My Feral And Rescued Cats

[Jcatbird]

I am playing catch up tonight. We had an enexpected clean up needed here. A couple of the kitties ( no one is admitting guilt lol) found a drawer that contains some bottles of tiny seed beads. They opened the drawer and managed to get the bottles of beads out. SEED BEADS everywhere! I think I got them all up but I may find a few here and there for some time to come. A few got lodged under the edge of the baseboards in that room and the hallway! I guess the kitties wasted no time spreading them around. Thank goodness I had heard the noise and was looking around to see where it had originated. I should have known that the house had been too quiet before that. It’s kind of like where you have children in the house, if it gets too quiet, you better see what they are up to. Something tells me that Banjo was in on that.

I sat down after the clean up and was petting Flowers when Banjo came in.

She immediately accused Flowers of the mess!

Flowers was offended!

Banjo insisted.

By the looks on their faces.....I kind of believed Flowers!

She looks innocent to me!

Banjo seemed surprised that I didn’t believe her accusations agains Flowers.

Banjo looks a little guilty. She looks like she just had some fun! I think I see a little cat smile going there.

Flowers decided it wasn’t funny.....sooo

Banjo decided it might be better to leave.

The top of the piano maybe?

A leaping blur of kitty!

Yep! Piano top!

Banjo had escaped the wrath of Flowers.

She thinks she got away with scattering beads and blaming another. She’s in the clear! All that would leave a kitty tired but.....

There might be more things to explore.

Hmmmmm. What else can a Banjo get into?

Uh oh!

Do you hear something Banjo?

Jump Banjo! Flowers is out for revenge!

She jumped!

Flowers watches as....

Banjo heads for safety.

Banjo has to settle for sleeping on top of a cage tonight and.....

Flowers gets the last laugh.

I guess Banjo will blame a different kitty next time! Banjo is definitely one of a kind. I didn’t enjoy cleaning up hundreds of beads but I had to laugh at Banjo. Flowers too. It was worth it. Kitty antics are the best! If you get stuck doing a kitty clean up, just remember that the laughter comes next.
The beads are now locked in a file cabinet! I hope Banjo doesn’t know how to use my keys!

Have a great night/ day everyone!

 

[maggiedemi]

They opened the drawer and managed to get the bottles of beads out. SEED BEADS everywhere!

Demi used to do naughty antics like that when he was a baby, I kind of miss it!
Maggie has never really gotten into things. She doesn't really climb on things much unless she knows they are specifically for her, like the kitty highway and their window perches.

 

[neely]

Fingers crossed Banjo and Flowers will be on their best behavior today but then again they are kitties.

We had a cat named Rocky who was extremely mischievous. One morning before work I woke up to a strange noise. He was playing detective and found a bag of chocolate covered malted milk balls which thankfully he didn't eat but was batting them all over the living room floor. Needless to say I was late for work that day.

 

[maggiedemi]

He was playing detective and found a bag of chocolate covered malted milk balls

When Demi was a baby, I couldn't leave a bag of treats or kibble out because he would rip them open. Now I can leave them out and he doesn't touch them. I guess it's a kitten thing?

 

[kittyluv387]

When Demi was a baby, I couldn't leave a bag of treats or kibble out because he would rip them open. Now I can leave them out and he doesn't touch them. I guess it's a kitten thing?

Oh my. I have to leave things in a closed pantry. Demi is just well behaved!

 

[maggiedemi]

Demi is just well behaved!

He was very naughty when he was under a year old. He used to knock over flat screened TVs, jump in the fridge, tried to jump in the furnace, tried to swallow a screw, would attack my fingers when I was typing, and whack the pen out of my hand when I tried to write.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Jcatbird Yes, the laughter and the smiles ALWAYS come next when you share your heart and home with cats!
It was heartrending having to part from them, because most of them I had known since they were tiny, and Maa, the matriarch, had learned to trust me after years of feeding and loving her from a distance. They were and will always be part of my family. I miss them very much.
M maggiedemi Our Seesh loved to sample from the large bags of crunchies we stored in a spare room two locations ago. She'd gnaw a little hole in the bottom right corner -- always the right, if I remember correctly -- and so I'd have to tape it up. She was technically an adult, but forever a kitten to me.
*OMC* M maggiedemi What was up with him???

 

[maggiedemi]

*OMC* M maggiedemi What was up with him???

Just being a kitten I guess? I kind of miss how he was always by my side and always in my business.

 

[maggiedemi]

Maggie does do one naughty thing. If we bake a loaf of fresh bread, we sometimes find her lying on the table next to it. I hope she doesn't lick it.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Maggie does do one naughty thing. If we bake a loaf of fresh bread, we sometimes find her lying on the table next to it. I hope she doesn't lick it.

*Quality Control*

 

[surya]

Maggie does do one naughty thing. If we bake a loaf of fresh bread, we sometimes find her lying on the table next to it. I hope she doesn't lick it.

If it's cold outside, I bet she wants to curl up with it.

 

[tarasgirl06]

If it's cold outside, I bet she wants to curl up with it.

Well, who wouldn't?

 

[Jcatbird]

neely Ha! Malted Milk Balls! A whole bag of balls would send my kitties into sheer delight and attack mode! I can imagine it took you some time to locate them all!

kittyluv387 I surround all my bagged food with the boxed cans. A wall of protection! Lol

tarasgirl06 I know you do still miss them. I still think of mine too. Each one was so special. I left them with care from another but I knew it wouldn’t ever be like what they had come to know. I tried so hard to get to a point where I could reclaim them. Time was against me. Sometimes we just can’t do enough.
My Mackie opens the cat food bags at the bottom corner too! I have picked up many, many bags only to have a waterfall of food cascade onto the floor. He thinks that is the best thing ever! Meow! Meow! Then he dives into the pike and niches away! Lol He thinks every bag and package is meant for him. He opens everything! My brother sent a package specifically for Mackie and Mack was thrilled. When he got to his gift, a special brush, he picked it up out of the carnage of box and wrapping and marched off with it. He claimed his prize like it was a mouse! Others here tend to try and knock over bags of food to crawl inside and munch. Sometimes I just see a tail coming out. I love how smart and funny they all are. Never a dull moment!

M maggiedemi I bet if you were always watching closely you might catch a spirited moment or two. I find that cool weather sometimes gets my older kitties going. A ball of aluminum foil works too.
As for Maggie, very smart girl. I’d curl up with fresh bread too! The smell alone would be enough for me. Ummmm! If you too the bread with brushed egg or butter, no wonder she goes there! A little lick won’t hurt. Mine would probably chew a chunk out. Your kitties just have good manners.

 

[tarasgirl06]

neely Ha! Malted Milk Balls! A whole bag of balls would send my kitties into sheer delight and attack mode! I can imagine it took you some time to locate them all!

kittyluv387 I surround all my bagged food with the boxed cans. A wall of protection! Lol

tarasgirl06 I know you do still miss them. I still think of mine too. Each one was so special. I left them with care from another but I knew it wouldn’t ever be like what they had come to know. I tried so hard to get to a point where I could reclaim them. Time was against me. Sometimes we just can’t do enough.
My Mackie opens the cat food bags at the bottom corner too! I have picked up many, many bags only to have a waterfall of food cascade onto the floor. He thinks that is the best thing ever! Meow! Meow! Then he dives into the pike and niches away! Lol He thinks every bag and package is meant for him. He opens everything! My brother sent a package specifically for Mackie and Mack was thrilled. When he got to his gift, a special brush, he picked it up out of the carnage of box and wrapping and marched off with it. He claimed his prize like it was a mouse! Others here tend to try and knock over bags of food to crawl inside and munch. Sometimes I just see a tail coming out. I love how smart and funny they all are. Never a dull moment!

M maggiedemi I bet if you were always watching closely you might catch a spirited moment or two. I find that cool weather sometimes gets my older kitties going. A ball of aluminum foil works too.
As for Maggie, very smart girl. I’d curl up with fresh bread too! The smell alone would be enough for me. Ummmm! If you too the bread with brushed egg or butter, no wonder she goes there! A little lick won’t hurt. Mine would probably chew a chunk out. Your kitties just have good manners.

My beloved King Sunny would thief pens, and drinking straws right out of the glass. We didn't live in very large places then, so his hiding places were limited; but he put 100% effort into trying to secrete them under the bookcase or refrigerator.
Yes, fresh bread is a small joy of life! Not as intense as cats, but pretty nice, nevertheless.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, Banjo, Banjo, Banjo! Don't you know that the guilty dog aways barks cat always meows loudest? You gave yourself away!

When Demi was a baby, I couldn't leave a bag of treats or kibble out because he would rip them open. Now I can leave them out and he doesn't touch them. I guess it's a kitten thing?

Nah. Hek still does that. I buy the canisters, and she can open them. AND she can open every door in the house, so a cupboard doesn't help, either. AND we're not allowed to put holes in anything (other than hanging pictures), so I can't put childproof locks on them!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Oh, Banjo, Banjo, Banjo! Don't you know that the guilty dog aways barks cat always meows loudest? You gave yourself away!



Nah. Hek still does that. I buy the canisters, and she can open them. AND she can open every door in the house, so a cupboard doesn't help, either. AND we're not allowed to put holes in anything (other than hanging pictures), so I can't put childproof locks on them!

Combination safe? Just a thought. Of course, you have a CAT burglar there, so it probably wouldn't be safe in there for long.

 

[Jcatbird]

My beloved King Sunny would thief pens, and drinking straws right out of the glass. We didn't live in very large places then, so his hiding places were limited; but he put 100% effort into trying to secrete them under the bookcase or refrigerator.
Yes, fresh bread is a small joy of life! Not as intense as cats, but pretty nice, nevertheless.

Fresh bread is not as great as kitties but if you combine the two....... it’s a nice world to live in! I like to make fresh butter too. Simple but sooooo good and easy to make. Whenever I make bread, I make butter. It’s enjoyed by all here. I may be making some for Smokey tomorrow.

Oh, Banjo, Banjo, Banjo! Don't you know that the guilty dog aways barks cat always meows loudest? You gave yourself away!

Banjo always give herself away. She’s the one who played in the fresh paint and tried to look innocent but the paw prints told the whole story!

Nah. Hek still does that. I buy the canisters, and she can open them. AND she can open every door in the house, so a cupboard doesn't help, either. AND we're not allowed to put holes in anything (other than hanging pictures), so I can't put childproof locks on them!

I think tarasgirl06 may have come up with your only way to keep a cat burglar from getting into the treats. Do you think Hekitty could open a combination safe? She’s a very intelligent kitty! It wouldn’t surprise me. If we ever got Hekitty and Banjo together, we might be in trouble.

I found a little interstting information tonight. For everyone who deals with feral and rescued cats, you might want to pay attention to this. A friend and I were discussing TNR and how quickly a population can grow. I saw that here myself. As fast as I was doing the spays and neuters I was very worried because of the constant issue of discovering new litters of kittens. When I finally was able to do a count of the kitties outside I was deeply concerned as to whether or not I would be able to keep the population fed and cared for until all the spays and neuters were completed. It seemed that with every female spayed, another had babies that would also need to be spayed and neutered. It was truly a race against time and it seemed I was losing the race. Luckily I was finally able to get ahead of the population explosion but it took constant attention until it was completed. If I had waited at all, I don’t think I would have been successful. I often read posts where others have waited for various reasons. I understand that some things are out of our control but if you delay for convenience then you might want to know what could happen if you miss your chance to catch a female for spaying. Here is what I learned. There is a female cat named Dusty that was followed and documented as having produced 420 kittens in her lifetime! That may be a record number but it should give us all an idea of how quickly we can let things get out of control. I knew that cats can produce a lot of kittens but that number even shocked me. 420! Really?!?!? OMG! That poor cat! Sound hard to believe? I thought so too so I looked it up and found the information online. I also found that a Burmese gave birth to 19 kittens in one litter. 15 of which survived. Another cat was still giving birth at age 28! All good reasons to Spay and neuter. Wow! Pet or feral, please get it done.

I’m up with a sick kitty tonight. Smokey has been throwing up tonight. I think she has stopped now but she’ll be going to the vet this week either way. She does have that long fur but she didn’t show signs of any coming up. I did call the vet but with no other symptoms we are just watching tonight. If she gets worse I’ll be calling back. Poor baby doesn’t look like she feels well. She did have one thing different today. Instead of Pate’ she had the flaked food with gravy. I expect that is what caused the problem so she won’t get that again. She really liked it but I don’t think it digested well. No others have been sick. The other kitties are disturbed that she is sick though. Everyone in the house has been awake.
Ferals are very aware of everything that goes on around them. They also seem to be very sympathetic to another feeling badly. Smokey has gotten lots of attention from the others. During this evening I’ve noticed many of them going over to give her a head bump of a little lick. Whistle payed down beside her for awhile too which is uncommon. Smokey usually prefers to sleep alone or with me. It’s really sweet to see the kitties watching over her.

Banjo watched from a distance but didn’t sleep yet.

BJ got above Smokey to be close and watch. Normally he would have been in my lap or with Flowers.

Bonjure let Smokey have peace and quiet. His usual routine is to give her a little chase at night so she can swat him.

Whistle has had a very worried expression through the whole thing.

Lady even stayed close to Smokey. Her normal bedtime routine is to go sleep on top of the kitchen cabinets above everything. It’s like a kitty highway up there.

During one episode Flowers hung over the top of the secretary to watch her. She stayed like this the every time Smokey was having a round of being sick.

I sat on the floor with Smokey through it all. She seems to be better but even with lots of soothing she never put that little pink tongue out for me or did her usual silent meow. The other cats are going to let her sleep with me tonight without crowding her. We’re cuddled up now with a ring of other cats around us.

I don’t know if everyone realizes that kitties who aren’t related will take care of each other. They do. Smokey herself mothered kittens that had lost their own Mom even though she is an older girl. She was spayed and could not produce milk but she let them nurse her anyway. She washed them and guarded them as though they were her own without any urging from me. The first time she heard them crying she just took over their care. Cats are warm, wonderful and loving. I’m going to return that warmth and love to Smokey by holding her closer than usual tonight. She purred a little when I got her brush out so maybe a little bit of brushing will help her to relax and fall asleep. Hoping that she is over it all now.
Sweet dreams and fluffy grey kitty snuggles to everyone tonight.

 

[rubysmama]

There is a female cat named Dusty that was followed and documented as having produced 420 kittens in her lifetime!

And imagine if none of those kittens were spayed/neutered and continued to breed.

I’m up with a sick kitty tonight. Smokey has been throwing up tonight.

Oh... poor Smokey. Sending vibes that she feels better soon.

 

[maggiedemi]

Smokey has been throwing up tonight.

Feel better soon dear Smokey. Hopefully it's just a hairball trying to come up.
The other kitties are doing a wonderful job looking after her.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Fresh bread is not as great as kitties but if you combine the two....... it’s a nice world to live in! I like to make fresh butter too. Simple but sooooo good and easy to make. Whenever I make bread, I make butter. It’s enjoyed by all here. I may be making some for Smokey tomorrow.



I think tarasgirl06 may have come up with your only way to keep a cat burglar from getting into the treats. Do you think Hekitty could open a combination safe? She’s a very intelligent kitty! It wouldn’t surprise me. If we ever got Hekitty and Banjo together, we might be in trouble.

I found a little interstting information tonight. For everyone who deals with feral and rescued cats, you might want to pay attention to this. A friend and I were discussing TNR and how quickly a population can grow. I saw that here myself. As fast as I was doing the spays and neuters I was very worried because of the constant issue of discovering new litters of kittens. When I finally was able to do a count of the kitties outside I was deeply concerned as to whether or not I would be able to keep the population fed and cared for until all the spays and neuters were completed. It seemed that with every female spayed, another had babies that would also need to be spayed and neutered. It was truly a race against time and it seemed I was losing the race. Luckily I was finally able to get ahead of the population explosion but it took constant attention until it was completed. If I had waited at all, I don’t think I would have been successful. I often read posts where others have waited for various reasons. I understand that some things are out of our control but if you delay for convenience then you might want to know what could happen if you miss your chance to catch a female for spaying. Here is what I learned. There is a female cat named Dusty that was followed and documented as having produced 420 kittens in her lifetime! That may be a record number but it should give us all an idea of how quickly we can let things get out of control. I knew that cats can produce a lot of kittens but that number even shocked me. 420! Really?!?!? OMG! That poor cat! Sound hard to believe? I thought so too so I looked it up and found the information online. I also found that a Burmese gave birth to 19 kittens in one litter. 15 of which survived. Another cat was still giving birth at age 28! All good reasons to Spay and neuter. Wow! Pet or feral, please get it done.

I’m up with a sick kitty tonight. Smokey has been throwing up tonight. I think she has stopped now but she’ll be going to the vet this week either way. She does have that long fur but she didn’t show signs of any coming up. I did call the vet but with no other symptoms we are just watching tonight. If she gets worse I’ll be calling back. Poor baby doesn’t look like she feels well. She did have one thing different today. Instead of Pate’ she had the flaked food with gravy. I expect that is what caused the problem so she won’t get that again. She really liked it but I don’t think it digested well. No others have been sick. The other kitties are disturbed that she is sick though. Everyone in the house has been awake.
Ferals are very aware of everything that goes on around them. They also seem to be very sympathetic to another feeling badly. Smokey has gotten lots of attention from the others. During this evening I’ve noticed many of them going over to give her a head bump of a little lick. Whistle payed down beside her for awhile too which is uncommon. Smokey usually prefers to sleep alone or with me. It’s really sweet to see the kitties watching over her.

Banjo watched from a distance but didn’t sleep yet.
View attachment 282625
BJ got above Smokey to be close and watch. Normally he would have been in my lap or with Flowers.
View attachment 282626
Bonjure let Smokey have peace and quiet. His usual routine is to give her a little chase at night so she can swat him.
View attachment 282627
Whistle has had a very worried expression through the whole thing.
View attachment 282628
Lady even stayed close to Smokey. Her normal bedtime routine is to go sleep on top of the kitchen cabinets above everything. It’s like a kitty highway up there.
View attachment 282629
During one episode Flowers hung over the top of the secretary to watch her. She stayed like this the every time Smokey was having a round of being sick.
View attachment 282630
I sat on the floor with Smokey through it all. She seems to be better but even with lots of soothing she never put that little pink tongue out for me or did her usual silent meow. The other cats are going to let her sleep with me tonight without crowding her. We’re cuddled up now with a ring of other cats around us.
View attachment 282631
I don’t know if everyone realizes that kitties who aren’t related will take care of each other. They do. Smokey herself mothered kittens that had lost their own Mom even though she is an older girl. She was spayed and could not produce milk but she let them nurse her anyway. She washed them and guarded them as though they were her own without any urging from me. The first time she heard them crying she just took over their care. Cats are warm, wonderful and loving. I’m going to return that warmth and love to Smokey by holding her closer than usual tonight. She purred a little when I got her brush out so maybe a little bit of brushing will help her to relax and fall asleep. Hoping that she is over it all now.
Sweet dreams and fluffy grey kitty snuggles to everyone tonight.

An article that may interest:
TNR achieves 72% drop in kitten birth rate, finds Alley Cat Rescue

It's hard work. But we WILL get there if everyone pitches in and does what (s)he can. All of us working together will eventually bring the numbers down. I am in comm with lots of people who are doing this. And actually, a lot of the numbers seen as true statistics are grossly inflated. Like all the other stuff in the media, there is a LOT of fake news surrounding cats.

The gravy foods are irresistible to a lot of cats, but I've seen this happen here as well. I think it's due in large part to the fact that it IS so palatable and cats tend to snork it up quickly, leading to regurgitation. Cats in the wild do throw up anyway, I guess in large part due to the fact that in many instances, their prey gets stolen by others.

Yes, cats can be so affectionate and caring of one another (and of us)!