My LuckyBabyCat

Hi all! Have a lucky baby cat we got from a shelter before he was turned in as a TNR feral. Gal was sitting by door holding him as we left, with huge gloves on & a large carrier labeled Live Animal. He looked just like our former black cat,Midnight, we had lost a couple months before, and turned out to be same age (6 mos) as he had been when he found us 14 years before! Not having had any experience with feral or TNR I asked gal if she had adopted him & she said no, she was turning him in, but she had been waiting a long tims. Long story short, we got to hold him, she showed us how he would run to the back of the carrier & not come forward.We wanted him. She had us promise to neuter him & gave us her # in case we changed our mind, and gave us carrier & all! I now understand what a bargain a shelter cat is.He had been in carrier for 2 or 3 days in the garage waiting for shelter to open; she had trapped him at a dumpster colony in the bushes in the rain, so he was filthy. To make it worse he peed on the way home. At home I scruffed him & washed/dried him & put him in our old cat's bed in a bathroom with food water & dishpan-litterbox, closed door & kept him there for a couple of weeks. Didn't know what I was doing, just seemed right. He was feral-scared, vet was happy about that when I finally took him in (neuter,shots,wormed of tapeworms & any others) That was in April. When he first began to come out he started by sitting near me with paws tucked back, laying low, with only neck sticking way up. Bit by bit, he has progressed to loving petting, coming when called, & tolerates being picked up. He still won't get on a lap, and just recently has agreed to get on the couch with us when I have catnip, or somethimes a treat. He actually has come out a couple of times when we've had company lately! He does not want to go out,and backs up when I open the door tho likes to look out. (Been there, done that?) Bolts when there is a loud noise. He doesn't purr,and squeeks/chirps instead of meowing. Needless to say his name is Lucky. Not very original, but it sure suits him. He is shiny, shiny black with a big thick neck, wide spaced eyes, and we believe probably part Bombay.(?) We are in southern Ohio, so the American Bombay was developed only 100 miles from us, in Louisville.
I have had computer issues, and am just able to (hopefully) post now!

Thank you all. Yes, it really is rewarding to see him progress. I did manage to hold him & get on the scales the other day & he is close to 14 lbs so I know he is thriving! He is really sweet in his own way.