Wordy Wednesday: Our new visitors!

Miss Marble writes:

There are two new visitors to our deck, our house, and our yard!  Tigress and I don't like them very much, because they eat our food and one of them gets pets from our family.  Our purrents say that one of them will learn to take turns with us and the other one will find a new home within the next couple months.  I certainly hope that turns out to be true!  I had to go out the door to the other dimension (aka the front door) this morning, because my door was blocked by the intruder who gets pets.  Mommy had to pick me up and put me out in the other dimension, then give me pets to let me know that it was still the same place.  No, it's not!  It's the other dimension!

 Panther writes:

Aack!  The lady took pictures of me!  I really don't like the flashy box, but learned last night that the red light means the white light will flash.  I freeze when the red light comes on, wait until after the white light flashes, then go on about my business (mainly getting pets from the lady and twirling around her while she talks to me).  I've been hanging around this new house since July 4th.  The people think that I either was dumped or ran away because of the fireworks.  I obviously know all the important things that a housecat should know, like what doors, collars, lights, people, and toys are, so I was an owned cat very recently.  I have a collar, but that is from these new people.  The tag is made especially for me, and says "Am I yours???" on one side and "If so, call xxx-xxx-xxxx" on the other.  The people named me Panther because I'm all black with gold eyes.  I'm shorthaired, and between 8 months and a year old.  I am not fixed, so if I truly am a stray or a dumped cat, that will be the first order of business (along with testing to make sure I'm free of any diseases).

I'm a very friendly boy, but I love to play, so I was showing off my ferociousness on the tomato cage!  I headbutt any hand that pets me, talk like a Siamese, and love to brush up against the people.  I'm a very strong boy, so my headbutts really push the people's hands!

If you are in the Hazel Dell/Walnut Grove area of Clark County, Washington, and know where I belong, please let the people know by commenting on this blog post.  If you are local, please share this information via blog, Facebook, etc., to help me find my home.  Thank you!

Our second new visitor is the raccoon in back.  He or she is a new kit, born about 12 weeks ago (probably), and just started coming with his mom.  His mom is one of last summer's kits, born to R.K., so the new kit is the fourth generation since we've lived in this house (three years).  He's very smart, and even likes to play with the toys JJ left behind!  The plastic saw is one of his favorites.  He'll spend a few minutes turning it over and over in his hands, trying to figure out what it is and what it does, then he'll bite it and put it down.  Daddy gave the outside cats a hotdog that had fallen on the floor inside, but the cats didn't want it.  The kit found it and figured out it was food after rolling it around for a bit!  He also likes the blue scoops from the weather station.

Feral Friday

Carbon writes:

We have a feral at our new house! No pictures of him yet, but he came last night to eat. I was at the back sliding glass door (aka large window), the same one in the raccoon video from yesterday's post, watching the grass blow in the wind, when all of a sudden I saw someone! My tail started twitching like mad, so Daddy came over to see who it was that I saw. This black & white cat, the same one that Daddy had seen a few days ago, and that had come to eat but ran off, was out there. He/she came up and ate some food, while I watched excitedly through the window. I thought maybe he would stay to talk, so I was chirping at him, but he got kind of scared by my tail wagging. I think he thought maybe Daddy would let me out to meet him, but what could've scared him about that? All I would do would be sniff and try to make friends! Anyway, he ran off, then came back and finished eating. It was all very exciting! I spent the rest of the night at the window, waiting for him to come back. He's not a classic tuxedo, but looks very much like our feral Tux from the old house, so we're naming him "Tuxedo" for lack of a better name at this time.

Therapy Cat Tales

Tabby writes:

(from yesterday's diary/visit)

Such a bright, beautiful day today! It was still cold enough that I had a fleece blankie in my stroller, but not so cold that I had to have a jacket. There are so many things to sniff and look at now that spring is coming: cherry trees, magnolia trees, rhododendrons, trailing flowers, people and dogs out and about.

H. was a busy place today, because there was a formal party for all the residents. The party wasn't until after our visit, so we had plenty of time before our friends had to get dressed up, but the decorating started early. I sniffed decorations while Mommy put our things in the office (my carrier and her book bag), then we went to see who we could find. On the way, I visited with one of the ladies in the office, and with the receptionist.

There are more people on the floor! Lots of new faces, hands, and laps! I met a little human boy, his mom, and his grandma. The grandma is living there, and the rest of the family came to visit her. The mom pointed me out to the boy: "See the kitty?" Mommy told them all they could pet me, and they all three had the biggest smiles! The grandma had heard about me, but not met me yet, so she was overjoyed to actually meet me! Then I created a traffic jam in the hallway by the elevator, because more people wanted to visit with me, and one of the ladies' security alarms made the elevator alarm sound. That was soooo loud, but I was ok with it. I basically ignored it, which made Mommy proud.

I saw all my regulars, except for one of the ladies whose name starts with P. had died. We are sad about that, but happy that she isn't suffering anymore. I guess that's what happens when you work where I do. There was another room that didn't have anyone in it, but the bedding was being changed, so that means that there will probably be new friends there again next time I visit.

I got to visit with C. twice. She got a new wheelchair, so now her legs are raised up more and she has more of a lap for me! I settled right down on her lap this time, and she was so incredibly happy! She had a huge smile, twinkles in her eyes, and petted me as she watched everyone going by to see if they saw that she had a cat on her lap! A couple people stopped and mentioned that I was on her lap, and her smile got wider and wider! :) Of course, I just settled in more and purrrrrrrred away! Then, after she went to her room to lie down for a while, we were making our rounds and stopped to see her roommate. After her roommate visited with me, I got to visit with C. again on her bed. I lay down alongside her, and she petted me, smiling.

I wanted to play with G. today! I love her bed, and she gets quite a kick out of that. As she was petting me, I reached out and tagged her hand (without claws, just batting it)! Then, I reached out again and touched her finger with my paw. She picked my paw up and moved it a little, then went back to petting me, laughing. We did that game a couple more times, then I rolled over for tummy rubs on her bed while she made jokes about the bed being too big for me. I thought it was just the right size!

M. was getting a little mixed up with her chronology today. She told me that her cat, the one she always tells me about, had been lost but had just come back home. Other than that, she was making sense. She's in her mid-80's, and doing really well for her age! Mommy told her that, and she smiled and said it was because she knew her limits and knew when to ask for help. We believe that! We love visiting with her, and she loves me.

Well, EVERYONE loves me, and I love EVERYONE! :) >^..^<

A., another new person, had family visiting as well. Her niece and nephews were there. As soon as I came close enough so they could see who/what I was, one of the men said, "Is that a therapy cat?" Mommy was happy that he could tell that right away! They all petted me and talked to me, and I did some of my tricks for them. The lady (the niece) asked for the name of somewhere to get a cat certified for therapy work, because she has a cat at home who she says would be perfect for this kind of work too! Yay, another working feline! I'm proud to have inspired another probable cat team. :)

Another lady had her granddaughter visiting, but I walked right in anyway. They said it was just fine, and the lady patted her bed, so I got up there and charmed them completely. Her neighbor in the next room was in her wheelchair in the hallway waiting for me when I got back out there, and didn't want to hold me but wanted to ask a million questions about me, my training, and my harness. At this point, I was out of the stroller walking on my leash. I wear my harness all the time, with Mommy holding my leash, for safety reasons. Sometimes I walk, sometimes stroll, and sometimes Mommy carries me. It all depends on how long we're there and how many people we visit. I love to both walk and stroll, but sometimes I get too tired to walk around.

One of the last people we visited was Mr. G. He had some papers he was working on, but he quickly put them aside when we walked in. He loves cats and had quite a few growing up and as an adult. I sat on his lap and he petted me. He said one of the saddest things, but also one of the happiest, that we have ever heard. He said, "I'd forgotten how soft their fur is." Imagine forgetting what kitty fur feels like! I'm so glad that he can remember, at least for a few minutes, while he pets me!

A new visitor

Once again, we have a new visitor. Word must really be getting around the neighborhood as the weather warms up! The guest this time is a young cat, probably 8-12 months, who looks like our Rori. He or she stared up at the man when he looked out the door "window", but didn't run right away, then took off underneath the trailer when the man moved. Obviously the kit knew there was food here, but wasn't sure about the people. Is it feral? Is it just scared because of new people? Time may tell. If it's feral, does that mean that Rori's mom and brother might be around still? We hope it comes back.

A new voice for Mancat Monday

Little Bit writes about her new friend, a mancat-in-training:

Last evening, I brought a new friend by the green house, so he would know where to get yummy good food. He's about my age, and still looks like a kitten too. He's afraid of the humans in the green house, and put back his ears and crouched low when he saw them, but didn't run away far. Just ran a little ways then watched. He looks like a snowshoe kitten, or a ragdoll. The people say that he looks a lot like Rori's brother Knut looked at that age. He's white, fluffy, and has grey in a triangle on his face down to his nose and tapering up to his ears. He's very handsome.

The people in the green house put some food out, and I showed him it was alright by eating some of it, then I went inside to eat and he started eating from the porch when the door closed. He didn't stay long, only took a couple bites, but at least he knows now that they're feeding us here.