Ahoy! It be Meow like a Pirate Day!

Tabby writes:

Ahoy there, Mateys!  It be Meow like a Pirate Day for all this fine day!  We be sailin' for calm seas, as it be too rainy here for the likes of me and the rest of the crew.  Cap'n Rori threw Carbon in the brig this mornin' for tussling with Starla in the bedroom doorway while switchin' rooms.  I barreled in to try an' stop the fight, but became part of it, so I got myself outta there an' remained on the edge offerin' comments.  Cap'n Rori stood alongside me an' bopped Carbon on the head each time she saw him.  Mommy clapped, an' Daddy barged in an' grabbed Carbon by his scruff.  Mommy got Starla from under the dresser and then the switching of the rooms was completed without further nonsense from any of the crew.  Starla is now in the crow's nest on the kitchen counter, while Carbon will be confined to the brig in the bedroom until sunup.

Missy keeping a watchful eye belowdecks.

Hemming update: I'm back home!

Hemming writes:

I'm back at my foster home, with my aunties and uncles!  I'm so happy to be back here!  I've been running around for the last half hour, getting reacquainted with everything and getting lots of loves from my foster family, humans and other kitties.

Foster Daddy and Foster Mommy came over this morning to get me out of the wall behind the basement stairs, but I wasn't hiding there!  I found an even better hiding place!  It was still in the same area, under the stairs, but I was hiding behind and under a shelf in the pantry area under the stairs.  I'm very proud of my hiding skills that my momcat and my dadcat taught me!

Foster Daddy and someone from the house took a mini fridge out, then moved the shelf.  The man from the house called to me, and I came running out.  I ran around the living space, up on the fireplace hearth, then ran around the living space again.  Foster Mommy stood by the stairs to catch me if I ran that way, but I ran mostly around the open space.  Foster Daddy followed me, and finally pinned me down as I ran by the couch.  He called to Foster Mommy, who brought the carrier over and they put me in it.  Foster Mommy took me into the bathroom and petted me through the carrier while Foster Daddy and the man put the pantry area back in order.

I cried the whole way home, wanting to be let out of the carrier.  I hate cars!  I did lick Foster Mommy's finger and put my paws against Foster Daddy's hand, headbutting his hand, but mostly I cried and tried to dig my way out.  When we got very close to home, though, I smelled my marsh!  I calmed down right away, started purring, and kneaded away at the carrier with a big smile on my face.

I'm going to be here for a couple weeks, then Foster Daddy and Foster Mommy are going to talk with the other people interested in adopting me.  They are going to e-mail the other people sometime this week and tell them what happened, then see if the people who wanted to adopt me are still interested and if they would work with me if I hid again.

Hemming's too smart for his own good!

The PDX pride Mommy writes:


I just talked with the lady who has Hemming, and it turns out he's gone in the trap a few times, but hasn't triggered the trip plate because he hops over it, eats the food, then hops over it again and goes back behind the stairs!  He's soooo smart!  So, she's going to line the bottom of the trap with newspaper and put a towel or blanket over the top of it, per our advice, so that it doesn't quite look the same, and re-bait it.  Hopefully that works, but if not, then we'll go over there at 10 am tomorrow and dismantle the fake wall (plywood barrier) to get to where he is and get him out of there.  They've already removed the mini-fridge that was there, so it'll be easier to get to the partition wall.

In the trap and out again. :(

The PDX pride Mommy writes:


Well, these people just don't know how a semi-feral acts, apparently.  :(  Hemming went upstairs last night, tried to get some dry food out of the closed food box, and used the potted plant as a litter box.  All good things!  However, he did get trapped but they couldn't bear to see him so sad so they took him into the bathroom for some cuddling.  Of course, the second they went to leave the bathroom, he was out the door and back down into his hiding place.  The lady felt so bad that she had let that happen again!

The trap is once again baited, and she will call me the second he's back in it.  I'll go get him right away this time, rather than waiting until morning.  She had thought it was too late in the evening to call me last night, so I reminded her that we're night people and she can call at anytime during the day or night when he gets in that trap.  So, keep your fingers and paws crossed!

We will never forget

We will never forget the events of 9/11.

May the lessons live on.

Lessons of courage,

sincerity, brotherhood,

community.

 Faith is not a weapon.

Faith in your neighbor,

your brother,

your sister,

your friend.

Faith in your community,

shared values,

the belief that there is something worth living for.

Those are the lessons of 9/11.

May they live on.

Hemming will be coming back here

The PDX pride Mommy writes:


Baby Hemming will be coming back here as soon as he's in the trap again.  :(  He did go in the trap last night, and they brought him into a smaller room.  He was all lovey, rubbing his head on their chins and wanting as many pets as they could give him, so at least they saw his sweet side!  The second he saw the door open, though, he was out and ran to his hiding spot again.  He's just not happy there, so they baited the trap again and will let us know when he's trapped.  We'll go get him probably tomorrow and bring him back here.

I'm just so discouraged, because we really thought he'd do ok with another family!  Even though he was born feral, he's just so social that we really want him to have a family of his very own.  :(  I guess he just needs more time.  I think we'll ask the next people on the list if they want to come over here and meet him after another week or so, to give him time to get used to them in an environment where he feels secure.

Foster Friday: Hemming and the Stairs

Hemming writes:

The people in this strange house saw me!  When I was let out of the carrier after my people brought me to this strange house, I ran all around the first floor, then ran downstairs and into the basement.  I found a very good hiding place!  I'm under the basement stairs, where no one can get to me, but I can listen to everything that's going on.  At night, I went back upstairs and found what I think is the kitty food box, and tried to get into it.  That's when the person saw me.  She said I was at the right box for the food, but I just couldn't get into it by myself.  When she saw me, I ran downstairs again and hid in my hiding spot.  She followed me to see where I went, then got a plate of something yummy called tuna and put it down by me, along with a bowl of water.  I waited until she left, then I came out to eat and drink.

Yesterday, the lady at this house called my people and told them where I'd hidden.  My people came with a trap and called for me, but I was sleeping and barely heard them.  They put tuna in the trap, put it near me, and then left.  I don't know whether to eat the tuna or try to get in the food box upstairs again.  If I eat the tuna, it means going in that trap, and the last time I went in there I took a nap and went to the vet!  I don't know if I want to do that again, but the tuna smells really yummy!  I heard something about being put in a smaller room if I go in the trap, and that sounds like a good idea.  I also heard something about maybe staying here and these new people being MY new people?

Note from the PDX pride Mommy:

The new family does want to keep him, so once he goes in the trap he'll be put into a smaller room with a door.  They'll get him accustomed to being in there, being visited by his new family, then slowly introduce him to the rest of the house, then to the puppy.  I'm so glad they still want to keep him, even though he's scared in his new surroundings.  They totally understand that it's because he was born feral and doesn't really know houses yet!

Hemming's at his potential adopter's

The PDX pride Mommy writes:


We brought Hemming to his potential adopter's house this afternoon.  As soon as we let him out of the carrier, he scooted around the house and then hid somewhere.  He hides well!  We couldn't find him, even after an hour of searching!  The family has had many, many cats and now has two cats and a 10-week-old German Shepherd puppy.  Their cats mainly live upstairs, so they wanted Hemming as a playmate for the puppy.  The pup is adorable, well-mannered, calm, and happy, so when Hemming emerges and starts figuring out the house and its inhabitants, he's going to love playing with the pup.

We talked for a while with the family, told them Hemming's life up to this point, and gave them his paperwork from the clinic.  They're going to call us when he emerges from his hiding place, and we're going to talk with them in a week to see how it's going and how he's adjusting.  If he isn't doing well, then we'll take him back.  If he's doing well, then the adoption will be official.

*blush* Forgotten Gotcha Day!

Rori writes:

*blushes*  Everyone forgot my Gotcha Day!  Including me!  We're celebrating today instead, so I'll get my Gotcha Day anniversary treats today.  That's ok with me, because I'm glad for the reason we all forgot.  The reason is that we've had Baby Hemming inside and are all getting him ready to go to his forever home.  He's come in the bedroom to visit with me at least twice every day, and he behaves himself so I give him some licks on the top of his head and sniff his butt to make sure he's cleaning it well (which he is).  He loves saying hi to me, then pouncing on the big bed for a while.  Then, after about 5 minutes, Mommy comes in and takes him back out to the rest of the house.

I've decided to make the bedroom my space for a while.  I enjoy just hanging out in here, either on the bed or behind the curtain that hangs down alongside the bed.  My goopy eyes (kitty cold/herpes virus) have been getting better, but they're still an issue, so Mommy is going to take me in to the vet in about a month when she gets paid.  I don't like the eye gel, but it's at least better than having goopy eyes.  Mommy cleans my eyes for me at least twice a day and I tell her when I need it done by pulling the door so it bangs.

I can't believe it's been four years since Mommy Erin saw my brother and me running across the road at our old house and she told Mommy!  They both went to get us, and found us in the neighbor's yard playing in the old tires.  My brother ran away at first, but I was too scared so I hid inside one of the tires.  Mommy and Mommy Erin picked me out of the tire and took me into the house, then caught my brother using tuna fish as the bait.  We were only 4 weeks old, so my mommies and Daddy bottle-fed us and helped us learn to clean ourselves.  Tabby, Carbon, and Skylar all taught us how to be inside kitties, but I mainly watched Lydia and learned from her.  She was already getting sick, although none of us knew it at the time, so she didn't play a lot.  Since she taught me how to be the Big Kitty of the house, that's why I don't really play.  I like to play, but I think I'm not supposed to because I'm Big Kitty.  Mommy and Daddy wish that I would play more, because I need to lose weight, so I sometimes play to oblige them.  I like bouncing around on the bed while Mommy's trying to sleep after it's light outside!

Thanks, everyone, for the Gotcha Day anniversary wishes in the comments on the previous blog post!

Good news from Hemming and Miss Marble!

Miss Marble writes:

Hi!  I'm much happier back outside with my sister and my daddy.  Yes, my sister!  The striped kitten is a girl.  The lady says that those trap things will be back out in a couple weeks to try to catch my sister and my daddy.  I'm going to tell them to stay away from them!  Well, maybe not, because I do feel better now, so maybe those traps were good things after all.  I am glad I'm back outside, even though I see my brother enjoying being inside.  I also am much more interested in those cats on the other side of the window, now that I've had a chance to watch them more closely.  I love my outside life too much to be inside, though.  I'm much more comfortable hunting and sleeping under the deck.  Thanks for letting me be part of the outside family, lady and man!

Hemming writes:

Hi!  I miss my sisters and my daddy.  I go up to the window and watch them, calling to them, when they come eat twice or three times each day.  They say hi to me, but we all understand that I'm an inside kitty now.  I don't even try to escape when the lady puts food out.  Freya and Heimdall play chase, ball, tails, and a lot of other games with me, so I love that!  My favorite games are crazy circle, throwing a ball around, and chase.  I've been out with everyone for two days now, since my tests came back negative.  No diseases, yay!

And the big news...I've got two people who want to adopt me!  We're going to visit one of the homes on Wednesday, and meet the family and the puppy who may be my sister.  Wow!  If all goes well, I'll stay there.  If not, then I will meet with the other person later.  I'm hoping that everything goes well with this first family.  I'm so excited to meet them!  I love meeting new people.  I love people, sitting on laps, and being petted.  I just am not used to being picked up high, so I squirm around and want down.  Once I'm on a lap, I curl up and purr, after giving kisses!