My Feral And Rescued Cats

[bbdoll22]

Praying the storms passed you by.

 

[surya]

All your fur babies will be safe inside.

 

[Jcatbird]

My yard is a bit flooded and tree limbs litter my yard but I think the worst of the storm has passed, so here is a quick post before catnap time.

Since we are doing a review of the year and I just put up the earliest photos of Banjo and Whistle, I thought I would add pictures of them today.

Before.....and after for both.

First night inside for the babies. Whistle...”Don’t touch me!”

“That human tried to touch me!”

“She looks like she wants to do it again!”

After......
Whistle still gives me those, “she’s going to touch me”, looks but now he likes it.

In fact, he became a snuggle kitty.

Going........

Down.......

Lap snuggles!

First night in.....
Banjo......”Camera? What’s that?”

Typical for Banjo, already sticking her tongue out at me........

And learning to pose for the camera. Lol

After.....

Banjo learned to pose AND to love the camera! She began taking selfies and took another tonight. What a ham!

She is such a joker......

But can also be such a lady.

She still tends to be a little mouthy. Toungue and teeth are often caught showing.

Even when she is sound asleep, she poses.

Even though the kitties have grown, their personalities haven’t changed. Gotta love these two! They seem to have touched the hearts of a lot of people here. At least one in particular. Someone who managed to help protect them from the shadows. Because of that I want to say a little about their adoption before moving on to the other kitties.
We’ll save that for tomorrow.
For tonight, sleep well kitty friends (and their people) !

 

[kittyluv387]

Whistle has such an adorable face!

 

[Avery]

Love the photos AND the captions! "That human tried to touch me... She looks like she wants to do it again...." So funny and perfect for those cute pictures!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OH MY! What a gullet on her! I just love cat yawns, don't you? I mean, they just get into to the depths of their kittysouls!

 

[Jcatbird]

kittyluv387 Whistke gets me too! The eyes have it! His looks speak volumes.
He makes me smile a LOT! This is where he is right now! Just behind my head, he discovered a heating pad. Happy boy, it looks like he is smiling to me. Must be a dream of a nice warm sunbeam shining down on him. (Or maybe just holding on to Mom.)

Avery Heh! The look on Whistke’s face just seemed to put those thoughts out. Captions are easy to come by with looks like that. Hopefully you smiled as much as I do when I see these things. I’m glad you enjoyed them. He really was the most suspicious little guy. Smart too! He was the last of the litter to become trusting. Their Mom has diverted predators to try and keep them safe. She more or less had to leave them but she did try to come and feed them when it was safe. It took a lot of convincing to get this litter to trust me. I’m ver glad they did!

Mamanyt1953 I know! Banjo will let you see straight into her gullet! As I said, she is mouthy! I am always struck by just how wide she can open that mouth! It makes it very easy for me to check her tongue ,teeth and gums!
Nice and pink in there!

 

[Jcatbird]

On to our updates and made even a couple of smiles?

Taming Whistle and Banjo.

Release from quarantine.
Out? What’s out here?

I still say, don’t touch me human!

Can I trust her?

Is she looking at me?

Yep!

She got me.

Okay. I’m gonna trust you enough to lay here. Just don’t touch.

Maybe I should just halfway trust her.

Whistle finally accepted me as a friend. Sort of.

Banjo accepted me more quickly. We started learning about giving ,” high fives!” Although she sometimes missed the hand. Lol

The camera held a special fascination for her.

She taking my picture again.

Time to strike a pose!

I bet I can work this camera while Mom isn’t looking!

Did I get it? I think I can selfie!

A joker, she played tricks but this one backfire. She couldn’t find her back leg! She worried about it several minutes before she realized it was behind her head!

I finally noticed she was using my camera for selfies. She was improving her photography skills!

Every time she saw me pointing the camera, she posed!

She still practiced selfies with my phone!

She took great shots!

I finally quit leaving my cell phone out so she turned to the next best thing. She just couldn’t figure out how to take selfies on the landline!

Banjo and Whistle remained in seperabke.

Their first bath bonded us all. Snuggling up in towels and a heating pad did it!

Whistle got a kiss from Banjo to tell him it was okay to get a bath.

Whistle even asked for snuggling!

He totally accepted me then.

Their story was very unique and the next installment or two are important to their,” Happy ending.” We’ll see through the rest later.

For now we all hope you too are wrapped up, safe and warm.

For tonight just stay wrapped up, safe and warm. Good night everyone.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Loving the saga of Banjo and Whistle. Awaiting the next installment with bated breath So glad you came through the storm safely

 

[Jcatbird]

Got to interrupt tonight! Bj had a milestone event! He followed me through the house glued to my leg but remained with me. He maneuvered through the maze of other cats without a single hiss or growl from anyone!

I think i’m going to be your escort tonight Mom!

Well, that’s Flowers. She’s no risk.

What else is out here?

Trust me BJ. Nothing here will hurt us.

Mom! That’s just a little cat! Actually BJ, she’s grown. You’re just a very big cat!

Okay Mom. I think i’ve had enough, okay?

Good boy. A little lap time needed....

He did great! A little calming and reassurance and he was purring. Supper lured him back to his secure place and to bed. He’s still learning the ways of indoor kitties but he is safe and enjoying all the snuggling he gets now.

I’ll return to the ending of the story of Banjo and Whistle getting adopted tomorrow. Their big adventure and travel story!

Good night everyone! May you all purr in your dreams!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Every time BJ hits another one of these milestones, I get happytears.

 

[rubysmama]

Hope you and the cats are having a happy catnip filled New Years Eve.

 

[Jcatbird]

Mamanyt1953 BJ is a lucky boy to have so many who care about him. I feel so honored that he has trusted me enough to come and be with me. Maybe 2019 will be more of a “snuggle the kitties “ year than a “search for the kitties Year!” That would be nice.

rubysmama Thank you! It’s been a night of being covered in cats due to fireworks going off. Running to Mom for comfort is okay with me. Very large cat blanket tonight! Lol

Spent much of the night on the phone with my Dad. His wife is unwell and the family near him all had to be out of town. I enjoyed spending the time with him. I texted him fireworks too! As soon as he opened the text the fireworks went off on his screen. He liked it so much I had to do it again! Sometimes it’s the little things that give us the most pleasure.

I did promise to continue telling about Banjo and Whistle so........ Whistle had survived being very ill. Banjo stayed by her brother every minute until he recovered. Sometimes they were so close you could hardly tell them apart!

At the vet office Banjo guarded her brother.

For awhile these two continued to demonstrate what amazing kitties they are.
The most loving of siblings!

Banjo finally perfected the ,” high five!”

Once Whistle was well they were adopted together by a family in Florida. My last day with them was hard especially when I took this photo and realized they were laying together and it looked like a heart shape!

Totally healthy and well adjusted kittens, they left me the day after I took this photo.

A while after the adoption I got news that things had gone terribly wrong and both kittens were missing. A search effort began but for the next week, no kittens. I was frantic. Finally Whistle was found and I insisted he be returned to me.
He arrived as a very upset and exhausted kitty.

With Banjo still missing a week later I went to Florida myself to find her. Just as we approached the location I was horrified to discover it was next to an alligator farm.
Fortunately I not only found her but she came right to me when I saw her and called out to her. She was very happy to go straight into her carrier.

On the long trip home she showed signs of exhaustion.

It too a while and both kittens were traumatized by the whole thing. I spent a lot of time holding them. The reunion of the two was heart warming

You can see in her eyes that Banjo was still very frightened still.

But, with time and lots of snuggles, they have recovered for the most part.

They are no longer willing to go to others. They only want Mom. That’s okay for now. I’m not going to adopt them out again. My babies have found their home right here with me. There’s no place like home! With each day they improved. They are now back to normal except for mistrusting others. I am so grateful that they were both found and safe. Bringing them back was a very happy moment for me.

This year has been filled with trials, tribulations and triumphs. Mostly triumphs. No more cats are at risk outside my home. That makes it a very good year for me!

There are many more to look back on this year but for now I just want to thank everyone for their support thourghout all of this. Especially the troubles for Banjo and Whistle. There was an amazing offer of help and tons of good wishes and hope put out for these little ones. I am so glad that at the end of they year I can have them back here.
Thank you everyone! Maybe next year wil be a great one for all the kitties and all of you!
Happy New Year everybody! From all of us here to all of you out there, we wish you a great and happy year filled with kitty love and snuggles!

 

[Avery]

My heavens, what a remarkable story. The photos of Banjo taking care of Whistle when he was sick are so sweet and touching. I'm very, very glad that both were found and are now safe back with you in a snuggly, loving home. Happy 2019 to you and all your kitties!

 

[rubysmama]

I followed the story of Banjo and Whistle's Rescue as it was happening, but I don't recall the ALLIGATOR farm !!!! That just adds to the odds you faced, and beat, in finding both of them. So glad they're pretty much back to normal now. Maybe in time they'll start to trust others again, in case you ever need someone to help you with them.

Looking forward to revisiting more of your kitty stories this year.

I just Googled, and found the below. Looks a little like someone we've just been reading about.

 

[Jcatbird]

Avery and rubysmama There was far more to the story of Banjo and Whistle. The attempted carjacking being just one thing, the Alligator farm another, hiring car and driver and the spooky search for Banjo. That place was surrounded by a huge, solid metal fence with a coded entry and many buildings over many heavily wooded acres. There was just too much to put it all down. Then to summarize took some shortening of the story but it all ended with them back in my arms. The really important detail! Whistle gives me kisses all the time and Banjo is full of cattitude! Lol I’m glad you enjoyed our happy resolution. Our New Year’s Resolution!
Thank you for the card. It really does look like Banjo!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Mamanyt1953 BJ is a lucky boy to have so many who care about him. I feel so honored that he has trusted me enough to come and be with me. Maybe 2019 will be more of a “snuggle the kitties “ year than a “search for the kitties Year!” That would be nice.

From your fingertips to God's eyes!

The Banjo and Whistle story is just remarkable, isn't it? Start to finish! If that were an illustrated children't book, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

 

[Jcatbird]

Mamanyt1953 Well that would make a cute book. The Adventures of Banjo and Whistle. If anyone remembers the ending of the original post about the re rescue of Banjo, well let’s just say that it was a surprise that made me laugh, even after all that happened.

The next chapter of review involves the Mother of Banjo and Whistle. Although I caught her a bit later, she had another litter of kittens. In fact Mamanyt1953, you named these kittens. The Mom is Mitthree, Mitsy. Mitsy is still with me now. She is still socializing but is coming to me at night and jumping up beside me for snuggles. She will get in my lap and , if I slip up on her ,I can pick her up! She loves being petted and purrs like crazy but it wasn’t always so good for her. She had hidden the litter that Banjo and Whistle belonged to and tried to lure threats away from them. She only came to them very late at night to feed them and finally, not at all. I rescued her babies because I had feared the worse for her. She had witnessed the shooting of Flowers babies and I was afraid she had been caught too near.
I first spotted Mitsy again on June 5th. She had babies again! I still had Banjo and Whistle! Yikes! I only saw three this time and then, only at dusk. Mom and babies were very skittish!

I was still trying to catch Thrasher and her second surviving litter of babies as well as having Silver inside. ( there was a lot of overlap since there were so many cats that appeared at once so I’m not even going to try to do them all on single file! Lol) Now more?!?!? I needed to work faster at catching kitties! I started on these immediately. First, I had to lead them in with food.

I finally got to see them all up close....

And they got to see me.

They weren’t too thrilled to meet me either!

Tossing chicken to them helped.

I started feeding them in a carrier right away.

With dozens of cats and kittens in my care already, on June 15th I managed to shut Mitsy and all three babies in a carrier as they were engrossed in eating!

I had to go and purchase a very large cage to put in my living room. The first evening in, they were scared and avoided me. Poor babies!

I worked on Mom first. I snuck in some petting while she ate and she really liked it!

I discovered she had fleas. No wonder she liked it. All four got flea medicine.

I started dropping toys down through the bars of the cage.

The kittens were sort of curious.

One decided to try and kill the intruder!

Then two just looked at it while the little silver baby decided to play it smart and shot me a look that said,” I’m not falling for it Lady!” Very smart kitten!

I love the look on that baby face! This was the beginning of a lot of looks from these babies! Anyone know the names of these babies? I know it’s a tough question considering how many have been here!
And it’s not fair for you to answer this one Mamany! (Have a safe and wonderful trip! Don’t be gone too long. We’ll miss you!)

This emoji is a hint!
Have a great night everyone!

 

[rubysmama]

This emoji is a hint!

Cloudy? Rainy? Stormy?

 

[Jcatbird]

Very good! @rubysmama Cloud is the silver one. Named by our friend since every Cloud has a silver lining! I’ll post the othe two names as we go.