Happy Ending...domestication Achieved!

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Miss_Kitty_Noir

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Thanks everybody who read and replied.

His name is Lorrie. When we used to see him coming out of the woods, surrounded by trees, and with a big whisker-mustache, we used to call him The Lorax. It eventually got shortened to Lorre (pronounced Lorrie), like the classic movie actor Peter Lorre. Peter Lorre always played a villian and it was also a somewhat appropriate name because in the early days the kitty would seem to scowl at me and give me the stink-eye. His expressions were really interesting! Since then, his face has really mellowed, but back then we used to marvel at his almost human-like facial expressions. It has been so interesting to watch his transformation.
 

tarasgirl06

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Thanks everybody who read and replied.

His name is Lorrie. When we used to see him coming out of the woods, surrounded by trees, and with a big whisker-mustache, we used to call him The Lorax. It eventually got shortened to Lorre (pronounced Lorrie), like the classic movie actor Peter Lorre. Peter Lorre always played a villian and it was also a somewhat appropriate name because in the early days the kitty would seem to scowl at me and give me the stink-eye. His expressions were really interesting! Since then, his face has really mellowed, but back then we used to marvel at his almost human-like facial expressions. It has been so interesting to watch his transformation.
He does look like a very serious little man in the photo! I think it's part of his cuteness. :creampersian:
 

TheCatMom

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ohh this makes my heart so happy! 2 of my sweetest kitties have been former ferals. I actually watched some scumbag dump a little calico kitten in the prking lot of a grocery store, and i tried to catch her but she hid in a bush and we just looked at eachother and i silently promised her that i would do whatever it took to bring her to safety. i left food out for her but didnt see her for weeks. i was so discouraged and thought she had been another casualty of the busy commuter road by there. Then i saw her, and started putting the food where i would see her. around thanksgiving the weather was getting bad and i went to a neighbor to borrow a trap. within a couple days she was caught. She had the ear tip of a feral, and my only assumption is that someone picked her up from her colony and then didnt want her, as there’s no colony there and it’s a high risk area for kitties. She’s very young, and she hid under the couch for over a week, crying all night long but only letting me rub her cheeks under the couch. some of my friends told me she was too far gone and would never adapt. Boy did she prove them wrong! she’s become my shadow, and is such a talker and a lovebug now. She loves to be petted and snuggled and even picked up! she goes out onto the back patio but gets scared if we leave her out alone. She meows to be picked up and will give head bumps and kisses when she gets close to my face. I’ve never met a sweeter kitty, and i’m so thankful i was able to bring her home and give her a good life. Her eyes are bright and she always has a mischievous cute lil kitten grin. when i first got her, she looked broken and scared, i dont doubt that her past involved some abuse. She got so attached that i decided to adopt another kitty to keep her company. He was on deathrow at my county shelter, about 8 years old and looking so sad. I scooped him up, brought him home, and his true personality came out. He’s rather aloof but when my little girl (named Peep) comes up to play, he’ll always entertain her. his name is Gucci and was found as a stray, and has some scars that suggest he was on the streets a while. Taking a chance on those 2 was the best choice i’ve made.
 

sabian

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M Miss_Kitty_Noir This is a great story! Awesome you took him in and gave him a safe place to live out his senior years. He looks like he's been through a lot but, he looks happy and content, chillin in the window.

W walli I have a rescue I took in a year ago this month after losing my last 2 cats in Nov. of 2016 and Feb. of 2017. He hid behind the water heater downstairs for a day and under the bed for 3 days after that. He had been in foster care for a year and they couldn't get him out of his shell. They had a busy household and they thought he needed a calmer environment. Since I'm single and my past experience with cats they seemed happy I decided to take him.

I would leave the basement door open so he had plenty of room to roam. I remember when I would come home from work he would sit at the door looking downstairs. All I would see is an eyeball peaking around the door at me. Now he runs down to meet me at the door and talks none stop. I let him go outside with me ( supervised only ) and I have to leave the door just pulled to. He gets spooked easily and he knows he can run to the door and push it open and get back in the house. He knows that's his safe place. My neighbors dog barking, my neighbor talking, a car going by the house would send him running to the door. They don't really phase him now. When I would have company he would hide under the bed. Not long ago a friend came over and he ran under the bed. I went upstairs and looked under the bed and told him it was ok and rubbed him and went back downstairs. About 5 minutes later he came down and peaked around the corner. I talked to him and my friend did also. He ran back upstairs and then about 5 minutes later he came back down and hung out with us the rest of the night. He was still a little jumpy but he stayed the whole time. He even came over and talked to me and jumped up on my lap, which he doesn't do often. I think he may have been a little jealous he wasn't getting all the attention.

It's little breakthroughs like that, that make you smile. I bought a clicker for clicker training. When I click it he takes off running. The sound scares him to death for some reason. He's come a long way but, he still has a ways to go. I've had to think out of the box when it comes to training him. Because of his past abuse I just have to approach him differently but he makes continuous progress. Sometimes it seems like I've hit a brick wall but then out of the blue he'll do something unexpected and surprise me. 2 months isn't very long at all really. It takes alot of patience, love and reassurance but they eventually come around.

If you get a chance check out the post meet Buggy. It's a long read but I think well worth it. Maybe at bigbadbass bigbadbass can weigh in also. Best of luck to you and don't hesitate to ask for help! There's a wealth of info and experience on the site.
 

bigbadbass

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i'm truly honored to be remembered here. 15 months in...Bug is doin' fine. As the leader of our Club Med for kitties, his responsibilities nowadays include waking up Mom and Pa for daily morning feed...as the others wait outside the door. He jumps onto our bed, heavily purring while accepting pets from us, getting us up and moving.

15 months ago I would have NEVER imagined such. He's adapted so well from the starving, nasty SOB he was. He seems quite happy as leader of the indoor crew. Never hungry, lonely, plenty of attention, affection and space, if he desires.

But Princess is still skittish...requiring more time and intimate work. Likely a past history of abuse would explain her reluctance to all but the most basic human interaction. A work in process.
 
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