Domino, Harlequin. She had amazing markings. I don’t think I had ever seen a pattern quite like hers before. She got a great home and the little 6 year girl who fell for her kept the name. She is very pampered and loved. Always a relief to know. I love getting updates. I think you will like this little face.

JosieQ It isn’t always peaceful. Lol There is the cat slap or hiss from time to time. They learn. They do set up a pecking order but you can help things along. I sit with them together and we have sharing time. Sharing a rotation of petting, of treats and of playing. Each cat gets equal time in the roatation and if someone leaves then we try again later to get them to join. I often take two aside and talk to them using each name, petting, brushing and telling them to be nice. I think that I kind of convince them it’s okay and that I can give them all lots of attention. Very time consuming but if you get over the hump you are okay. The ones that have hurt feelings are taken in a room for one on one time without interference from any other cats. I really pour on the snuggles and anything that the individual cat loves to do. Sitting alone with them while they eat can help. I find that if I treat them the same way I would a young child then they come to realize they can share my affection and not get short changed. Mom will not leave you out and has enough love for everyone. All are very special and they need that to be confirmed by me. I am always reassuring somebody. One other tip, I switch things up on them. If there is a place everyone wants to claim, like a footstool, I move it around. I shuffle things they like and put out new things like a bath mat. New things are a favorite here. I rotate things out too and bring them back another day. I actually call it the kitty cat shuffle. They have heard that so often , now they go to the closet to see what nice thing I am going to pull out for them. It’s like a new toy for a child or an old one that had been forgotten and then rediscovered. I think that trick might help you with Lady Fluffington and Fiddlesticks. Also you might cover a favorite spot with a towel or bath mat. Someone might love the bath mat and follow it to a new location. You’ll have to let me know if any of this works. If not I can tell you a couple of more tricks I pull on them. I just hope they don’t get wise to my tricks. Lol

My good news for tonight is that Kodiak has gone to the cat cafe. They are having good luck there so I am glad she was chosen. Man got adopted very quickly there. Kodiak is such a cute cat. She is a small kitty and smart. I hope this works in her favor to speed her into a loving home.

Bj has come out to lay in the open part of the room today. It seems that everyday he has made a step forward in adjusting. This has been too easy so far. I keep waiting to hit a bump in the road. Lol I am sure it will happen but I am very grateful that he appears to be having an easier time of it than those who have come before him.

Today was slower for me. I worked with the kitties as I could but I seem to have caught a virus from a friend. It is going around here and it has me wanting to go to sleep to ignore how I feel. The kitties were kind enough to help me fix breakfast. (Mackie skipped the plate and tore a hole in the bag of dry food. He took the fast food breakfast.) Later in the day they convinced me to let them comfort me with a nap. The slept, I didn’t. Lol Maybe because of all the weight on me! Still the kitties around me did give comfort. The cats told me I should starve a cold and fur a fever. I think I got played. Here is our day!

Some cats helped by getting out the dishes.

I thought Lambie was whispering to Banjo about feeding instructions.

Turned out she was trying to get zNanjo to slip her the bad of treats but I stopped that......

When I caught Banjo going for the cabinet where the treats are kept I sent her off to eat her food first.

She was quick to go for that.

Sbe munched while I finished fixing breakfast.

Since Mackie had already eaten a fast food breakfast he observed the preperations from above.

Whistle too advantgr of me being distracted to eat some junk food. He stole potatoe chips.

At nap time Mackie draped himself across me as a blanket. Very considerate

The rest of me was surrounded.

Thrasher went out right away.

The only downside was that Whistle snored and kept me awake!

Oh well. The love and snuggles help the healing. I can feel it already. Good night everyone!

 

[Jcatbird]

1CatOverTheLine Very true. The more the better! The corned beef certainly helps! lol

 

[rubysmama]

 

[Norachan]

Please take care of yourself and get some sleep Jcatbird Those kitties may be smart, but they rely on you for so many things. At least they're all inside now and you don't have to go traipsing round those damp woods after them.

I hope things work out well for Kodiak.



Harlequin is adorable! Such pretty markings.

I once had a foster kitten with a similar face. This is Pierrot.

Before he went for the snip Junior managed to father a litter of 3. I coaxed them all inside when they were around 10 weeks old. Pierrot's 2 sisters were eventually adopted too, but he went within 48 hours of me putting his picture up on the adoption site I use. How could anyone resist that little face?

I still get updates from his new family, just like you do for Harlequin. It is wonderful when you hear how content they are, isn't it?

Pierrot turned 5 this month.

 

[catsknowme]

Jcatbird : I loved reading your update! Your captions are so clever. I hope that you are feeling better. Do you have any elderberry handy? It typically does wonders for helping the body fight off viruses & it sounds like you could use some. The jelly works; there is a commercial product called "Sambucol", I used to buy it in the 1990s for my kids but now that it is popular, the cost has skyrocketed. I harvest elderberries in our local mountains; prepare jelly then freeze the leftover pulp to make into tea or even munch on (seeds & all) during the winter for the cats and myself. I add the tea (along with any other herbal decoctions) to canned cat food when I am trying to treat a feral. It is much easier than trying to isolate an outside feral for treatment with antibiotics.
Sending mega prayers and vibes for your quick recovery although I do recommend naps anytime

 

[Jcatbird]

A quick note for anyone in North Georgia, a new mobile Spay neuter service is starting. Yay! I called them to help another TCS member/ friend and they seem great. They were very accomodating when helping to arrange everything. I’ll let you know how the three spays go. They are Called,” My Kids Have Paws”. Cute name. Prices were very good. They do shots and other services as well.

Thank you to everone for the good wishes on getting rid of this virus. Yucky! Going to rest with the cats today. They think that me having a virus is an advantage to cats that want to snuggle during the day. A very unusual thing to have Mom sitting still this long. Lol

 

[Jcatbird]

rubysmama Hope your feline better! Lolololol. Love it. That helped!

catsknowme I wish I did have some Elderberry! I grew up around the knowledge of plant remedies. Natural is great! You can’t buy packaged stuff that equals straight from the kitchen. I am just going the route of orange juice ( fresh) and chicken soup and added cat fur. Lol My mother had a cookbook called, “ A Little Fur in the Merengue Never Hurt Anyone”. I have to wonder if that was ever a best seller. Hmmmm. I have seen Elderberries here but they are more plentiful a little north of here. I do get lots of Blueberries and Huckle berries here. I bet your jelly and tea really does the trick. I’m glad you enjoy the kitty pictures. This is a great group of cats. They keep me going.

Norachan Oh my! Pierrot is precious. 5 years old.......
The updates are wonderful to get. Just knowing that they are happy makes my day every time. Harlequin, Domino, Shakepeare, Churchill and Theater just had their first birthday. Harlequin and Churchill left for adoption November 16th. They were the very first from this colony to find homes. It was a huge relief to me since I was just starting to try and save 100+ and I was very worried whether I could ever get more than a few adopted. Even though I itched to keep them, I was extremely grateful to their new families. Skakedpeare left soon after and his Mother texted me today. He was given a cape for Halloween. He was a caped crusader called Mouse Rider. That’s not a hero I was familiar with but apparently he loved the gift! He is quite a cat! From the pictures she sent, he seemed very content to wear the cape. Somehow I can’t imagine any of mine agreeing to do that. I think BJ would eat me. But then Shakespeare is a city cat and BJ is a country cat. The following are the other members of the first litter pulled in.

Shakespeare

Domino

Theater

Churchill

They have grown up into beautiful cats.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

The following are the other members of the first litter pulled in.

They have grown up into beautiful cats.

Jcatbird - They have indeed.



A Little Fur in the Meringue Never Really Hurts the Filling, - Google Search
.

 

[Jcatbird]

My update for tonight is simple. The cats took good care of me today. They did a the chores and allowed me to play sick. Thank you kitties!
Where do we start cleaning this place?

You want me to clean what? Toilets?

I call dibs on making the beds.

I’m checking for dust bunnies.

I’m not gonna mop guys! That involves getting my paws wet.

I’m up guys! Really I am.

Did she just ask us to do litter boxes?

Yes! She told you boys to clean the litter boxes! Good call Mom. Love youuu!

I’m trying to pick stuff up! Give me a minute!

I know you’re hungry and need a knife to cut your meat but if you’ll be patient, I’m sharpening my claws to cut it for you!

Not that I don’t want to help but...what is furniture polish?

Yes, I’m helping. Someone has to guard the door.

Housework is why I lived in the woods.

I’m done sweeping. Just putting the broom away.

Yes, I’m sure I fed everyone. No, I didn’t lick off every plate!

She licked off of my plate!

You do know it’s Halloween......

Did you expect us to work today too?

Mooooooum! It’s our day off!

Don’t look at me! I’m your holiday pumpkin.

And that is how the kitties took care of me today. There is one last cat you should see.........

Have you met my Siamese?


My daughter Sarah age 5

She even had the blue eyes.

She loved everything about being a cat.....

Right down to the cat nap.

Happy Holiday everyone! I hope you can nap like a cat tonight.