Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Forgotten Ones


 Thomas Cattacus
 Part of the problem with having so many cats running around, is it seems that some can get lost in the mix. If you are a regular reader you might have noticed that some of my little ones get written about more than the others. While some appear to get all the attention, others are neglected fading into the background. This is only semi-true, sometimes there is not much happening with them leaving nothing to tell. This post is dedicated to them, the quite ones, the forgotten ones.


 Lounging on the back of the recliner.


I will start with Tom, he has been with me as long or longer than Girl. I have forgotten which one came first. He is a true tomcat, fierce, proud, strong, independent, mostly a loner. I never really tried to make him a house cat. He comes and goes as he pleases, sometimes disappearing for a week or more at a time. For a while he came around most every day, then as more cats started hanging around regularly, his stays became less frequent. When I only had the 3 indoor kitties, he would show up as I left for work so I would leave him in all day, while I was away. Other days he would come in and stay from a few hours to most of the day.

Stud, drives the girls wild.


When he first showed up he was scruff, probably the dirtiest cat I had ever seen. Not dirty from having just rolled in the dirt and weeds, but as if he rarely cleaned himself. Shortly after keeping him in for a week when he was neutered, followed a month later taking him to have his infected leg taken care of. Another 4 day indoor stay, he soon cleaned up his act, becoming a clean and attractive cat. He is not one much for other cats, although all the girls thought he was a stud. Every time he came in they would crowd around him, vying for his affection. This drove him crazy naturally. I feel very fond of him, what with his strong independent spirit. He is a very proud cat, fit to be a king. I just wish he would come around more. When he does he gets prefurred treatment, taking priority over the others. I try to make him feel welcome so maybe he will come by more often.


Thor


Next is Thor, he is one of my neighbors 5 cats, also the only one not neutered. He used to come in every day, staying around for a while most days. A long haired cat a bit dirty and unkempt, as his owners do not take much interest in him, leaving him mostly on his own. When I decided to take up the challenge of taming the Martian, causing him to hang around more, the two of them would start to fight. Neither one was neutered at that time. Then on Thanksgiving weekend last year, just after the Martian was neutered and allowed to stay in the house they got into a fight inside. That is when I got scratched up separating them. See my post on Battle Scars.


 Such puffy cheeks!


I had to stop letting him in, plus had to chase him away to prevent any fights. Thor stopped coming around for a while. He is a loving cat, although his owners father thinks he is mean. They just don't spend any time with their cats. Lately though I have been able to let him in more. The Martian usually ignores him, might grow when Thor gets into his face, but they do not try to fight, much. With time and supervision there will be a peace. The Martian and TJ get along well enough that I can leave them both inside while I am gone at work. I hope to be able to work to this between him an Thor as well.


Such a pretty cat!


I think Blackie took a disliking to the Martian as well, she does not hang around as much as she used to. Now she will come in and eat, then go right back out. Maybe if I am home she will stay in and take a nap before going back out. So like Tom and Thor I do not have a lot of pictures of her, none of them being around much anymore. She use to start purring just as soon as I picked her up, I called her my rag doll because she would go limp in my arms. She is a beautiful long haired solid black cat. She is very physic also, just as soon as I clean house she will roll around the weeds getting covered, then come in and track it through the house.


On the outside ledge wanting in.


Lastly as it always seems to be is Girl. I have written a couple of posts on just her. She is my sweetie pie, pretty girl, number one cat. Number one because she is the first one I decided to adopt, also because she holds a special place in my heart. I have had to practice tough love with her, to help get her out of her shell. (It was harder on me than it was on her.) She will spend most of her time being quite, either hiding under the bed or running away from the other cats. She does not play nor is she very active on her own, defiantly never part of the group. For a while I could go a day and a half with out seeing her, even though she was inside the whole time.


Girl Kitty!!!!


Just started recently though when I feed her, I put her food in the bedroom and shut the door. She has been content to stay in there with the door closed. Then when I go to bed she will stay on top of the bed even with 3 or 4 other cats until I fall asleep. Not every night but maybe 2 or 3 in a row. She has not played but once or twice sense the last the last time I mentioned it. With the others pressing in demanding attention she does not get as much as she deserves. When I do try to spend time with her one of the others will come up causing her to leave. I just wish I could find a happy medium some where.

It would be nice if I could find a home for some of them. The Martian I would very much love to find a home for, as he is an attention hog, my next post will cover this in more detail. If it was just Girl and Lil' Bit, I am sure she would become more out going. I just do not think I could part with Squirrel, Mittens or even Mizz Purrzzy. Mittens does not bother her much but the other two will give Girl chase, much to her disliking.


Such a sad face.


Well that is the update on the forgotten ones, with some pictures so you can see who they are. Although I do not talk about them much they are still cared for. Some more than others. What can I say I play favorites among my children.
 
           

3 comments:

  1. I haven't seen Blackie before! I have a thing for black cats - I can't cuddle them enough!

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  2. We think you're pretty special to care for so many kitties...And yeah, it's hard to give them all the attention and play time they need, when there are so many. The mom found it hard with even three, when Annie was still with us, as each of us vied for her time and focus.

    Has Martian been posted on the CB as needing a home? Maybe folks can get the word out via Twitter and Facebook.

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  3. wow, so many..... you never cease to amaze me. but it's really sad..... it's amazing and great that you take care of and help so many cats, but at the same time it's so sad that so many need your care and help....

    thanks for sharing.

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