Disembodied cat! Stephen King-ish.Waffles! Stop trying to scare the other kitties!
Disembodied cat! Stephen King-ish.Waffles! Stop trying to scare the other kitties!
Oh my goodness, those pics are GREAT!! And the approach with the tail up and trill - that's exciting! Anything new happen since then? It looks like your transition is going to be pretty seamless, and I love that for you. It just seems 'right' after adopting a senior - you deserve a smooth transition. Bless Moofles for allowing the old girl to join the clan. Makes my heart happy!Things are progressing slowly, but progressing- Moo and Waffs go up to the gates when Gracie's in the bedroom often, being very curious, and she can be out daily for a good stretch with them with me supervising, but they definitely keep their distance. But that distance is shrinking. All is calm, just wary.
Waffles watching me play with Gracie about 8 feet away. He's laying in a bedroom doorway and looks like something out of a scary movie...
I am so sorry I've been absent - clinical has started and all of my attention has been focused there. The boys are doing well for the most part! I still have days where I find clumps of Charlie's fur laying around, but then we have days like today where they are both playful but restrained. Charlie is acting younger today than he's acted in a year or two. He keeps trying to engage Finn in play, but Finn is being smart and staying on the sidelines since Charlie's wild hair is out of character. They have been squabbling a bit at bedtime, but I've just started putting my ear plugs in and going to bed. They are both still alive in the morning, only occasionally with tufts of fur as evidence of a scuffle. I'm convinced that the more I can stay out of their way, the better they do (duh) - and being gone so much is forcing me to do just that. They stay off-camera while I'm gone; I think they have taken up residence in the hearth room, and they've both adopted a chair. I sit on the floor now. Worth it!how's it going with your boys?
My state has SNAP for low income or veterans. You pay $25/cat to spay or neuter. No one will do the surgery in this cold unless you agree to keep the cat inside for a couple days afterwards. Wait till spring if that is the case.If you are feeding this little one,you are making him strong enough to breed. Please please get him neutered. It is the kindest thing you can do for him. At that time you can have him checked for FIV and FELV as well as getting vaccines.
He does not sound feral to me, but more stray like. A true feral cat would not be rolling over on your feet or coming to eat so close to you in such a short period of time. Most likely he has had human interactions in the past and developed some feral tendencies due to be left on his own.
You can purchase or try to rent a trap and find a low cost spay/neuter clinic that takes feral cats. Or you can ask your regular vet for help. He really needs to be neutered soon or he will continue to mate and eventually start to fight for territory. The fighting is what leads to the passing of diseases.
Maybe you could consider taking him in and working on socializing him. You have established quite a bit in a short time. Thank you for caring about him.
Good to hear from you! We miss you!Oh my goodness, those pics are GREAT!! And the approach with the tail up and trill - that's exciting! Anything new happen since then? It looks like your transition is going to be pretty seamless, and I love that for you. It just seems 'right' after adopting a senior - you deserve a smooth transition. Bless Moofles for allowing the old girl to join the clan. Makes my heart happy!
Hello Buffster7 ! Good to hear from you. Can't wait for Adventures of Charlie and Finn update. And how you are doing.Ohhhhh sweet Wanda Heart!! She's a beauty, and has such a sweet-looking face! I was missing you guys so just popped in briefly to say hi...my eyelids are so heavy but I'm so glad that I did. That precious face made my day. Thank you for thinking of me and thank you for the pic! I hope that your chowder has recovered from their illness? And I wonder how Gracie has settled in with Mooshoo now, if they're fully integrated? Looking forward to catching up here in a couple weeks - will have a week off between clinical rotations, it'll be nice to "catch up" with you guys over coffee and a long slow morning. I hope all are doing very well!
Oh my word! BANJO!! That look - melted me into a puddle over here. I would give that face anything it wanted, no questions asked. So sweet! I hope that the saga of Banjo and froggy continues - I will pop in next week to do some good catching up around here! Two days left in this clinical, then I'll have a week to breathe before the next one begins! I have MISSED the adventures of your chowder!Here’s one that might get you started later when you have a break. Banjo saw me outside with her fella , Froggie and was a little worried that I stole a kiss in an attempt to turn him into a prince. She checked my face for frog evidence. None there, of course! I leave frog kissing to her!
But that sounds so integrated to me! And so peaceful! I love that Moofles is/are so respectful of Gracie - that is precious. They must have sweet dispositions. Thank you for the pictures, guys - they seriously brightened my day.We are not quite all integrated, Moo/Waffs still give Gracie deference and bow down to her. Queen of the house. In a respectful way. No aggression at all. She is sure active at night!
He apparently already is.But I don't want him thinking that's "his" territory and getting mean with Charlie when Charlie goes in there.
Even now, after all this my perception is that you care more about Finn than Charlie, which is what I got in the early stages of this. Finn will be just fine, but that doesn't handle the overriding issue.Second question: how much would it 'hurt' Finn if I kept him out of my bedroom at night and just slept in there with Charlie? I don't want him to feel outcast,
My heart hurts for Charlie because this is exactly what I never wanted to happen when I took Finn in. It's been a long road with these two
My personal, very very strong opinion is that Charlie will only be comfortable and content again without Finn. He's telling you this, your neighbor is telling you, and so am I.Tonight he was so happy when I was home, he started to play a little.
That surprises me! From the beginning I've said that Charlie is my heart, and he is. I've felt a little sorry for Finn at times because I am so bonded with Charlie, it has to be hard being the third addition to a "bonded duo". So I've done my best to do everything possible to try to make this a real integration. One of the reasons I decided to go ahead and adopt Finn was because Charlie had been showing signs of 'depression' and listlessness as an only cat, and I thought that having another live body here when I started clinicals might be company for Charlie. And initially, he seemed to show interest and perked up a lot with Finn's presence. But it has truly been one step forward and two, sometimes three steps back. So I'm posting for input. But the perception that I care more about Finn than Charlie isn't correct. Charlie has my heart, and if there is truly no hope of he and Finn coexisting peacefully, then I may have to take a look at what options there are. I am hoping that some adjustments can be made - so I'm asking about sleeping arrangements, separating them during the day, or whether that would just cause more resentment. I've not one to re-home a pet just because of a situation that's not ideal. If it comes to that, I would have to find someone who I know would take care of Finn like I do, and that would be very difficult to find. It's a real conundrum.Even now, after all this my perception is that you care more about Finn than Charlie, which is what I got in the early stages of this. Finn will be just fine, but that doesn't handle the overriding issue.
I hear you. What would you do in my situation - would you re-home? I'm not there yet, I will want to be sure that I have done absolutely everything possible and that this inability to get along isn't due to something I have done or am doing. If there are adjustments I can try first, I'd want to try those. I'm open to suggestions. If your opinion is that this is a losing battle, then I need to hear that, too. I appreciate all input, always!My personal, very very strong opinion is that Charlie will only be comfortable and content again without Finn. He's telling you this, your neighbor is telling you, and so am I.