Broken Hip

[proudkittiemom]

Thanks for welcoming me to the club lol, and I cant wait too see more pictures, Awe that is soo cute about JJ and Cow they are in love lol, and I do remember reading about Hank looking like JJ thats why I thought you kept the 1st litter but I wasnt sure lol, and strays tend to be the spoiled ones, well thats my conclusion and they tend to be the most loveable ones. I also told my mom today about JJ's story and she had the same reaction as I did but its people like us I guess that will get more in the end other than these people that dont care for anything and just hurt things, even when I am sad it makes me happy reading these stories with happy endings and well just coming here with my kitties sitting next to me or on me or on the labtop itself lol !!!! So many strays out there that need help and I wish that there was way more people like us that can help these poor animals out!!

 

[jcribbs]

When it rains, it pours.......I will be back on line at the end of next week!!!!

And......loan came through if we want it... but we are reconsidering buying additional property. what we have is paid for and we are not sure we want a mortgage even if it is a small one.. we are going to think about it.... but no large leaps.....

Pictures will be forthcoming. I will know Monday which day the satellite guy can hook us up.

Jenn and the gang

 

[xocats]

Hooray....It will be great to have you and your tribe back Jenn.

Have a wonderful holiday.

 

[booktigger]

I Can't wait to have you back Jenn!!

 

[jcribbs]

I'm back.... I'm back......

got satellite installed today. Can't update right now because I have to be at work in a bit... I'm going to browse a bit but tomorrow I will upload some pics of JJ to photobucket. He is so fat!!!

Jenn and the gang

 

[eilcon]

Hey Jenn!
It's great to see you back. Hope you, hubby and the gang are doing well.
Can't wait to see pics and hear how things are going with the new house.
Take care!

 

[pami]

Hey Jen and Welcome back! I cant wait to hear the updates and see the pics!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tru]

Glad to see you back! I was beginning to wonder what was going on and where you were.
I too am anxious for some updates.

 

[booktigger]

I am so glad you finally made it back, I can't wait to see new pics of him - do watch him for getting too fat though, you dont want too much weight put on that remaining back leg.

 

[xocats]

Hi Jenn....it great to have you back.

I can't wait to see JJ's new pictures & hear all about your adventures.

 

[jcribbs]

Hello all,

I've been on line for a week now and sorry I haven't written sooner. I have been preoccupied with bobcats. I am having to reinforce my enclosure to keep them out. I am serious...

Before I elaborate, here's JJ exercising his brain.....



He is a chunk and totally spoiled. He enjoys sitting on our chests when we are watching tv. If he wants attention, he puts his big old paw on our face and touches us. He is so smart. He has also quit trying to kill the dogs. He actually lays by Muffin now. Occassionaly he gets that look in his eye if WE correct the dogs. He wants to help us because he actually considers himself the "boss pet". The others don't mind....hehe

Now......the bobcats... We have a family of bobcats... The other night the dogs were outside and raising cain. I don't usually pay attention because Molly barks at the wind. And so does Muffin. But emma was barking as well so I told her to hush........and she didn't... So I got the flashlight and went outside. It was around 7:30pm and dark. I figured I would see an opossum or something similiar. I shone the light toward the woods in an area that lit up approx 50 yards away and my light pinpointed on some cat eyes. Or that's what it looked like. I thought I imagined it. I kept moving the light in the general area and I caught the glint of cat eyes again. I kept the light in that one spot and watched the "eye lights" appear and disappear.. The dogs were going nuts... And I could not shake the feeling that it was unreal. It was a surreal experience to be exact. My heart was pounding. Suddendly the eyes started moving. They moved crossways from where I was standing. And two more sets of eyes came into view as well. Since bobcats are solitary animals, this has to be a mama and her babies. I watched them watch me as they went across the yard. The hair on the nape of my neck actually stood up. I walked weak kneeed [rapidly]to the house and called the dogs in scared to death and freaked out. We had suspected mountain lions in the area due to a few large prints we had found. We had found a bedded down area last month behind the dogs yard where "something" was bedding down at night in direct view of the cat enclosure. It left three large 4 feet wide spots in some tall grass. Much like cats bedding down in hay make. That's what it looked like. I would have thought deer but there were no deer prints.

Also......the neighbor the next door a mile or 1/2 mile down the road told my husband she saw a big cat that she thought was a bobcat. And that was the same night I saw the eyes. Since mountain lions are rare in Missouri I am "assuming" it was bobcats... It is hard to say without positive proof.

Husband and I went walking to see what we could see in the wilderness behind our house further back on our property. We found a possum skull buried in the dirt and leaves that something had killed. We also found possible dens... and we could see where something had been laying against some large rocks. We have rocks large as a huge kitchen table out back.

But anyway we have decided to buy a hunters motion detector camera and bait an area way back behind the house and set the camera up and see what is out there. If it is a bobcat we can handle that... We just put a different sort of roof on the enclosure. If it is a mountain lion, I will have to take differnt measures and relocate the animal if I can catch him in a live trap. But if it turns out to be a mountain lion, we will have to buy a gun for our walks. I would hate to shoot anything but we are a little fearful.

I believe it is just bobcats. Right now I am keeping a flood light on at night on the cat enclosure and keeping a radio blaring outside creating noise. So with the noise and light, they should stay away till we get a differnt type of roof. Right now it is chicken wire. They are fixing to have a tin roof...

Here's one of the small dens we found. The way the ground is, we could not see prints. Something lives here but it wasn't home. Whew. We took walking sticks with us. One is a big cedar limb with nail driven through the end to use if something attacked us.


This a huge huge rock taller than us and something has been resting here consistantly.


And this is the oppossum skull we found. This skull was buried like cats do. Bob cats and mountain lions. Something else we have noticed is the large game in the area is gone. No more deer and no more hogs. Something drove them away. We are just not sure what but "something is in the woods"....


Everyone else is doing good. Great in fact. We're all fat and sassy....!!

Take care all,
Jenn and the gang

 

[jcribbs]

One more thing......... The bedded down area behind the dog yard.....

We burnt it ... and urinated on it to mark territory...... hehe

The wild animals [to my knowledge] have not bedded down in that area again.

In fact, yall might think it's nuts but hubby marked our territory around the perimeter of approx 2 acres. We have burnt several spots around as well. We are trying to claim the land but it is so remote that it is difficult. We want to co-exist with the animals out here but we want them to keep their distance. We keep no open food out at all... There are no stray domestic type animals out here at all.

I keep a shovel and a hoe and my club with nails in it at the door.. for just in case. I would fight anything to protect my babies...

Most are indoors at night but they do have a choice. Festus is the only one who does not come indoor through the cat door. Jimmy and Felix come in the house.

This week we are going to haul tin up to the house. We have a huge piece that is about 24' by 12' for a roof. We just have to get it up there.

 

[jcribbs]

moved to general forum

Something else wonderful happened......... It is probably the most exciting wildlife adventure I have had...

Husband and I found a hawk eating his prey. Which was a possum... He allowed us to approach him to within 3 feet. I took approx 50 pictures of him. He stood his ground and ate his food. He was very hungry or he would not have let us get that close. He dragged the possum a ways from us first because it was too heavy to fly with but he would not abandon his kill.

It was amazing to watch the ways of nature unfolding directly in front of us.

Here's 4 of the pictures I took. This is one reason I am so thankful I have that enclosure for my kitties.

This is Mr. Hawk standing his ground..... The feathers on top of his head are raised up...... Juan was worried we were going to get attacked. I talked real quiet to Mr Hawk and he let us stay there.


He appeared to relax slightly or else he was real hungry. He chowed down.


And I blew up a couple picture of his face. He was so beautiful and it was so amazing to be this close to a wild animal in his natural environment. It might never happen again.



It still gives me chills.........

Jenn

 

[sarahp]

JENN!!!!!! I'm SOOOO pleased to see you back again!!!

I've been wondering how the move went, how you and Juan are settling in, and how the handsome JJ (and the others!) have been going!

I thought about him when I was back home in Australia visiting my mum's kitties - I don't know if you remember, but our boy had his leg amputated a few years back. I posted a pic of him in this thread a while back, but took a bunch more to show him to you when you were back on here

I'm so glad to hear everything is well - scary about the bobcats though! I hope that's all they are... Good luck in keeping your kitties safe and sound

I love how Juan "marked" his territory!!!! Did you make him drink a heap of beers to make that easier?

Great to hear from you, and can't wait to see more pics of the crew!

Sarah

 

[xocats]

Oh my gosh Jenn...
the photos of the hawk are absolutely amazing.

You must have felt at one with the earth, when the hawk continued with his meal.
I have no doubt it was a deeply moving experience.

JJ, your miracle tripod, looks healthy and content as can be.
He is truly the head of your household.
That boy warms my heart everytime I see him.

I hope that you get the tin on the roof ASAP.
You don't want your babies to become a meal for the Bob Cats.
Where I live, we call outside kittens, coyote food.
Only the fastest, wisest and luckiest survive.
My fingers are crossed that the creatures outside your house, are only Bob Cats.

If it is a Mountain Lion, I hope that you can call the state rangers to trap him.
They are endangered in so many area of your county now because they have so little habitat left.
I know that you will protect your fur family fiercely.

I missed you, JJ and your wonderful stories while you were gone.
You might want to continue this conversation on your other thread because JJ is so healthy now and members will miss your posts here.
Please add your hawk photos there too.
It's great to have you back.

 

[jcribbs]

of course...... And we will probably keep marking territory... [I never thought we would do that, you know?

].....

And yes I remember your kitty and you telling me about his leg... did your cat get fat like JJ. He is a real porker. Since they all eat together I have considered putting the food up about 4' on a shelf where JJ can't get ot it and feed him diet cat food and try to control his weight. He does not attempt to jump that high. He gets on the couch and bed and that is about his limits as far as jumping.....

It's great to hear from you!!! I have tons of pics but don't have them uploaded to photobucket yet... I'll try to get some of them uploaded. They all seem to love the house.

Jimmy, my most feral kitty, is even getting better. He stays in the house most of the time now even with the cat enclosure. Yea, he likes us.... Felix just started coming in the house. He was the one whose pad was ripped off when we found him. He loves us now and enjoys lots of petting. It took approx 7-8 months before I could touch him. His bro Festus has never came through the kitty door into the house on his own yet. All the other come and go constantly. I have deep hay in the enclosure and they lounge around....

Talk to ya later,
Jenn

 

[jcribbs]

xo......it is so good to hear from you!!!

And you are right... I guess I should start a new thread...... I'll delete the hawk pics from here and move them. They don't like double pics.

One thing though..... You are so right in saying that I felt one with everything when the hawk was eating. It was very very moving. That was on the 30th of Dec and we still talk about it. He had a wing span of approx 4 feet. He was the largest bird I have ever seen and it was a very special experience. I will never forget it!

It made us feel very special that he allowed us in his space. It was misting and if you look close you will see the mist on his feathers...

 

[xocats]

Do you still any cow kitties?

 

[aitacha]

thanks

 

[jcribbs]

Oh wow...........that's a beautiful lion....... Did you take that picture? Do you resuce big cats?.......

and yeppers, we have two cow kitties..... The woman did not want them. She changed her mind.

Let me upload a pic.... You're going to love this!