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You guys will not believe how well Elliot has been doing during the last couple of days!
First of all, he's using his box. I saw him use it. He covered it, too.
The smell is going away, now. You can smell it a little in his room but that's where his box is so you would expect that. Once we start putting regular litter in and cleaning it regularly, I'm sure that will resolve.
He's been eating well... Like a horse! I try to tell him that he doesn't have to eat so fast, anymore.
That's another thing that will probably go away on its own as he gets more settled
He doesn't run and hide when we come into the room. He doesn't run to his hiding spot. He just sort of goes in that direction until he knows who's coming. After that, he let me pet him and, Wow! He really likes to lean into it! He's a strong cat, too!
Last night, I came up to see him, Elliot was on the window sill. He meowed at me and I petted him some more.
I sat down in a chair, next to the window. A minute later Elliot was on my lap! He laid down, I petted him and he purred.
He stayed there for a good fifteen minutes, maybe a half-hour. He made biscuits on my stomach and he "Murr-purred!"
I gave him some catnip and he even rassled with me for a minute or two.
He's a very talkative cat, too! Any time you talk to him, he meows back.
Since I was able to pet him for so long, I had a chance to give him a bit of a "going over," so to speak.
He's got lots of little scabs and scars around his neck and ears. You can't feel them unless you dig down a little bit.
The tips of his ears are a little bit ragged, as well. This guy's been in his fair share of fights!
His paw pads are pretty hard and calloused. His fur is super dense and it's got a "greasy" feel to it.
It's what I might expect from a cat that's been outdoors for so long.
I'm about as certain as I can be that Elliot didn't have a home. Cats with homes don't usually get this ragged. I've seen barn cats that don't get as scuffed up as him. I don't think that anybody's going to try to claim Elliot. Besides, I've got a signed certificate certifying that he's been vaccinated against rabies and the vet bill that shows he's been chipped and neutered. If anybody tries to complain, I can take it to the District Magistrate. If I plop those two pieces of paper down on his desk, it'll be a slam dunk. Oh, but I'm just worrying about unimportant stuff, I guess. What's important is that Elliot has a home, now, and he doesn't have to worry about where his next meal is coming from.
Now, it's time to start thinking about when to let Elliot out of his room and introduce him to Casper. They are already friends but Elliot hasn't stayed inside until now. Only visits. I don't think there will be too many problems.
I'm still considering whether to let Elliot be an indoor/outdoor cat or to be all indoors. I'm thinking that we'll let him be indoor/outdoor for the summer then, when the weather gets cold again, keep him inside full-time. Still deciding...
What's important is that Elliot has a home and is getting fed regular meals. Right?
I think I'll start another message thread for the other issues because the title of this thread is "We have a visitor!" but Elliot isn't just a visitor, anymore. Is he?
First of all, he's using his box. I saw him use it. He covered it, too.
The smell is going away, now. You can smell it a little in his room but that's where his box is so you would expect that. Once we start putting regular litter in and cleaning it regularly, I'm sure that will resolve.
He's been eating well... Like a horse! I try to tell him that he doesn't have to eat so fast, anymore.
That's another thing that will probably go away on its own as he gets more settled
He doesn't run and hide when we come into the room. He doesn't run to his hiding spot. He just sort of goes in that direction until he knows who's coming. After that, he let me pet him and, Wow! He really likes to lean into it! He's a strong cat, too!
Last night, I came up to see him, Elliot was on the window sill. He meowed at me and I petted him some more.
I sat down in a chair, next to the window. A minute later Elliot was on my lap! He laid down, I petted him and he purred.
He stayed there for a good fifteen minutes, maybe a half-hour. He made biscuits on my stomach and he "Murr-purred!"
I gave him some catnip and he even rassled with me for a minute or two.
He's a very talkative cat, too! Any time you talk to him, he meows back.
Since I was able to pet him for so long, I had a chance to give him a bit of a "going over," so to speak.
He's got lots of little scabs and scars around his neck and ears. You can't feel them unless you dig down a little bit.
The tips of his ears are a little bit ragged, as well. This guy's been in his fair share of fights!
His paw pads are pretty hard and calloused. His fur is super dense and it's got a "greasy" feel to it.
It's what I might expect from a cat that's been outdoors for so long.
I'm about as certain as I can be that Elliot didn't have a home. Cats with homes don't usually get this ragged. I've seen barn cats that don't get as scuffed up as him. I don't think that anybody's going to try to claim Elliot. Besides, I've got a signed certificate certifying that he's been vaccinated against rabies and the vet bill that shows he's been chipped and neutered. If anybody tries to complain, I can take it to the District Magistrate. If I plop those two pieces of paper down on his desk, it'll be a slam dunk. Oh, but I'm just worrying about unimportant stuff, I guess. What's important is that Elliot has a home, now, and he doesn't have to worry about where his next meal is coming from.
Now, it's time to start thinking about when to let Elliot out of his room and introduce him to Casper. They are already friends but Elliot hasn't stayed inside until now. Only visits. I don't think there will be too many problems.
I'm still considering whether to let Elliot be an indoor/outdoor cat or to be all indoors. I'm thinking that we'll let him be indoor/outdoor for the summer then, when the weather gets cold again, keep him inside full-time. Still deciding...
What's important is that Elliot has a home and is getting fed regular meals. Right?
I think I'll start another message thread for the other issues because the title of this thread is "We have a visitor!" but Elliot isn't just a visitor, anymore. Is he?
