HHHHHOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tigress writes:

I'm hhhhhhooooooooommmmmmeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I know it's not the best picture, but I wouldn't stay still!  I'm soooooooo happy to be home again!!!!!!!!!!  I dropped off the face of the earth last year and stayed away for months!!!  I haven't told anyone what happened to me yet, but I'm doing just fine.  I've put on a little weight, but that may be from it being so cold this winter.  I found lots of nice, juicy mousies whenever I wanted, although I had to hunt for them.  I love hunting, though, so that's never a problem for me.

Daddy and Mommy are trying to trap my buddy Niss this weekend to get him fixed, so there is that trap on the deck again.  I hate the trap, but it's one more reason I know I'm home, so I marked it with my scent by rubbing my cheek against it while I ate.  Daddy was watching the backyard, hoping to see Niss out there so they could call him over to get him used to the trap, and he saw me making my way through the back gate!  He couldn't tell from that distance who it was, so he told Mommy it was Niss, but she could tell when she looked out because I was in the middle of the yard by then.

I sat in the yard meowing for a while, then dove under the deck and came out with a fat, juicy mouse.  I ran off with it through the back gate, but then came back just a short while later.  I circled the yard, meowing, and both my purrents meowed back and talked with me through the windows.  I went under the deck to rest for a bit, and then slowly circled closer to the food that they'd put on the deck.  I was hungry, but I still wasn't completely sure if I was safe, or if I was dreaming and would wake up and not be here but somewhere that wasn't safe instead.  Also, it'll take me a while to get used to the other cats again because I automatically am distrustful of others until I can smell them and they can smell me, even if I can already tell they're my family.  That's how I was the last time I disappeared, too.

I ate while I talked with Mommy, and a couple of the others stuck their heads out the door to say hi.  One tried to climb up on the trap to say hi to me, but I ran off and Mommy put her back inside the house.  I came back within a few minutes, though.  Whenever Mommy would try to shut the door after talking with me, I would walk over to the middle of it and yell at her to open it again.  I didn't want her to go away!  She would open the door back up and talk with me again.  I didn't want her to reach out to pet me yet, though.

She eventually had to go take a nap, but she told me she would be back after a while.  When she came back to the door, I was ready!  I got more food, and reached out to ask her with my paw if she would pet me while I ate.  She did!  This is real!  I am home!  I got ear scritches, neck scritches, back scritches, and side scritches!  I haven't stopped making happy paws all over the deck and purring!  I even wanted her to rub my left ear like she used to when I was a kitten, and she remembered!  I gave her love bites every so often to make sure she was real and hadn't dissolved.  She and I even played a petting game like we used to, where she reaches for the top of my head, then I duck her hand and bump it with the side of my face, then play-bite (just a love-bite) and pull her hand closer to pet me.  She remembered that, too!

She has to go back all the way inside now and close the door for a while, so I'm going to stay right here and reacclimate myself, even if I do have to be by that trap.  I see Sherbet has learned how to play with Autumn, and things have moved around quite a bit in the house, but it's still mine and it's still home!  I'll probably investigate inside, but it'll probably take me a few more days to set foot in there and properly greet everyone and everything.

Saturday PhotoHunt (on Sunday): Night

Niss writes:

Usually I eat at the back porch food bowl, but sometimes the raccoons get there first.  When that happens, I go hang out by the front door of the house, because sometimes the humans will put a little pile of food out here.  They were coming home when I was checking, and startled me!  Once they were inside, they got food for me and put it out where I was waiting, then called for me.

Are you a photohunter?

Happy Mew Year, Gotcha Day, and Purrthday!!! Whew!!!

Missy writes:

First of all, Happy Mew Year, everyone!!!!!!!  Purrayers for a year filled with treats, love, happiness, family, warmth, and all good things for you and yours!

Yesterday was my Gotcha Day!  Thanks to those who left messages yesterday.  I like to write a three-in-one post for all three things on New Year's, in case you were wondering why I didn't have a post up yesterday.  It was the annifursary of the day that my humans adopted me, even though I'd adopted them a while before then.  I found them at Mommy's work, a few days after a big parade there (May 17th parade for Norway's constitution day).  The parade was scary, but I realized that there were more people around than I thought.  I wanted some of them to help me find food.  I lived in an industrial area by the Franz bakery, and the bakery employees fed me sometimes, but I was getting very hungry.  I walked down the sidewalk, calling out for help.  Mommy was teaching and the whole class stopped so that she could go find me and see what was wrong!  She picked me up and held me while someone else went to get Daddy, who was inside the building talking with other friends.  They put me in the car and Mommy finished her class.  I escaped when Daddy opened the car door, and it took them a long time to catch me again, because I hid in someone's backyard behind a fence!  Finally, Daddy got me and we all drove to my new home.

It took me a long time to purr for Daddy, but now I purr a lot for him, and sometimes for Mommy, too.  Daddy's my human, though.  When they took me to the vet for the first time, they were thinking that I was a kitten still because of how tiny I am.  Nope, I was 2 1/2 years old at that point!  That's when I got my shots and got checked for diseases.  I was (and still am) a very healthy adult cat, and I sat in the vet's lap when he sat on the floor!

It took a while for my purrents to decide to keep me, but they did.  I bonded with Daddy too much to be adopted out to anyone else!  Besides, I'm a socialized feral, and we make the best snuggle buddies!

The vet had assigned me a purrthday of New Year's Day, and I'm glad, because I get to see the fireworks and hear the cheering on my purrthday!  I like looking at the pretty lights in the sky and on tv!  I'm going to snuggle with Daddy while he plays his computer game now.  Happy Mew Year!

Feral...um...Saturday?

Sherbet writes:

*YAWNS*  Pardon me while I eat my breakfast.  I guess I slept through yesterday, because we got our Christmas present and I was too busy trying it out!  Rori and Dare love it, too, and everyone else was exploring it while Daddy was putting it together.  He bought it especially for me!  *smiles*

I was scared when I was hiding in Mommy's teaching shelf, because Panther would come and get me.  I pooped in the shelf!  It's now in another room, but I needed a hiding spot.  Daddy looked online and ordered this kitty tree!  I've never had a kitty tree before, and I didn't even know what it was for a while.  I thought it was interesting, but it smelled funny.  After a while, the smell went away almost completely.  That's when I took a chance and explored it when everyone else was sleeping.

This is my hidey-hole!  This is why Daddy bought it for me!  I can look out of here and hiss at Panther when he comes in the room, and he can't get me!  Well, he could if he tried, but he's too scared after I hiss at him and the others defend me.

It has six levels, two of which are platforms with a raised edge.  Perfect for napping spots!  Then there's my hidey-hole, and the other regular platforms, including the base.  The platforms and hidey-hole are carpeted, and the posts are wrapped with sisal.  I guess it's nice to scratch on, but I haven't tried it yet.  Rori and Dare have demonstrated it, though.  None of us have tried out the roof of the hidey-hole, but our purrents are sure that we'll get to that eventually.

The other big news is that I've been letting the humans pet me!  Mommy is able to pet my back, flank, and tail with the back of her hand.  Daddy is able to pet a whisker and get a nose-touch sometimes.  Auntie Shawnee is able to pet my tail, but she accidentally pets my feet.  I hate my feet touched!  Mommy Lana isn't able to get near me, but I watch her from the floor sometimes when she's got her door open.  I do the slow blink at everyone, because I'm pretty content all the time.

Mean Purrents!

Sherbet writes:

Auntie Rori, is this how purrents are supposed to act?  (Sherbet looks at Rori, who's sound asleep, snuggling next to him.)  Mommy, why did you and Daddy double-team me with a big blankie at 4 in the morning?  You wanted to put what on me?  Flea medicine?  I don't want them to get medicine; I want them off me.  Oh?  That's what flea medicine does?  Is that why I don't feel them crawling around my nose so much now?  Ok, I think.  I'll forgive you for putting the stuff on me, but it'll take me a while to forgive Daddy for chasing me around the room and wrapping me up in the big blankie.

Mommy writes:

This was Sherbet's first time having flea medicine put on him, and he was thoroughly traumatized, as only a true feral can get from something like this.  Rori decided to cheer him up by snuggling with him for hours; as the alpha of the household she knows that her job is to care for the others.

Feral Friday: MOUSES!!! There are TWO of them!!!

Niss writes:

OMC, I just got a huge surprise!  All this time, I thought there was only one tuxedo cat in this house.  Now, I see there are two!  I was wondering why one cat had two names.  Now, I know that there is a girlcat named Freya who usually watches me through the sliding glass door, and a boycat named Heimdall who likes to stick his nose out sometimes.  MOUSES!!!  They had me fooled!

I asked for food at the door, and when the lady put the food outside, Heimdall stuck his nose out to sniff me.  I was surprised that he was that close, so I stepped back, but I didn't hiss this time!  I was curious, because I smelled that he was a boycat and I had thought the tuxedo was a girlcat.  Then, Freya walked over and said hi to me as well!  Wow!  Ok, there's the one I'd smelled before!  Now it all makes sense!!!  I did a complete double-take, then looked all the way up at the lady for an explanation!  She laughed, but in a good way, and explained that it was Uncle Heimdall and Auntie Freya, and that they're twins.  Wow!  Then she shut the door so I could eat and mull over the new information.

Happy National Feral Cat Day!

Sherbet writes:

Happy National Feral Cat Day!  I'm proud to say that I'm an inside feral.  Last year around this time, Mommy and Daddy trapped me and got me fixed.  They were going to let me outside again, the "R" part of T-N-R (trap-neuter-return), but I had other ideas, MOL!  I didn't want to go back outside!  I bit Mommy's finger when she opened the trap, dashed out, and hopped onto the desk in the dining room!  Here is a picture of me in the trap and then one of me on the desk:

I watched everyone for about two hours, then climbed down and ran into another room.  I found a nice cave, which now I know was a bed, to hide under/in.  I spent a few months under there, and every so often one of the other cats would come say hi to me (usually Dare, Rori, or Tabby).

After Daddy took the bed out, cleaned the room, and gave me a nice box and open carrier to call my own, I became a much happier cat!  I learned where the other rooms were in the house, learned to tolerate the humans coming into my room (although I still hid in my new carrier/house), and even touched Mommy's fingers one day!

The next breakthrough came when Mommy was away, but Daddy told her about it and she saw where I was when she came back.  I found a shelf in Mommy's office room and that became my new home!  Rori is hanging out with me in the picture.  There's another shelf, too, and I'm currently hanging out in it!  The only really scary thing in here is the door to the room, because it swings when Mommy puts her backpack on the knob or takes the backpack off.  I'm always worried that the door's going to come get me, but it hasn't yet!

I love being able to walk out into the hallway, and even to the dining room to eat with the others if I want to!  I'm not afraid of the others or worried that the humans will chase or grab at me.  If the humans get too close, I still move to safety, but I have multiple safe spots and I walk to get there instead of scoot or run!  I'm very proud of myself for the accomplishments in the last year!

Now, I'll turn the stage over to our current outside feral boy.

Niss writes:

Um, hi?  Have any of you seen Auntie Tigress in the last few weeks?  She went away and I don't know where she went.  I still smell her around occasionally, but I haven't seen her for a while, and it bothers me.  I'm hanging out closer to the food because I don't want to lose my way or miss her when she comes back.

The humans still haven't put me in a box and taken me to have a surgery done, whatever those things are.  I hear them talking about it, but they say that I'm too skittish yet and the want me to know it's safe when I come back here from the surgery.  They say that after I get the surgery done, I will calm down a bit more and not be so worried about where girlcats are.  That would be just fine with me!  I'm now just over two years old.  Last year at this time, I didn't even know where this nice place was, and now it's my home!  I also didn't have a name last year, and now I do, and a great one at that, after a fellow blogging cat.  Everyone says I look like he did, and he was a feral boy, too.  Does that mean that he celebrated National Feral Cat Day every year, too?

We all hope you have good noms today, a safe place to hang out and nap, and humans who care for you!  If you know of anyone who could use some tips on feral (unsocialized) cats, Alley Cat Allies has some awesome resources!  If you see an eartipped cat, say hi to your neighborhood feral!

Looking for a way to introduce the idea of T-N-R to children?  Check out Mommy's book, Three Feral Kittens, on Amazon!

Feral Friday: What's Up?

Sherbet writes:

I haz a sockie!  I saw one of Daddy's sockies fall over by the dresser, and this time I didn't hiss at it.  This time, I got an idea!  I scrambled out of my carrier box, grabbed the sockie, and high-tailed it back in the box before Mommy got back in from hanging up the towel she'd taken from the top of the dresser.  She came back in to retrieve the sockie, and it wasn't there!  I had it and was already furring it up!  It makes a comfy little pillow, and I like putting my fur pillows (piles of shedded fur) on it, too.  You might be able to see it under my front paws if you biggify my piccie.

Little Nissy writes:

Thanks so much for the nice welcome on my post last week!  It's great to meet all of you.  Here are some better pictures of me.  The mommy took them while she had the door cracked a little.  A few of the inside kitties were trying to sniff at me, and I didn't like that, but then Mama Tigress came back outside to reassure me.  I didn't want to have my picture taken after that, but I came back to eat again once the door was shut.

Mouses, Mommy, can't you just let me eat?  Wait, am I too young yet to say "Mouses"?  The kitty I'm named after said it, but he was older than I am.  I'm just over a year old.

Mama Tigress making sure I know it's ok to get my picture taken.  She tried to get back out the door while the mommy was taking pictures, but her head wouldn't fit through.  She had to wait for the mommy to open it wider, and then she came back out to me.  The mommy closed the door a little again so that aunties Autumn and Dare wouldn't sneak out.

Mama Tigress says we are probably truly related, because I may have extra toes like she does.  The humans can't tell for sure, but it looks like I do from the pictures that the mommy took yesterday.  I also, umm, need to have a surgery, they said?  Something that little boykits have?  Mama Tigress says it's not a big deal, and her brother had that surgery, so it must be ok.  The humans want me to get a little more used to the door before that happens, though.

Therapy Cat Tales from Yesterday

Tabby writes:

Whoa, you mean I actually got the letter T on the right day?  Cool!  T is for Therapy, and for Tabby, and for Tale, and even for Thursday!  Paws up!

Yesterday, Mommy took me to visit my friends at H.  This means I got three outings in one week, two to the pet fair and one to H.!  When Mommy and Daddy said that I was going to visit my friends, I didn't really think they were telling the truth, but they were!  I'm way luckier than any of the other kitties in the household.

There was a little dog at the MAX light rail station.  She knew I was in the stroller, but couldn't see me because she was too little to look up that far.  She sniffed my carrier bag, which was on the ground, but I wasn't in that, either.  Her person asked if it was ok if she said hi to me, and Mommy told the person it would be ok.  The doggie grew up with a kitty and still looks for him every so often, but no other kitties want to play with her.  Other kitties run or swat.  I wouldn't do that to a friendly woofie!  She was very friendly, and even stepped around my tail instead of on it when she put her front paws in the stroller to sniff me.  We exchanged sniffs and I even let her snuffle in my shoulder fur!  Then her person said she had to get down again.  You're a nice woofie, Jessie doggie!

We had some extra time once we got to H., so Mommy sat with me on my favorite brown couch for a few minutes.  I was so happy to be there, I kept on giving Mommy leaning-hugs and asking for more pets!  She didn't take any pictures this time, because she wanted to be sure I knew what a good girl I was being.  Besides, she didn't think I would hold still for any pictures!

S. walked around with us for a little while this time, but then she had to go put up some flyers on a few of the other floors (and in the other building).  That was fine, because we can go visiting by ourselves.  S. did tell us about a toy poodle who goes visiting totally by itself in another facility!  That's pretty amazing!  I don't think I'd be brave enough to do that all by myself.  I'd much rather have someone on the other end of the leash!

We visited 6 or 7 friends, and some family members of those friends.  Two of them were new friends!  I always like seeing everyone, whether they are old friends, new friends, family members, or staff.  They're all friends to me!  We were coming out of one room when we got flagged down by the daughter of the neighbor.  Her mom loves all animals, so she wanted us to visit with her.  Yay!  At each of those rooms, I checked out the hurt knee (the opposite one for each of them) and purred for them.  All the humans said I was running my own CAT scan, because we kitties purr at the same frequency as a deep muscle tissue healing machine!  The ladies thanked me for purring for them.  I heard about Oscar the therapy cat, who's pretty amazing.  I'd heard about him before, and I still think he's amazing every time I hear about him sitting with people who are dying.  He's in another part of the country, but I follow his page on Facebook.

After those two ladies, I went to see some of my friends I've visited with before.  Some were there and some weren't.  Two friends were sleeping.  M. was sleeping also, but we woke her up because we knew that she wanted us to.  That's what she tells us to do, so we do it.  If they don't tell us it's ok, we let them sleep.  At A.M.'s room, there was a giraffe stuffed animal!  It was staring at me from beside her chair, so I stared back.  A.M. asked me if I wanted to say hi to it, so Mommy got it down and had it say hi to me.  I sniffed its face, then nosed it and gave it whisker kisses.  I looked down at its paws and saw that it had hooves instead!  I looked at Mommy and at A.M., and they said that giraffes don't have paws like kitties do.  I guess that makes sense, but I still think it should've had paws.  Even humans kind of have paws!

The little boy feral kitty was waiting for his dinner when we got back to the house.  He was lying on the deck with Tigress, but got up when Mommy opened the door to put food out.  I'm glad we got home in time to give him his dinner at the usual time!  I got to sniff at the door when it was open, put I sneezed in the little one's face.  I hope he doesn't hold that against me!

Feral Friday: Orangies Rule!

Sherbet writes:

Orangies rule!  At least I think so, because I'm one!  I rule my box, at least.  I love my carrier box, and I don't let anyone else poke their head or paws inside it.  If they do, they get hissed at or growled at.

I'm getting much braver now, too!  See me peeking out at Mommy?  She came to check on me, and I was watching her like this.  I hiss when she gets almost to the food, though, unless she has the food scoop.  I hiss at Daddy, too, when he gets close.  That doesn't stop them from coming in to talk to me, though, and I'm glad about that.  Grandpa was here last night, and I thought it was interesting that someone else was here!  I kept looking and looking at him while he was talking to me from the hallway!

I've even gotten brave enough now to come out of my carrier to eat, drink, and even use the litter box when the door is open!  Mommy surprised me the other day when she walked down the hallway.  I was out of the carrier, sitting on my side of the food plate, eating!  I ran back into my carrier when I saw her, though.  If the door's closed, I walk all around the room and even lie down in some places.  Mommy and Daddy can tell because I'm shedding, so they see orange fur where I've been!

A very scary but very funny thing happened earlier this week.  Mommy was getting some people fur from the top of the dressers next to me, when all of a sudden something black came flying off the dresser toward me!  I was watching her, and I hissed at the flying thing a few times, especially when it landed in my food plate!  Mommy was surprised, too, but then she started laughing.  It was one of Daddy's socks!  Freya came to investigate and wanted to take off with it, but it wasn't one of her socks so she couldn't have it.  Mommy got it off the plate and put it in the laundry hamper.  I'm glad it wasn't really a monster, but I'm glad to have hissed at it anyway!

The Kitty with No Name

Tigress writes:

I have a new friend!  Well, we've known about him for about three months, but he's relatively new as a regular.  He's not telling us his name yet, though.  He's a young boykit, definitely a "teenager" or very young adult.  Daddy says the boykit's probably between 10 months and a year old.  He's not fixed, so we've all been trying to get him to come eat on a regular schedule so that he'll go have surgery like the other boys did.  He'll probably even get an eartip like Sherbet and I have!

So far, he's been coming every evening between 6:30 and 7 pm, and sometimes throughout the day when I run into him while I'm hunting and bring him by.  The first time I brought him by in the evening, I came up first then talked to Daddy when he opened the door.  I told him that he'd better put food out even though I was coming inside to eat, then I went in and out a few times.  Daddy listened and did what I asked, then the boykit came up to eat after Daddy closed the door.

He doesn't come when called yet, but he will stop what he's doing and come toward the door when our purrents call, "Kitty!"  At least he knows something to be called at this point!  I've been trying to show him that it's ok to come inside, but he's not ready for that yet.  He'll eat even when the door's cracked open a bit, and even when one of the inside kitties pokes their nose out to sniff.  He hasn't touched noses with anyone else from inside yet, and hisses at our purrents if they put their hands out.

He's making a lot of progress, though!  Here's a picture that Daddy took of him.

Sherbet's Sunday and Portland Cat Blogger Meetup

Sherbet writes:

Hello, everyone.  Yes, I know it's now technically Monday, but I wanted to show pictures of myself enjoying my surroundings.  These are my new digs.  What do you think?  When the Mommy-person met with other cat bloggers last weekend, she told them about my hiding under the bed.  Mom Carole from the Colehaus Cats is very experienced with working with ferals, and had some great suggestions, so the Mommy-person and the Daddy-person rearranged my room.  The bed is gone, so no more hiding under it.  Instead, I have two choices for hiding-boxes.

I was hiding under the Daddy-person's dresser, until he discovered that I was also going to the bathroom under there.  Now it's blocked off so I can't even squeeze under.

These are my choices for box-caves.  I like the bigger one the best.  Both box-caves have towels in them for comfort (and in case I do anything in them).  Plus, my food and water are nearby.

I still get my choice of litter boxes, in the same place they were before everything changed around.  There isn't room to move one of them to another location in the house right now, so the other cats have their usual box in the bathroom that the humans are scooping even more than usual (since everyone else is using it now).  I'm using the box in the corner.

Well?  What do you think?  It will take me a while longer to get used to it, but I've already blinked in response to questions about food and water.  I've also walked over to give the closed door a few sniffs and look at the other cats through the space under the door.  They want to play paws and play tails under the door, but I'm not ready for that yet.  Thanks, Mom Carole, for giving the Mommy-person this idea!

Here are some pictures from the Portland Cat Bloggers Meetup that the Mommy-person went to.  Mom Janiss and Summer from Sparklecat, featuring Summer were participating in a cat show, so the Mommy-person, Mom Carole, and Mom Lori from the Cory Cat Blog all met them.  They walked around the cat show together, visited with Mom Janiss, met the gorgeous Summer, then went to dinner.  Summer entertained in the hotel room after dinner (and a bit before dinner).  A very fun evening!

Sleepy Summer, after a long day at the cat show!

Did someone say treats?  I heard the treat bag!

Posing with Flat Tabby, because real Tabby couldn't come along.

Dinnertime back at the hotel room while the humans talked.

What was that?  Mom Carole let Summer play with a toy.

Showing off for all of us on her favorite hotel room chair!

Two lovely ladies:  Summer and Mom Janiss.

Summer being silly with a gift from Mom Carole of the Colehaus Cats.

Meowy Catmas, a Therapy Cat Tale, and a Sherbet Report

Heimdall writes:

Meowy Catmas, everyfurry!  We've been having so much fun over here at the PDX pride!  Thank you to all our friends who have sent Catmas cards!  Mommy and Daddy read them to us and let us look at the wonderful piccies when we get them!  We'll send out cards, too, but it will be a few days before we get them mailed.

I've been taking care of Mommy again.  She got sick and had to go to the ER, but she's doing better now.  I try to take care of her tummy, but she says purring on it doesn't help it heal.  She lets me purr next to her tummy, though, and that helps a lot!  It's a furry important job, and that's why I got a special Christmas bandana this year!  I paraded all around the living room, showing it off to everyone.

Tabby writes:

I got a new outfit, too!  I was so excited to get it; I couldn't even sit still for the picture!  It's a black & plaid dress, and it matches Heimdall's bandana perfectly!  Mommy and I couldn't go to H. or C. this month because of Mommy's tummy, but we'll be able to go next month, and she says I can wear my new dress on those visits instead of a Christmas visit.  That's ok with me, I guess.

I did go on a very important visit at the beginning of this month, though!  I went to Mommy's church in Vancouver, WA, to entertain kids whose families participate in the Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) shelter program.  WHO was putting on a health fair for the participating families, who are homeless and need assistance of various kinds (housing, medical, monetary, nutrition, etc.).  The health fair had information on free medical & dental clinics, food assistance, housing assistance, and hands-on stations with basic checkups from nurses, medicine checkups, manicures, massages, and foot-washing.  For the kids, they also had gingerbread house decorating, coloring masks, and playing with toys.  I was there to entertain the kids and take some stress off the parents, plus promote healthy interactions with animals.  I was very important!

Mommy and I took a taxi to the church, because we had to be there pretty early in the morning.  The driver was the same one who took us to the pet expo last April!  He was glad to see me again, and told us how his kitty was doing.  He even let us sit up front and petted me while he was driving!  When we got to the church, the lady in charge told us what we would be doing and I got settled in.  At first I wondered what I was supposed to do, because it was a totally new environment for me.  Where were the people crowding around to see me and pet me?  Where were the beds, walkers, laps, and chairs?  Why weren't people calling me over?  What was I supposed to do in this large, open space, with only two rows of mostly-empty chairs and some long tables scattered about?

It took me a while to realize that I was supposed to just be myself, like I do at home, and not like I do on a regular visit.  I was supposed to walk around on my leash, say hi to people, ask them for pets, and hop onto chairs.  Those parts of my duties and training didn't change.  But on this visit, I could also talk a little (as long as I didn't scream), play with the toys the kids put near me, and investigate things!  I'm usually not allowed to do those things on a visit!  It was fun; more like playing with JJ than being on a visit!

The kids naturally gravitated toward me.  Two kids in particular wanted to be my assistant trainers, because Mommy told the kids I was learning how to interact with people in this new environment.  The two boys shared me nicely.  The older one pushed me in the stroller around the room and got me used to being there, then gave me a nice chair to curl up in.  He sat in another chair next to me, petting me and talking to Mommy about me.  A lady with a walker came up, and I immediately switched into my regular visiting mode.  She has an emotional assistance cat, but she can't have her with her at the hotel where they were staying.  I visited with her, her husband, and their young daughter for a while, then the second boy came to see me.  He and his sisters had met me when the first boy had, but his sisters had gotten bitten by a cat in the past so they were leery of petting me or being close to me much.  The brother wanted to be sure I wouldn't bite or scratch, but once he was convinced that I would be good, he was my very best friend for the rest of the time we were there!

The boy held onto my leash just like Mommy showed him, and we walked around the whole narthex of the church, investigating all the windowsills.  It was so much fun, and everything smelled differently than my windows at home!  At one point, I walked under a rolling table and the organizer of the event had to get Mommy's attention to have her "rescue" me.  Mommy walked right over and called me to come out, and I came right back out.  All I wanted to do was have a nice nap in a quiet space, and that looked about as inviting as anywhere else!  Mommy brought my stroller over and I got in, taking about a half-hour nap while she visited with some people who were at one of the tables.

After my nap, the little boy found us again.  He wanted to have me help him with his gingerbread house, but I couldn't.  I did play trains and cars with him and the girls, though!  I think I was a bridge at one point, but I'm not quite sure, because sometimes the cars flew over me and sometimes they went around me.  I politely sniffed them, and pushed a couple with my nose, but wasn't really interested in batting at them right then.  The boy wanted to push me around in my stroller some more, so he, Mommy, and I walked all around the church and back out into the narthex.  Those two rows of chairs were still there!  I wanted to get out of the stroller and investigate them, because they intrigued me, so I hopped out and got pets from one of the other volunteers.  I then walked over him to the next chair in line.  Mommy told my friend that I like to walk from chair to chair, so he very nicely moved all the chairs in the line so they were touching each other, like a huge train!  I happily walked about three-quarters of the length, about 10 chairs, then got tired again.  Back into my stroller I went, while the little boy and Mommy talked about the functions of my harness and leash, my stroller, and my walking jacket.  After seeing me in action and walking around with me for that long, he had a lot of good questions!  He wanted to know why I ran out of energy so quickly, where my food and water were, did I sleep in the stroller, and did I have a home.  Mommy answered that I ran out of energy faster because I am smaller, my food and water were in bowls in the closet area, I do sleep in the stroller, and I have a home in a house with Mommy, Daddy, and the other kitties.

It was an exhausting day, but very fun!  Even the two little girls who were afraid of me were happy to see me and know now that not every cat will attack them.  I'm glad I made a difference for all those kids and people!

Sherbet writes:

Hello, everyone.  I'm still inside!  At the moment, I'm under the bed again, where I've been for most of the time.  I come out to eat, drink, and use the box, but the rest of the time I stay hidden.  It's a very different life from being outside!  A couple weeks ago, Auntie Shawnee came to clean the room I'm hiding in.  Boy, was that ever a traumatic day!  All those sounds, and wondering what was going on, and then a horrible thing happened!  They moved my bed!  They actually moved it clear across to the other side of the room!  I scooted out of there so quickly I was just a blur, bounced off the wall in the hallway, and ended up on the sink counter in the bathroom!  I'm still not quite sure how I got up there!

Panther hit my seat while I was trying to see if the window would open.  It wouldn't, so I turned and hissed at my brother.  He backed off when everyone told him to, so I hopped down and started for the living room.  Panther started chasing me!  We ran into the living room at top speed, so I looked around for the highest safe spot.  Seeing a bookcase, I climbed it, but it was full of computer parts that crashed down around me!  They and I were alright, but what a commotion!  Everyone in the household came out to see what in the world was going on, and I got out of there as fast as I could.  I ran to the other side of the fireplace and hopped onto the small table next to the end of the couch.  There was a nice pillow on it that I used as a bunker, as you can see from the picture!  This is where I stayed for the next hour and a half until everyone and everything calmed down.  Mommy sat in the chair and worked on a project, Daddy fell asleep in his chair, and the other cats went about their routines.  Dare checked on me and Tabby walked over to touch noses, make friends, and lie down almost touching me!  Both of them check on me under the bed now, as does Rori.  When there are visitors in the house, Rori even comes under the bed to hide with me, and we talk!  I'll come out when I'm ready, but it may be a while.

Feral Friday: Sherbet's Big Adventure!

Sherbet writes:

Hi, everyone!  I'm Panther's brother, and I normally live outside.  I was unmercifully tricked into this metal box on Tuesday, kept inside for a day, then rode in a car somewhere.  I was drugged then rode back home in another car.  I had a big adventure, and it's still continuing!   More on that later, though....

I never came inside when Panther did, because the humans didn't know about me then.  I started coming around after Tigress came back, once Panther was already inside.  He gets so excited when he sees me, and we have the same eyes and facial structure, so we must be related somehow.  That's why the humans call us brothers.  From the humans' estimation, we're the same age:  2 years old (just barely).

On Tuesday, the box appeared in my usual eating spot on the back porch.  I saw the human lady put it out there.  She talked softly to me, but I hid under the deck until she was done arranging the box.  She put food in it, but I didn't believe it was food for me.  I waited a while, then decided to try to eat it.  I went into the box, stepped over the trip plate with my front paws, and ate what I could of the dry food.  The lady put more food out, then some tuna.  I had to put my back feet on the trip plate to get at the yummy stuff, and that's when it happened.  I jumped so high I hit my head and back on the top of the trap and it jumped, too!  I didn't like that, so I didn't jump anymore.  I froze, even when the lady brought the trap inside.  I figured the others wouldn't see me if I didn't move, but they saw me anyway.  Once I was inside, my silly brother walked right up to the trap and swatted my behind through the wires!  I guess he wanted to play, but it surprised me.  I didn't do anything, though, and he got in trouble for it.

The others circled around me, walking in a line around the trap and sniffing me.  Once they completed three or four circles each, they settled into the formation in the picture above.  From left to right, it's Freya, Panther, Carbon, Tabby, Autumn, and then Little Bit is on the tote box under the table.  Heimdall also played, but had walked off into the living room before this picture was taken.  They are all really nice kitties, and my friend Tigress from outside is also in here.  I'm glad I have someone familiar!  The human man is nice, too, as well as the lady.  The human man told me that I was safe inside this house and that no one would hurt me or fight with me.  Autumn, the kitten, guarded me and hissed at anyone who dared to come right up to the trap to try to touch noses with me!

I was offered some wet food, but I didn't eat any of it.  Carbon got mad that I got wet food and he didn't, so he lay down on top of the trap!  The humans said that's a regular thing for him to do.  It didn't bother me, except it was confusing.  I kept looking up at him, but didn't move out from under where he was.  I peed in the trap after scrambling to get out, but the lady cleaned it up because there was a towel and a garbage sack under the trap.

Auntie Cai took the lady and me over to the clinic that the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon did and left me there!  I was such a good boy for both my car rides, and didn't make any sounds or anything!  I played teeter-totter with the trap while I was carried, though, walking from one end of it to the other.  Well, what did they expect?  I'm used to solid ground under my paws!  The people at FCCO neutered me, cleaned my ears, gave me ear mite medicine, flea medicine, and my vaccinations.  They thought I was a senior cat!  I don't know where they got that idea, but that's definitely not what I look like.  Maybe they thought my teeth were that old?  Auntie Shawnee came with the lady to pick me up again, and I played teeter-totter a little.  I was still very groggy from the anesthesia, though, so I didn't move around as much.

I spent a while longer at home in the trap, then I peed again.  The people at FCCO had put a piece of newspaper as a lining in the trap, so the lady opened the door a little to take the newspaper out.  I didn't want to let it go!  I rode the newspaper from the end of the trap almost to the door of it, then I bit the lady's finger and ran out of the trap!  To be fair, she had been holding her finger out for me to sniff, so I took that as an indication that it was something to bite.  I didn't bite hard, though, just a warning chomp.

I found this roll-top desk in the dining room and climbed it.  I stayed up there for about an hour, just watching everyone and taking in everything, trying to acclimatize to my new environment.  The man walked right up to the other end of the desk and talked softly to me, telling me no one would hurt me here, and then blinked really slowly at me to tell me he loves me.  I blinked back at him, so he blinked again.  I like it in here, so I stayed inside even when the lady offered me the open door!  After a while, I moved to the door but still didn't want to go out.  The lady started watching tv, so I cruised around the dining room and even the living room before being spooked by the magic picture box and flying down the hallway.  I found another desk in the far bedroom and hid there, hissing at a couple of the others when they came to find me.  After a while, I wandered into the next room and found a quiet spot under the big bed.

I stayed under the bed most of yesterday and will probably stay under here for today, too.  The lady put food and water in this room, but I don't trust anyone enough to go out to eat it or drink it yet.  The man and the lady have both been coming in to talk to me, and the lady looked at me from the middle of the room.  The others have been looking at me, too, but haven't really bothered me.  I'm glad that everyone's giving me space and time to get used to everyone and everything.  The lady put this odd thing called a Feliway diffuser on the wall, and that's helping to calm me down and make me feel more secure here.  I don't know whether I want to stay inside all the time, but it's a nice place to be right now, at least under this bed.

Foster Friday: Panther's back

Panther writes:

Long time, no meow!  I've been back at my foster home since Sunday, and it's been a confusing transition.  I growled and hissed at Mommy Cai, Foster Daddy, and Foster Mommy the first day, because I'd been on my best behavior at my home the previous few days.  I didn't want to be brought back to my foster home!  Mommy Cai explained that she wanted to give Haley some time to readjust to being with her, because Haley used to be Mommy Cai's kitty a few years ago.  Haley's a grumpy old lady!  She growled at me and hissed, and sometimes swatted, so I lay down when I saw her.  I really wanted to snuggle with Mommy Cai, though, so sometimes I would be on one side and Haley would be on the other.  Haley didn't like that at all.  I also would do things that annoyed Haley after she would growl at me.  I got along with Beastie great, though!  We'd run up and down the hallway, around through the rooms, up into the windows and down, then around again.  Mommy Cai called it "Nascar time"!  Beastie bit Mommy Cai when she came back without me.  He's since almost forgiven her.

It took me a few days to adjust, but by the second day here I was watching the other kitties from a safe distance.  I remember everyone, except there's a new kitten named Autumn.  She and I aren't sure about each other, but we've said hi.  Now I eat from the food plates at the same time as everyone else and even have reclaimed my recliner!  Last night, I sat with Foster Mommy for the first time since I've been back.  I get lonely in the middle of the night, the time I used to run around with Beastie, so I call down the hallway and Foster Mommy talks to me.  I come out to get some pets from her and usually end up on my recliner.

I like watching my brother, Sherbet, out the back window.  He looks like he's doing well, too!  He's getting neutered in a couple weeks, and then he'll be doing really well.  I wish he'd come inside so we could play, but he won't.  He's now eating while the humans watch through the windows and coming when they call him, so that's a big improvement in the time I've been away!

I want to go back to Mommy Cai's.  Everyone says that I'll get to visit there in a few weeks, for a short visit.  I'll do that a few times, then do an overnight and see how it goes.  I'll try to transition back there and see how Haley and I do with the slow reintroductions.  I hope it goes well!

Feral and Foster Friday: In and Saturday Spay Day

Tigress writes:

I'm in!  I'm choosing to be inside more often, and for almost all the day and the night now!  A couple weeks ago, I surprised Mommy while she was working on the computer.  She felt me ask her and thought I wanted foot pets.  Nope!  I hopped up onto the computer desk like I've seen Uncle Heimdall and Auntie Rori do, and I wanted hand pets!

C'mon, Mommy!  You take too many pictures.  I'll just take a nap while you photograph me, then maybe I'll get some hand pets.  (I eventually did get my pets.)

Autumn writes:

I'm learning a lot about "in" this week!  First, we had a fire in the fireplace, which was exciting!  And, no, I did not want to be "in" there with it.  I liked watching it, though.

Foster Mommy wore her rain boots one of the days, and I had to check them to make sure Foster Mommy's legs were still in the boots.  I pulled down the top of one, because it comes up to her knee, and there was her leg!

I stuck my head in the cupholder on Tabby's stroller, then bounced onto the bed and climbed in the pocket that hangs from the bed to hold books and a cell phone.  Foster Mommy pulled me out, but I was very cozy in there!  Next, I found some bags of treats that were hidden in a bag on a chair.  Everyone loved those, especially Uncle Carbon!  Yum!

I'm at the vet waiting for my spay today.  What's a "spay", and will I like it?  I rode in a car in a carrier today.  Auntie Cai came over and picked Foster Mommy and me up to take us there, then took Foster Mommy to work.  Foster Daddy had a doctor's appointment (not a vet one) today, so that's why just Foster Mommy went with me.  I was good in the car, but talked a lot and really wanted out so I could watch everything through the window.  I like riding in someone's arms better, but I couldn't do that this time.  Foster Mommy said I'll come back home this afternoon sometime.  The vet gave me a snuggly gingerbread stuffed toy, and I promptly lay down with it under my belly.  I'm not sure I like this "vet" place, but I was content to be carried back to the waiting area and get in my cage to wait for my turn to be spayed.  I'll get my vaccinations today, too.  I'm 7 months old now!  I'm adoptable to a good home in the Portland, OR,/Vancouver, WA, area.

We hope you like this post.  Remember, the word of the week is IN!

Feral Friday with Tigress

Tigress writes:

Hi everyone!  I know it's been a long time since I've done a Feral Friday post, but I've got some exciting news to share!  The Grandma person is an ok person!  She gives treats, foot pets, talks softly to me, doesn't chase me, and even will come let me out if I ask nicely enough!

At first, I was scared of her when she moved in a couple months ago.  The other cats love her and she'll even pet them occasionally.  I was scared of her, though.  I don't even know why, except that she was a new human.  She didn't do anything scary, but she was just there.  I didn't like being in the house with her, and would ask for out whenever I realized I was sharing the same house with her.  She tried and tried to show me she was nice, and my purrents told me I was safe and they wouldn't ever bring anyone around who would hurt me.  I believe them, but it still scared me.

I saw how nice Grandma was to the other kitties, though.  She would often pet them with her legs or with her feet, and thank them for giving her leg pets (winding around her legs) and wanting to sit with her (even though she can't have them on her lap due to being sick).  I would hear her coughing and would get wide-eyed, going to Mommy or Daddy for reassurance, but after a couple weeks I wasn't wanting out right away when I would see Grandma.  I would watch her from a chair under the dining-room table or from my comfy chair in the bedroom, then want out when she saw where I was.  I wouldn't hide from her, though, unless she was walking toward me.

One day, the twins had a birthday!  We all celebrated by having a big treat!  I didn't know what it was, but the others were very excited about it, and were milling around Grandma in the kitchen.  She got Mommy to help her open a can of something.  I hung out in the hallway and watched, wondering.  Mommy took out plates and showed Grandma how to spoon out the something onto each plate.  Then Mommy set the plates down on the floor in the dining room!

Feast time!  The others invited me to join them, but I said no because I didn't know what the treat was.  It smelled kind of good, but I wanted to watch them eat to make sure it was safe.  They told me it was something called "tuna" and it was a fish.  What fish comes out of a can?  I catch the little fish in the marsh sometimes, but they don't swim around in cans!

You can see in the picture how we social-eat.  Dare and Starla are sharing a plate, Missy's eating by herself, Panther's eating by himself, Carbon only eats by himself because he tends to be food-agressive, the twins are sharing a plate, Tabby's eating out of a can, and Little Bit's waiting her turn.  At this point, I was still in the hallway (the first picture).

Mommy brought a plate down the hallway to Rori so she could have some of the tuna treat, also.  She likes it, but she didn't want to brave the mob in the dining room any more than I did!  Grandma stayed in the kitchen and made herself something yummy with the tuna, too.  She put something else in it and mixed it up, then put it on bread for a sandwich.  Heimdall went in to see if she had some more for him, but she had mixed the remainder for her food, so he came back out and licked a can.

I finally got up the courage to go social-eat and found out the tuna was yummy!  Wow!  Do you see me over in the top left?  I'm trying to get to the plate with Freya and social-eat with her.  Dare decided to share the plate that Missy was eating from, and Little Bit got the can that Tabby had.  Tabby got another can that she and Heimdall shared.

After that tuna treat, I decided that Grandma must be an ok person.  I let her pet me once, and almost have come in the door when she's tried to let me inside.  About a week ago, I wanted out and she was the only human awake.  It was my hunting-time, around 5 or 6 in the morning.  That's when the mice and the birds are sleepy, so I can catch them more easily.  I went over to Grandma, who was in the kitchen, and wound around her legs, talking to her.  She thought I was Tabby at first, because she does the same thing when Grandma's in the kitchen.  Nope!  She looked at my paws and saw that it was I instead of Tabby!  She asked me if I wanted out, so I walked over to the door and pawed it.  She walked over and opened the door for me.  I looked at her and meowed once, then ran out like I normally do.  Thank you, Grandma person!

Since then, I've said hi to her most of the time and she's let me outside a few times more.  Today, I even went down the hall to her room to wait outside the door until she came out!  Hi, Grandma!

News Repurrt: Feral Friday, Weather Watch, and New Visitors!

Rori writes:

See how much snow we've gotten?  It all has fallen within the last 16 hours, at the time of purring this repurrt.  We were supposed to get about 5 inches yesterday, but I think we got more than that!  I'm happy that my clowder stays inside and Tigress joins us on days like this.

Tigress writes:

I'm glad, too, Auntie Rori!  Although, I had a lot of fun squishing the snow between my paws to make little snowballs on the deck earlier, and pounced around a lot, but that's before it got as deep as it is.  And as cold as it is!  I slept under the rose bushes for a while, but then I got too much snow on me, so I moved to sleep behind the spare tire that's leaning up against the wall.  That way, I didn't get too much snow on my fur.  I much prefer sleeping inside, though!

I've wanted to stay outside a lot of the time for two reasons, and both have to do with visitors!  There's an orange kitty that's been hanging around in my territory, and I've got to show him that he's trespassing!  Daddy saw him two nights ago, but the kitty didn't stay to be seen long.  Good!  This is my house and my yard.  Daddy says I need to share for a while until they can see if the kitty needs taking care of or if it has a home.  It can't have this home, though.

The other visitor is inside, and she's actually not a true visitor.  She's moved in.  Her name's Grandma.  I've made a meowing acquaintance with her through the back door, and seen her sometimes when I've been inside, but new humans really scare me.  I always ask my purrents for out when I see her.  She tries to not scare me, but it will be a while until I get used to her.

Heimdall writes:

Oh, Tigress!  You don't need to worry about Grandma!  She's very nice and loves all of us.  She calls us her grandcats, which we are, and she makes stuff for us.  She gives us blankies she's made, and pets us with her feet (which I know you like).  She can't pet us with her hands right now because she's not feeling well, but she finds other ways to let us know she loves us.  She's moved into the room with the big bed, but Daddy sleeps on the couch and Mommy sleeps on the little bed, so you can still snuggle with them!  That's what the rest of us do.  We wish we were allowed in Grandma's room, but we can't be up on the bed or chairs or snuggle with her.  Even Carbon waits outside the room until he knows she's asleep before continuing with his evening!  Rori has let Grandma see her, and that's saying a lot!

Mini Mancat Monday Eye Repurrt

Panther writes:

My owie eye is doing better!  It's still very winky, and very weepy, but I can see better out of it.  That is, until Foster Mommy puts the drops in and everything goes watery!  Unfortunately, since it's so weepy, the dried goop covers my ear and the side of my face.  That's the side I like to sleep on, so it drips down over my fur when I sleep.  The infection also got into my other eye!  Foster Daddy says it's because I wipe my paw over both eyes to try to clean them, so I spread the infection from one to the other.  That means I have to get the drops in both eyes now!  Grrrrrrr....

On the other paw, Auntie Tigress and I are actually getting along!  She and I weren't sure about each other when she came back last week, because of her chasing me and me taking her territory when we'd seen each other last.  I told her I didn't mean to take her territory and that I've been guarding it well.  She forgave me and actually has been trying to headbutt me!  She's also been checking on me and my hurty eyes when they go watery after Foster Mommy puts the drops in.  She sniffs my face and leans against my side, then walks away.  That's her way of giving me a hug, I think!  Unless she surprises me by it, I like it.  If I'm surprised and don't know she's there before she does that, then I hiss or growl but immediately realize who it is and stop.  Foster Mommy thinks it's the cutest thing, and so does Foster Daddy (but he hasn't seen her do that yet)!

I don't like that Auntie Tigress gets to go outside during the day and I don't.  I get mad at that and cry at the door for a few minutes, then go pout in the hallway.  I understand it's because I'm still taking my medicine, but why does she get so much attention when she comes back in?  My foster purrents say it's because she's still learning what being inside means.  Ok, but it didn't take me that long to adjust!  She adjusted easier to using the box than I have, though.  I still don't cover, and I whine at the door for about 10 minutes before going in to use the box.  She covers and doesn't whine about it.  Showoff!

I did one thing that she hasn't done, though.  I snuggled with Foster Daddy on the big chair!  I was looking up at him, so Foster Mommy picked me up and put me behind his knees.  Both of them encouraged me to lie down and petted me, so I curled in that spot.  It was so comfy that I snuggled and purred almost naturally!  I didn't stay long, but they said that was good for a first try snuggling behind someone's knees!

Happy National Feral Cat Day!!!

Yesterday, we posted about feral cats as part of our Be the Change for Animals post.  Then, we got the surprise of our lives!  Look who showed up, after being gone since mid-July!!!!!

Tigress came back!!!!!

We all crowded around the back door as soon as we heard her meowing!  Mommy let her in, and we spent about 15 minutes talking, sniffing, and bathing her.  She didn't mind us all crowding around, and was as glad to see all of us as we were to see her!  She wanted a lot of pets from Mommy, didn't mind being inside with the door closed, and made a beeline for the food plates and water bowl.  Boy, was she ever hungry!  Mommy refilled the plate twice, then picked her up by the armpits and "flew" her into the back bedroom with Starla.  Starla sniffed her all over while Tigress explored the room.  Tigress was absolutely scared of the ceiling fan, so that was turned off.  Mommy had to go to work, but left Tigress in the room with Starla while she was gone.

When Mommy and Daddy came back from work, they let Tigress and Starla out.  We all crowded around again, until Tigress made it clear that she wanted back outside.  Mommy and Daddy said no to that for tonight.  Maybe tomorrow, but we all want to make it clear to Tigress that we are still her family and she is safe with us.  Now that she's come back and is inside, we all want to keep her as safe as we can.

We all let her know about her sister's death, and our purrents talked to her about it.  She wonders why Miss Marble isn't in here, but at least now she knows what happened.  Mommy let her know about the book that she and her family are in, too!

We're hoping that she realizes she can be an inside kitty, a former feral, like our other former ferals.  Our current family has several former ferals:  Rori, Missy, foster Dare, foster kitten Panther, and former semi-feral Starla.  Over the years, we've cared for many ferals and semi-ferals.  Each is an individual who accepts our love to the extent he or she is comfortable with, and gives his or her love to us to a degree.

For more information on feral cats, see the link to Mommy's book page on our blog sidebar.  It includes many informational links and videos, as well as the link to the children's book that features Tigress and her birth family.

Happy National Feral Cat Day 2013!!!