Kitty News

The twins, Pretty & Ugly.

 I have recently removed something from my routine that was taking up a disproportionate amount of time. I had let myself get caught up in an online activity that is just nothing more than a time waster. I was letting it take up far too much of my time and finding myself not spending time doing the things I really wanted to. With it gone now I plan on spending more time playing with the cats, I also hope to start posting more. The next problem is getting back in the habit of sitting down and writing, I can get lazy about doing this.

Squirrel is right at home.

Recently I got a new (used) couch, tossing the old one away. As you can see from most of the photos in this post it is a big hit. With the old one only The Martian and Lil' Bit would get up on it to sleep, the others would sometimes crawl into my lap. Now every-time I turn around I find another cat fast asleep on it. Even Squirrel likes it, she usually is not to be found, hiding from the others. You can see she has found herself a place on it. I don't know if maybe it is because this one has no cat scent on it yet or what, but at least they are enjoying it.

Pretty & The Martian.

Previously I had mentioned that Thor disappeared, well about 5 or 6 weeks ago my next door neighbor had their cat disappear on them. The came around asking if I had seen her after they had been away for a day and a half. They said they could not keep her in because of the dog door, so let her roam free. Then almost 2 weeks ago I came home and got a scare.

Ugly watching over TJ.

As most of you may know about half of the cats I write about are NMK's meaning they technically are my neighbors cats. Being allowed to come and go as they want 3 of them spend 80% or more of their time in my house. I only let them out so my neighbor can still see them and not think I took them. Most mornings they will go out, then when I get home to open the back door they are waiting to come back in. Just about 2 weeks ago I came home and only 2 were waiting to come in. Not unusual sometimes it will take a while before they realize I am home. That night I went to bed late and TJ still had not come in, this a few weeks after the other neighbors cat disappeared. I was getting worried, he is usually the biggest pest about coming in.

The twins making them selves right at home.

Squirrel noticed the camera.

Having gotten up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, I went to the back door to check once again for him. There he was wanting in, finally. I decided to keep them in from now on. You might say I stole them, although long ago they had already decided that this was home. The first couple of nights it was difficult with TJ crying to be let out. I do not like the idea of punishing cats for their behavior, that was what I felt like I was doing. When I went to bed I would have to get up and put him in the back room by himself. I did this so I could get some sleep, but still felt like I was punishing him. Thankfully he has stopped. All 3 will sometimes bug me to let them out during the day when I am up and about but they are getting use to it.

TJ the pest, who stated me worrying, Mizz Purrzzy looking at something.

I want to start something new so look for news in an upcoming post about KWF. I am hoping I can find someone to help me with some artwork for it. I see I need to update my about me section I hope to do that by next post. That is all the news for now, until next time remember “All Kittehs R Good Kittehs”

  

Time For Loving

 I do not have a picture of this, wish I did. So just some misc pic's of them. Last night after getting out of the shower I sat on the bed to put on my socks. The Martian who always follows me out from the bathroom jumped up on to the bed to be next to me. He does this all the time, so nothing new there. After he walked behind me I laid back to give him some attention for a couple of minutes. When I sat up Squirrel was on the floor at the foot of the bed looking like she wanted to join me.

The Martian following me around the house.

So I got up put on my pants then sat back down. Now she does not usually jump up on the bed when I call her. Even though she looks like she wants to, at best when I give up and get up she will jump up. This time she did come up heading straight for my lap. So now I was petting a cat with each hand. Then Mizz Purrzzy came in wanting attention. She does not usually get on the bed with me, when she does it is just a drive by. She will jump up brush against me then back down. This time I was able to get her to stay.

Squirrel in her sink.

Mizz Purrzzy in a box.

She was at the foot of the bed laying on the edge on my right side, Squirrel was still in my lap. The Martian was on my right nuzzling against my neck and shoulder. What made this note worthy is that normally Squirrel would have jumped down when Mizz Purrzzy jumped up. Not only that, they were almost face-to-face being only about a hand width apart. Then after a couple of minutes of this, PLOP.

In bed by her self.

Lil' Bit in the recliner.

I turned to look, here came Lil' Bit walking around me to get to my left side. She is very energetic and restless so she would rub against my hand walk away then back again. Finally she settled down for some chin scratches. Now I have a cat in my lap, one in each hand rubbing my head and chin against a fourth. Can you say my hands were full. With all the NMK's (Not My Kitties) out side the only one missing was Mittens who was sound asleep in her tunnel.

Her regular night time spot.

Canon SX40 HS 12MP 35X Optical Zoom Digital Camera Black 5251B001

Tired out from play.

This was a very nice peaceful family gathering, of all most the entire group. Knowing that this would probably not happen again, I stayed there for as long as I could. Just giving each of them some love and attention. First scratching one chin, then rubbing anothers ear. This went on for about 10 minutes with the five of us. It only stopped because I had to get up. It made for a special and memorable moment. No sibling rivalries, not cat fights, no one running away, just all of them enjoying the moment. Maybe next time Mittens will join in, I can only hope.  

Sleepy Sunday

I know it is mid day Sunday I am posting a bit late. I took a cue from the kitties and decided to sleep late. Then stayed lazy all morning. This week the cats are everywhere, with everyone spread out in a different part of the house.

                                 Ugly is staked out by the back door.

                           Mittens is on the counter. (Squirrel stopped by)

                                       Mittens moved to a new spot.

                                    The Martian was on my chair.

                           Found a new place after I made him get down.

                                        Lil' Bit next to the cat tree.

                     Pretty in her tunnel with Ugly checking out the camera.



Hope you all have a nice lazy Sunday. Remember to get plenty of cat naps in to recharge your self for the upcoming week.
 
     

Sleepy Sunday

Another lazy sleepy Sunday. Enjoy the pictures.

                                        TJ fell asleep while playing.

                                     The counter is a choice spot.

                            The twins passed out while I was cooking.

                                        Can you say comfortable?

I hope you all had a nice and restful weekend. Remember to take your cat nap.

    

Why So Many Cats

I an not very good at social interaction, that is partly why I started this blog. To improve my social skills. I failed to fully develop them while growing up. I am not anti-social just not very sociable. So if I seem to ignore your comments, fail to visit, or leave a comment when I do, I apologize I am still learning. I am never quite sure of what to do, I don't want to seem rude either.




What's for dinner?



Being currently unemployed and not having any family near by, not much happens. Don't get any visitors. So most days are the same. Kind of makes it hard to have something to write about, when not much is going on. No trips, new toys etc. Most of my posts wind up being descriptions or about behaviors. Things should improve soon.



I'm not going out!



People do ask me why so many cats, and how I can do it. I always believed if you are going to have a cat you should have at least 2. So they will have company while you are at work. I believe 3 is ideal 2 can play with each other while one sleeps. That gives them 4 ways to pair off (AB,AC,BC, or all 3 ABC) I always felt that 3 was my limit, but with Girl being such a loner I made room for a fourth. That gives 3 cats that get along with each other with Girl being alone.



Our bed now!



I am not very soft harted and some people think of me as cold (back to lack of social skills). But I have always been one for the underdog, so to speak. Cats just seem to be the most neglected, abused, and misunderstood of all pets. Watch TV or a movie, when something gets thrown off stage it is a cat you hear holler. How many famous cats can you think of? Even jokes are anti-cat “I like cats they taste good”. Then there is the whole witch thing not to mention black cats. They just have a bad rap all over, so I guess I am kinda of their advocate.



Squirrel's nap spot.



I have outlived a few family members without shedding a tear. Watching those commercials with homeless, abused animals seeing the cats will bring a tear to my eye. Seeing all the cats running around in my neighborhood got to me. Some of them just looked mangy and under fed. Plus I am more aware of problems feral cats have, now that I am older. So I felt I needed to do something to help stop the over-breeding.



Lil' Bit catching a few rays.



To me a dog is just a robot, pre-programed to like you being of a pack mentality. Anyone can be a dogs friend. But to win the approval and friendship of a cat says something about the person. People that want to be god-like and controlling have dogs. People that want friends, companions, equals have cats. I just have more respect for them. I like dogs they are OK, but so does everybody else. Who looks out for the cat. Very few.



Mittens sittin' pretty.



I have the room and as long as I have the money I will continue to care for the unwanted ones. It does get expensive sometimes, but I make sure they are taken care of first. All they need is a chance. It is rewarding to see a timid fearful cat like Girl come out of her shell. Or a mean wild outdoor cat become a loving indoor cat like the Martian. With his fierce independence I did not think he would ever adjust to becoming an indoor cat. But as soon as I let him the first time he has hardly wanted out. Or take Squirrel she used to pick fights with all the others, even had Twinkie afraid of her. She is now a content loving lap kitty. All any of them needed was a place and a chance to let their true personalities to come out.



Still not going out.



Most of the cats I write about are adoptable. I try to get them socialized with people and other cats. Anyone in the Tucson area interested let me know, I can answer any questions you have about adopting one of the cats. I have taken some to the Humane Society, that is where Mizz Purrzzy's kittens went. Kittens get adopted easily. But we have an over abundance of cats. I just checked their website with 191 animals 116 are cats. Craigslist is full of posts for cats. Currently there is no one else to take care of them.



Feed us.



I would like to find them homes. Sometimes it is almost to many. Especially when they keep pestering me while I am trying to work. LOL

        

Wildcat Tamed

As promised here is an update on the Martian, also notes on the technique I use to tame feral/semi-feral cats. So this will be a long post, sorry but there are a lot of steps involved. Not really so many steps but a lot of detail in carrying them out. You will need to build trust with the cat, if it was abandoned it has lost all trust of humans. It might take longer than one that never learned to trust humans, but has always been afraid of them. It takes a lot of time, effort and patience to accomplish this but it is well worth it.




Wild Cat!



I had seen him around off and on for a couple of years. Mostly hit and miss, not more than once every month or so. He may have been around more, just in hiding. He was usually heard more than seen. He does have a very distinctive growl when facing off with another cat. As “M” would say when talking about him “the one that sounds like a martian” that is how he got his name.



Deep cut on his ear.



Around April or May of 2010 he started to hang around more, I would see him a couple of times a week. He would run away if I stepped out the back door. Most of the time I was chasing him away to try and prevent a fight with the other toms. About late June or early July I decided I would try to get to know him if he was going to stick around. He did not seem to have a home as he looked somewhat scruff, also he was very skittish.



Piece of straw stuck in his paw.



He would growl and hiss while backing away. He was always wounded as you can see in some of these photos. He regularly had a deep gash at the base of his ear, at one time behind both. For a while he had a piece of straw jammed into his leg. It was obvious that he was not being taken care of. He also looked to be about half starved. At one point I thought he might have had rabies, what with drool plus foam at the mouth along with a wild and unkempt look. Most cats that are cared for keep themselves a bit cleaner.



Rabies??



I started by putting food out for him, he knew the sound of the can being opened. I buy Friskies caned which helps in training (any wet caned food will work). First I open the can when the cat can see and more importantly hear it being opened. Second it has a stronger aroma for them to smell it so they know that it is food. I will hold the open cat at arms length and approach as close as I am able. When he started to back off I would put the can down and back away that same distance. If I could only get to 15' from him before he backed off then I would back away from the can 15'. Once he stated eating I would take a step or two closer until he started to stop eating. Each time getting a little closer, he would start to growl or swat at me, then I would back off. (A few times he would go after me ready to attack, not really chasing me just a quick jump like he was going to attack. Just a quick hiss or stomp of the foot and he would back off.)

Sometimes I would get his attention by opening the can and set it close to the back door. Then I would sit on the floor next to the screen door, talking to him in a quite calming manner to get him used to the sound of my voice. At that time I was with in 3-4 feet of him, sometimes I would sit on the ground outside so he could see me. I kept getting closer until I could get with in arms reach. I would put the can down lean back so he would eat. Once he started eating I would slowly reach out towards him. I do this until I can hold the can while he is eating. You need to sit the whole time they are eating, not just to put the food down and walk away. It may take 5-10 minutes or longer, much patience is needed here.

If you try this you do have to be very alert and ready to pull back. Very important here to keep an eye on the feral cat at all times. Many times while doing this he would swipe at me with his paw, you have to be quick and alert. Just as important is no quick moves or loud noises. I got scratched a few times, it is all part of the process. If you get caught try not to yelp or cry out “ouch” or at least keep it to a whisper. You can pull your hand back quickly that is OK. However if you raise your hand while yelling ouch you will frighten the cat. It will appear to the cat that you are attacking them, which may also set your training back, causing you to have to start all over.

Around this time my neighbor from across the ally noticed that I was feeding this cat. He saw me calling for the Martian. We got to talking and he asked me if the cat was female and did it have kittens at one time. I found out that his neighbor had moved away about 2 years prior and had 2 cats that he left behind. That was about the time Squirrel showed up, pregnant. As Martian's coloring is similar to Squirrels someone who doesn't much care for cats would get them confused. I took Squirrel out and he identified her as his previous neighbors cat. So it appears that the Martian was on his own for over 2 years, poor thing. He was pretty wild growling, hissing etc.

As I was saying I got to the point where I could hold the can. I would do it in such a way that when he was eating he rubbed his face against my hand. When he got to the bottom of the can I had to hold it in place or dump it out on the porch for him to get to the food. I did that at first because he would not let me get that close without trying to bite me, he would let me pull the can away and dump it out. He did bite me once or twice, but it did not go very deep. I just cleaned it with antiseptic and it would be fine. With him it was more of a warning bite as he did not bite hard or deep. If he was serious he would have bitten harder. I know I have gotten some deep bites, once down to the bone. It hurt for a month or two after, but that was another cat at another time.

Bites can be very dangerous, that is what I hear anyways, so if you need to see a doctor then do so. If you report the bite, remember in some places Animal Control will have to catch and quarantine the cat. There are areas where they will automatically kill the cat and run a rabies test on them, especially if they are feral. Either way someone else will take over and ultimately decide the fate of the cat. This is why I take care of all wounds myself. (He had been around long enough and did not show any signs of rabies) Remember though your health and life is more important than that of one stray cat. If something happens to you who will take care of the other cats, it is a decision you will have to make for your self.

First course.

At the point I can get this close to them, I will place my finger on the top of their head giving a light stroke. It takes several attempts to do this before the cat will let you. With Squirrel at this point I could do it 3 times before she would move, but she growled the whole time. It was funny because her head would not move out of the can of food. She would just pivot around the can and not stop eating. With the Martian it was different he would either take a swipe at me or snap at me. Not every time then eventually he would ignore me.



Dinner time.



Then I move to scratching behind the ear, at the top of the head not under the chin or near his mouth. Starting with one finger working up to 2 or 3. Once that becomes routine next is to give a full stroke from neck to rear stopping just before the tail. Again all this is in steps taking as much time as the cat needs. You are trying to build trust with the animal so you have to take it at their pace. How long it takes varies with the cat. It can take a couple of weeks or even a couple of months to get to this point. If you are consistent and spend time everyday with the cat it will go much quicker. I was spending an hour or more each day depending on the day. I do believe he was starving and might have had worms. He was eating 3-4 cans a day, sometimes eating 2-3 cans at a time. After a couple of months he did not appear to be gaining any weight.



BIG kitty!!



I have a medium trap and he is a big cat so I knew he would not easily go in it. It was September before I felt that I would be able to push him into the trap. I put a can of tuna inside to lure him in, it took a lot of coaxing to get him to start to go in. He would get half in then back out, once he was over halfway in I gave a push and trapped him. The next morning I took him in to get neutered and dewormed. The Humane Society receives funds a couple of times a year for TNR so I was able to take him in at no cost. Which was good as I had just lost my job and needed to save my money.

Smallest cat with biggest cat.
Lil' Bit and Martian.

They neutered him, cut the tip of his ear off, dewormed him and gave him his shots. I made sure they did the ear in case I could no tame him, so he would be marked as being neutered. He spent the night before surgery, that day after coming home and most of the next day in the cage before I let him out. When I did he immediately took off and disappeared for a day. Soon he was back, hungry as ever.

I do not know if that helped or if it just was about the right time, but he let me start petting him more. I moved on to trying to pick him up or at least placing my hands under him like I was going to. This whole time he was still an outdoor cat. All my cats are indoors only and were not used to him. Before I would let him in I wanted to make sure I could get him back outside if needed to. I wanted to make sure I could herd him out or pick him up if I had to. With out getting tore up in the process. It takes a while to socialize a new cat with other cats, and some may never get along.



Peace amongst cats.



Round about a week before Thanksgiving I let him in for the first time. Remember I started this process in late June. By Thanksgiving he was spending 80% of the day inside. Now he goes out maybe once a day for about an hour, then he wants back in again.

He has become a bit of a pest. He constantly follows me everywhere, if I get up to get a drink he is right behind me. He is never too far away, my other cats still do not like him, they either hiss at him or run away. So if I have to break up a dispute or move one of them off of a counter etc he is there which disrupts everything just by his being there. If I sit on the couch he is right there next to me, he is needy wanting lots of attention and petting.



Asleep in bed.



He thinks he is a lap kitty, and will either try to get into my lap or will lay half way on to me. He is a little big to be doing this. When I took him to be neutered he weighed 14 pounds and he has gained weight since then. Because he is so big when he rubs against the scratching post he knocks it down, even with just his tail. I can not let him up next to the computer like Mittens, he knocks things over and does not realize it. Every night he will join me in bed. He jumps up rubbing against me until I pet him then he lays his head down next to mine on the pillow. Some times he will lay across my chest, he is heavy.

Like I said the other cats do not like him and will growl and hiss at him as they pass him. Sometimes they will try to pick a fight. He usually ignores them not even growling back. If they attack he trys to get away. Over all he has become a very loving cat wanting lots of attention. He still does not like his butt or tail to be petted or his rear paws touched. I have to be careful picking him up. He will bite me, he never draws blood just enough pressure to let me know he is there. He also still swipes a paw at me sometimes instead. I am still working on getting him to stop, he keeps getting better. It will just take some more time that's all.



Playing with some toys.



As you can see I use food as incentive, making most of my progress while they are eating. I start touching and petting them while eating. Getting them to associate it as pleasurable activities like eating is. I continue until I can get them to let me do it all the time not just while eating.

In the last week or so the Martian has started chirping, goring rowwrmp to get my attention when he wants to be loved on. Asking to get petted. Right now he is in my lap making it hard to type as I have to push back from the desk to make room for him. He does not care that he barely fits he is just purring away.

Taming a feral cat can be rewarding. Both Squirrel and him are very loving, more so than some of the others are. All they needed was some love and attention, someone willing to give them a chance. It takes time and patience, with lots of love and forgiveness. If you are willing you may find that a former feral is the most loving and gentle cat you ever had the privilege of knowing.

     

Christmas Time

Bookends

      Well it is getting to be that time of the year again, time to get the tree out, put the decorations up. Once again this year I won't be doing any of that, this will be my third year running with out decorations. My main worries are not so much anything getting broken or damaged. It that one of the kitties might get hurt. 

      Two years ago was Mittens first Christmas with me, and Squirrel's second. Squirrel did good her first year leaving the decorations alone. Mittens however I was unsure about, especially since I was still training her to stay off of the tables. Being a bit larger that the other cats she would knock stuff off when she would jump up on them. I think she would be OK this year though. She is a bit fatter and lazier. (We have some weight issues we are working on)

Squirrel's first Christmas

      Last year was Lil' Bit's first Christmas with me, sure she had been around since she was spayed in February. She was and still is very playful and kitten like, in that she has a short attention span and lots of energy. I just did not want to tempt her with ornaments dangling from a tree. She is spoiled though, as she is allowed up in to places that the others are not. Each one is spoiled in a different way, allowed to do something the others are not. I suppose that Lil' Bit is spoiled the most.

      This year the Martian is the new cat around the house. He is very well behaved especially if you consider that he was almost completely feral this past summer when he first started showing up regularly. I am fairly certain that he would not try to play with the tree or other decorations. He is even calm around the other cats, most of them growl at him. However once in a while a show down will occur and cats will be flying everywhere. Mizz Purrzzy cornered him once hissing and growling ready to attack. Martian just ran off but the others heard what was going on, they ran to join in (like kids in a play ground ). Every one circling and swatting at him as he ran by. 

      Then there are the outside cats. Some of them are spending more time inside than they have in the past. I use an end table that I remove the lamp and clear off to put the tree on. Having a 3 ½ – 4 foot one as it is just for me, so on a table it goes. Ugly has started sleeping on that table, probably because the table is next to the front window. Plus is a pest when she wants out, going back and forth rattling the shades annoying me until I let her out. Maybe if I moved it into the dinning area she would stay off of it with the tree on it. She is not the only one getting up on the end tables though. Some of the other cats will jump up on the tables when playing chase or when just trying to get away. 

      As for them playing with cords, I do not think I have much to worry there. You should see the cords lying under the table the computer is on. Not to mention the cords behind the TV. None of the cats seem to be interested in chewing on or playing with any of the cords. Which is good as I am not sure how I would be able to keep them all away from the cats. I did try to hang a light on the wall once, it had a cord hanging down to the outlet. Within 3 minutes Mittens was there playing with the cord along the wall, that was just calling out to be played with. I put the light away, until I can figure something out. I do not want it to fall down on her having her get hurt. 

I am innocent!!!!

      Over all they are pretty well behaved, I don't think there would really be much trouble. I just worry about when I go out or to bed at night. I think I might put just the tree out as a test to see if it stays on the table, if that works in a week add some lights. So if all goes well then maybe next year I can put all the decorations up. 

     I do have a couple of pictures of the last time I had decorations up with Squirrel in the pic's. The first pic is where I hung the light up that Mittens got to. That is her on the right and Squirrel as the other “bookend”. The cord ran between the display cases ( I had just gotten them and those two immediately staked out their territory on top.) The second one is Squirrel on the piano checking out the decorations. The last pic is Squirrel's looking innocent pose. 

  

Martian Kitty

Today’s pic is the Martian. Another one named by my friend and neighbor ( who I will start calling M as that is the first initial of her first name) Well M though his growl and fighting voice sounded weird. When I would mention the stray she would say “you mean the Martian” Well he has been hanging around for a long time. I saw him off and on again for a couple of years. More recently he started hanging around more and more. I figure him as feral, because he would not net me get anywhere near him, and when I was able to sneak up on him he would hiss and swipe at me.


I started feeding him every time he was around, he started to come around more often. At first he would stay just past arms distance. I would sit down near him while he ate, each time I would put my hand out towards him he would back away. Over time I got closer and closer to the can of food I put out for him to eat. Then one day I was able to run my finger across the back of his head. He would growl at me kinda of like the way Squirrel did. This was after several months. A few months later I was able to pet him between the ears. Over time I took more and more liberties with him, getting closer along the way. He is now to the point that I can pet him and walk up to him with out him running away.

I got bit and scratched several times along the way trying to get him to this point. Now I can put my arm alongside him and pat his side and rear. He will eventually try to strike out at me, but does not mean it. He will bite me to let me know he does not want to be touched, but will not bite hard ( does not break skin) and will take a swipe at me. On occasion his swipe will draw blood, if he can catch me unaware. He is slow on the draw and I usually am able to pull my arm back before he can get me. I believe this shows he is getting use to me and does not really mean me any harm. He wants to still show his independence but does not want to harm me. He is a gentile giant.

At first I thought he was totally feral, what with the way he would run away and hiss and growl at me. He would not let any near him, but instead would run away. He was very aggressive and vocal. The sounds he made when another cat got near and he was ready to fight is why M called him the Martian. It is a very strange and unusual sound for a cat to make. Not at all like the normal growl and hissing you would expect. He still sounds like this so I have named him Martian.

` I found out from the father of my neighbors who live behind me ( I will call him R as his first name starts with it) that his neighbor had a couple of cats. Then R tells me the owner moved away leaving his cats behind. R asked if the Martian was female knowing that the guy had a cat that was Grey with black stripes, I figure that this was Squirrel (who has been with me a couple of years) as the date he said his neighbor moved is close to the date I acquired Squirrel. But I think Martian is his second cat because he is very wild but knows the sound of a can being opened and will approach when he hears it. So this cat has been out on his own and getting wild a couple of years longer than Squirrel who was pretty wild when she first showed up.

I have been able to tame him enough to let me pet him and rub his ears while he is eating. I can also put my arm along side of him while petting him. He will still sometimes get mad an strike out at me but usually is slow and I have time to pull away. However he has gotten me on occasion leaving his mark on my arm, where he will nip at me or take a swipe at me. Over all he has calmed down a lot from when he first showed up.

Today is Wednesday, on Saturday I let him in for the first time. I can pick him up while he is eating but not have tried to hold him, he still is somewhat wild. I have pulled him up enough to get his paws off of the ground and then let go. No swipe growl or bite when doing this, so I figured he was ready to come in. I am hoping his previous relationship with Squirrel will help. That is why I let him in so he can see her and realize it is OK.

This only worked so so, Squirrel growled at him, and he went into fight mode. He came in an wondered around for about 10-15 min before Squirrel started in. This was his second time in and after about 15 min.. They got serious and ready to fight so of course all of the other cats in house wanted to join in. I ran into the kitchen and there was Mizz Purzzy squaring off ready to fight Squirrel along with 6 other cats. I had to spray them all with water to keep from having a major cat fight on my hands. ( I keep a spray bottle filled with water on hand) The Martian went out as he was nearest to the door.

I let him in several times a day now and it is funny as the other cats will run to see what is going on and will make a circle around him watching to see what he does. He still takes a swipe at me with his paw. But I hope to rid him of that soon by letting him in, thinking he will see how the other kitties will act. Each time he is in between 30 min and an hour. He surprised me by playing with a string that I use with the other kitties. So step by step I am getting him to calm down. I expect within a couple months more he will be like the other cats and will let me pick him up with out him trying to attack.

He is a BIG Kitty, he look malnourished when I took him to get nurtured. But they weighed him at 14 pounds. My bowling ball kitty Mittens, who is fat and overweight(round like a bowling ball), still only weighs just over 12 pounds. He is my Big Boy because he is so tall and weighs to much. He reminds me of a bobcat or a lynx because of his size. When they neutered him they treated him for worms, I believed this helped as he no longer looks malnourished. I bet he weighs close to 16 pounds now. He is almost as tall as my knee and is very long as cats go. It is odd to see him play with a string, which I use to entice him to stay inside. That helps him do more than just come in and eat.

More updates: Cat # 5

Momma and her kittens.

A few more updates on the cats. As I mentioned just before letting this blog go on hiatus, I had a litter of kittens show up. (Their pic with momma cat is today’s pic) One of the cats that rarely came around showed up with 3 kittens. They looked to be a couple of months old, already weened. I would see them in my back yard eating regularly along with their momma. That was around Oct '09, they were starting to go feral. I sat next to them to feed them, until I got close enough to grab them and put them inside. That was a bit wild 7 cats in the house full time, with these 3 not letting me get to near. I wanted to socialize them so when I took them in to the Humane Society they would not get put down as UN-adoptable.


After about three months, they were still a little wild, but I needed to get them out of the house. So I took them in, the Humane Society took them in as they could handle them getting them out of the carrier. I never did see a pic of the kittens on their website under the list of adoptable cats. Not sure what happened to them, it can take a month or so to get posted and hopefully they were adopted out before their pics were posted.

Momma cat disappeared after I took them in, only saw her once every two or three weeks. Then about March she started hanging around more. I thought she looked pregnant again, belly getting big , nipples visible, etc. So I scraped up the money to take her in, they said she did not have a litter. I was hoping that she did not just have one, because it had been a few days, they would not have survived. I grabbed her on a Saturday when she showed up and kept her inside so she would not disappear before I could get her spayed. It was Monday morning before I could set up an appointment to get her in, they took her the next day. That’s three days right there she was away if she had any.

In my bathrooms I have these little windows about five an a half feet off of the ground in the shower. Momma cat had been jumping up there wanting out. She would race from one window to the next, she did this while waiting to get spayed. Brought her home Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon she started up again, racing from window to window for about 15 min rest for a little while then do it again. She did not seem to be sore at all letting me touch her scar with no issues. On Thursday I finally let her out, before she could hurt herself. She showed back up on Saturday wanting in, I never say no to the cats. Let her in and fed her, letting her out shortly after. As far as I could tell for the next 5 days she never left my backyard. Every time I went out she was there, sleeping under the tree or under the lockers. I told her if she wanted to be my kitty she would not be able to go out again. She did not go crazy again, this time she would go to the door wanting out, not fussing much when I would not let her. I did let her out a couple of days later and a few other times. All she did was to hide under the lockers.

Now I am up to 5 indoor cats. I am willing to adopt her out if I can find a home for her, I have been trying. Just to many cats available in town right now, the Humane Society always has over 100 on their site (today 141) and a lot more on Craigslist. (Anyone in the Tucson area that wants a sweet cat that loves attention let me know.) Now to figure out a name other than just calling her Momma Kitty. Every time I go to pet one of the other four cats she will come up and try to get between us wanting attention. I go to play with another cat and she is there, if I talk to one she is there. It is like she is jealous of them. That is a name that suits her, but I did not want to call her Jealous all the time. I tried to find a name with that meaning, all I could find was one I could not pronounce, some ancient goddess or Morgan, King Arthur’s sister. Still it is a good name for her, Jealous.

The other thing about her is if you pick her up she purrs, scold her she purrs, etc. Knowing some male cats are called Sir Purrs-a-lot, I decided to name her “Mizz Purrzzzy” (pronounced pur-z, any one have a better spelling let me know) So that is the tail of how Mizz Purrzzzy became cat # 5.

I'm Back

Well it has been just about a year since I last updated this blog, I had pretty much given up on it. But my friend and neighbor keeps encouraging me to write a blog about my cats. She doesn't know that I had started one before. (I think she is tired of hearing me brag about my cats).
Around this time last year I was worrying about work and had some personal problems getting me down. I looked and could not tell that anyone had even visited my page, which didn't help. Being somewhat superstitious (which is how Girl got her name or lack there of) I stopped because my babies were getting sick, just shortly after starting the blog. I almost lost one, came close to having another go blind.
An URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) started going around, most of the strays I take care of and all my cats got infected. First Mittens started sneezing for a couple of days followed by Squirrel. After which Girl followed by Lil' Bit. In that order, after a few days Squirrel was not as active and I was worried that I might have to take her to the vet, most of the others got better in couple days. I was working only 15-20 hours a week and money was getting tight, so I kept a close eye on her. After the fourth or fifth day she started getting better (just as I was about ready to take her in) , Lil' Bit on the other hand was in her third or forth day and stopped eating and drinking. You always can tell when she is drinking as she makes a bell like ringing sound when she does. (One day I will post a sound clip, it is cute) For being the smallest and yet most active she will drink about twice as much as the others so I will constantly hear this through the day.
After 2 days of this I took her to the vet. They gave me some antibiotics and eye drops. I already was using a syringe to force some water down her, worried about kidney failure. That was on a Wednesday on Friday I took her back to have her stay over night so they could give her an IV. They gave me some special food to feed her when I brought her home the next day. For two days I forced her to eat and drink. On Monday she started eating and drinking on her own. I was very relived. The doc said that her kidneys should be fine, they checked while she was there overnight. I was concerned that I was not giving her enough, still it was another day before she went to the potty.
Just as she got better one of my stray kitties, (belongs to my neighbor across the ally) was in a somewhat bad way. He was keeping one of his eyes closed, the other half opened and not acting as normal. When I looked at his eye it scared me. The only way I could describe it is to look at a dead fish in the market, red, dry and sunken in the center like a volcano. So I kept him inside and used the rest of the medicine I had left on him. Three days later his owner came around looking for him, said she had some medicine for him. I gave him over to her, not sure if she had and medication for him or not. They let him run around outside though. They are the kind that will get a cat, let them run around and might put out some dry for them. He is better not but the lens in that eye is a bit cloudy. TJ (Tom Jones, named by my friend) can be a pest sometimes like right now, bugging me. Otherwise he seems to be OK.
That my dear readers brings you up to date on what happened and why I had stopped. Next post I will pick up where I left off. Giving you the back story on how I got each of my babies, and then from there keep you update on them. I plan to post at least once a week maybe twice a week while telling you the back story on each. Please forgive me as I am new at most of this and I am sure the site will change and I learn, and hopefully get better. For now here is a picture of Lil' Bit.