Jimmy update!!!

Well, it's been quite a few years with Jimmy... Today was a big day for him!
He spent his first bit of life on the streets of Cincinnati. And from there went to a rescue house. And then we adopted him. We gave him his first "window". From there he went to a small enclosure and now we have a 1200 square foot enclosure with a insulated cat house that is 8' x 10'. This year their house will have heat. We are venting our house to the cat house.

But today, we opened their doors. Some have never been outside before. It was a glorious experience. Since the enclosure is their "safe zone", it a noise bothers them, they dash inside, so all is well.

Jimmy has discovered the joys of trees. He is a real cat now. He has been laying on the porch by the back door. He has laid underneath the tall trees staring upward in quiet cat contemplation with the wind blowing over him. He loves the wood stacked in front of the house too. He has climbed all over it stretching and scratching. The last time he was free was in a city. It took a long time for him to reach this point with me. He lets me brush him outside and pet him so he is ok. He is a little skittish out there but he is not running off because the enclosure is his safe spot. I am not worried about him.. He is doing wonderful!!

I will still cage them ALL at night but during the day, I am letting them run free..

Here's a pic portfolio of a few of them.... More to come...













Jenn

Oh Jenn.... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi,

I know...... it is sooooo amazing to me too. I am speechless at his total success! wow......


Here's couple more pics of Jimmy....my "feral star cat"..... he is something else. I am soooooooooo proud of him!! He has finally made it!!

I took these a couple minutes ago.....

This is a back porch nap behind the wood pile..... he is so relaxed. See his little tucked paw....



This is Jim heading back to the enclosure... he heard an odd noise. He is very careful ........ haha


And here he is with Cow. See that look on his face. His horizons are endless. He is happy with life his kitty life today.


Jenn

WOW! It's always soooooooooooo wonderful to see how far they've come.

All those milestones along the way mean so much - and then you realize - YOU'RE THERE!

WTG Jenn and Jimmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not realize how far he has come until I see him today.... But that Jimmy cat when I first got him -- he does not exist any longer.

Jimmy will never be tame in the traditional sense but he knows he belongs. He has a kitty pack (colony) and they stick together like glue.....

jenn

I guess after eating "Taste of The Wild" food for so long -- they are really getting a taste of the wild now......

They are all tucked back in the enclosure for the night!

I had to herd Jimmy like a cow. He did NOT want to go back in. He knew I was going to shut the door. He had me laughing as he circled the propane tank staying just on the other side from me.

He finally just ran on in.....

After all the cats were put in the enclosure, he sat at the gate pawing it. In the morning before I leave for work, I'll open it back up....... They'll get used to the routine....

I am going to continue to feed them in the enclosure as well. It will make it easier to get them into a routine since I always refresh food and water in the evenings..

Jenn

MORNING PICS OF MY ROAMING CREW......

fixing to head to work. I have them all situated for the day but I wanted to post these! They have discovered the creek.....






And Jimmy is deciding what to do with his day!! This is a previously feral confident enough to sit out in the open in new territory... What a blessing.... I have been waiting for these moments for years. When I first got him, it was hard to imagine and even picture in my mind. Lots of time and lots of individual moments for this cat to accomplish this.

Here's a few more pics of them..... I want to get a good pic of each one.

this is star. We've had her at least 10 yrs. Her and Jim are my true ferals. She and Jimmy have exactly the same attitude and level of tameness.


This is kissy, the bottle baby.


my cookie cutter kitty


and Pebbles. It took her to longest to venture out of her safe enclosure. This morning she is racing through the grass having a blast.


NOW -- time for work. later, jenn

Jenn!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW I am SO impressed yet again with your enclosures!!! The cats ALL look fantastic, happy and very healthy, What lucky, lucky kitties . And they are all SO beautiful
Lauren

They're in kitty paradise!

It's so great to hear from you, Jenn, and see the pics of your gorgeous crew. They sure have it made! Jimmy looks so happy and healthy. Thank you for giving him and the others such a wonderful life!

Jenn, I want to be your cat!

Originally Posted by LDG

Jenn, I want to be your cat!

Click to expand...

Oh Laurie!!! No shocker here , I wanted to say that too, but I don't know Jenn well enough!!!

Well, i put them all back in the enclosure tonight....except Jimmy. I brought him in the house. I used the bologna lure trick.

He ate the bologna and promptly opened the door himself and went back outside.

So.......I made him a cardboard bed-box with a hole and put a sheet in it and put his food and water beside him. He is staying right by the door behind the wood. He might want back in later but right now he is exactly where he wants to be.....

That enclosure is really cool!

I guess Jimmy didn't like his box. I heard him meowing and he was sitting by the enclosure gate pawing it. So I put him back in there. That is his safe spot and he loves it.

Today my husband built them their winter floor. It is planked treated wood and about 4" off the ground and we put the 4th insulated side on the house as well and cut out the second kitty door that was already framed in. We have a 2' door for us as well that is about 4' tall. Tonight it is just covered up with plywood as "our door" is not built yet. My husband has "our door" framed in like a real door. He has siding on it. hahaha Their kitty doors have siding on them too. I will probably hang carpet over them for winter. I'm going to experiment with a slit in the carpet OR swinging carpet in the doors. Before it gets cold, I will have to see which they prefer.

We are going to surround their whole house with plywood about 3' out from the actual insulated house for a wind block with a couple cat doors that don't coorespond with their current cat doors going into their house. So there will be an extra layer of non moving air around their house.

And we are going to vent OUR heat to their house so I can stuff it with hay and hay bales and make hidey holes for them in their house. I think they will love it. I told my husband I want a cot out there...... They will be so snug.

We thought and thought about how on earth they could have an actual heated house for them without spending $500.00 on a heat/air unit. I absolutely was not going to use any type of heat lamp or put any type of anything that could potentially catch their hay on fire. So we are going to vent the heat from the restroom of our house with a fan and an insulated tunnel. And also that is "safe" heat. I won't have to worry about the hay catching fire. If I can just keep it at least 36-40 degrees in there, they will be fine.

Also, we are tinning the top of an area 20x20 in the area over the house area for the winter only. And then tarping the sides of the 20x20 area as well . So their actual house will be behind a tarped 20x20 area with tin on top of the enclosure, and then plywood 3' out that surrounds their house with dead air space and then their actual heated house inside of that. In the 20x20 I am going to put tons of hay for them as well. It will be the spot in their yard with no snow or ice. Their walls are two layers of 1" plywood with foam board in between with tin on the outside. It is a real little house. It is built better than our house.

Last winter we kept them in our house but they wanted out. But I could not let them out. It worried me. This winter they will have it better than us.....

Next winter, we will probably have that little heat unit for them but this year they use our propane with a heat fan to blow the warm out to their house.. But this might actually really work well for them heat wise. We'll just have to see.

I doubt I let them run this winter in the yard. Food is scare in the woods in the winter and I don't want them to look tasty...

It is so darn funny when we walk to the creek right now. A herd of cats follow along behind us. I wanted them to know about the creek so I won't have to worry about putting water out for them or worry about their water bowls always being full.

Where we live they are blocked in by the creek and stuck in this area. None of them have ventured in the woods. NONE. They stay in our yard, in our barns, or on the porch. Or at the creek shore. Or on the hill watching the water run.

It is lightening and thundering outside. I'm glad Jim is in the enclosure. I like them tucked in at night. He is a hard headed little guy. I 'll have to remember to lock the screens next time he is in the house with me. I had no idea he knew how to open the door. I really wanted him in with me tonight for one on one but he had other plans.

Well, it's a calm nite in kitty land. Until tomorrow my fellow cats...........Jenn

There is room for more than one cot........hahaha

I wish it was daytime. I washed all their blankets today and they are fresh on their new floors...... I bet they feel awesome in there.

I'll try to get a pic of it if it's not raining too hard.

Hi elly..........hope all is well with you!! I have thought about you a lot during the years!!! So nice to catch up.
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Here's a pic of their house. We have our human door blocked off right now because it's raining tonight pretty bad and supposed to be chilly tomorrow and the next few nights as well. They have two kitty doors going into the house on different sides. You can see their new floor in there. Husband also made them a brick step. This is the new kitty door he cut today. The other one has a brick step as well. it is about 5' tall and then tapers off to the other side to about 4'. The roof is slanted for drainage.

We had some hail recently and their summer sun tarp got torn up, and that's why we are tinning this area for the winter. We don't want them to get hit by hail. It is for protection.

The blue and white barrels have holes cut in them and they are stuffed with hay. Some kitties like solitude. We have them sitting on bricks so they are solid and won't roll around. That's Buddy looking out of the house.

And now I'm heading to bed.

This is a real grainy picture. Sorry about that. I was rushing due to the rain.