WOW!!! What a great environment for Jimmy and for CATS!!!
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Jimmy update!!!
- Thread starter jcribbs
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #62
Thank you!!........We probably love him more than he loves us..
But he does feel safe and that's what it's all about.
Jenn
But he does feel safe and that's what it's all about.
Jenn
AWWW Jenn.... I think Jimmy LOVES you just as much as you love him :rub: :heart3: They show it in different ways, one not always being touching, rubbing or butting a head on your face. They can show it in many ways. How cute that he follows you all over. That is LOVE in my book 
Yes MORE ix: please!!!!!
I think Jimmy LOVES you just as much as you love him :rub: :heart3: They show it in different ways, one not always being touching, rubbing or butting a head on your face. They can show it in many ways. How cute that he follows you all over. That is LOVE in my book Yes MORE ix: please!!!!!- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #64
I do think he loves me.... Yesterday my husband cooked some steak for supper and I had my food on a TV tray eating while sitting on the couch. It's the kind with legs that actually are sitting on the floor in front of you.
Jimmy was so cute that I could not correct him. He stood on his hind legs and put his little front paw on my TV tray watching me eat and watching my plate intently. His eyes followed every bite to my mouth.hahaha.... He is pretty bold now and long as I keep my movements slow and don't startle him, he just stays beside me.
He was so sweet standing on an inch from my food that I gave him several bites of steak last night. I know I shouldn't let him but I love it that he comes to me like that and begs for a special treat. I remember the days where I struggled to get him to lick food off my finger. Now he RUNS to make sure he gets his share. But he loves steak and he loves bacon.....
You have to do what you have to do to get the ferals to trust. I guess everyone has their own method and it is probably based on each individual cat. My method with Jim was steak and bacon and cheese and sitting in the floor during the early days brushing the other cats while he watched ..... That's what worked. He doesn't eat the steak out of my hand. He has never taken a bite out of my hands. He might have licked my finger once but we do have a special communication about food and snacks.....I hold it out and he puts his mouth right against and then meows real high -- and I lay it down and he eats it right beside me. Last night he kept standing up and begging for MORE...... and I kept giving it to him.
I guess my main method with him at first was just giving him his own room (literally) and leaving him alone. He was an adult and prone to be a biter I had heard. I never ever pushed him so therefore he never bit me. I would quietly empty his litter and feed him and most of the time I never even saw him. He hid. I have some very sad little pics of him during those days. I did not try to pet him ... My presence terrified him so I was quiet and easy and spoke low and kept my eyes down. Nothing confrontational or quick or loud. Everything was peaceful and easy. A few times I took a nap on the bed to put my smell all over everything. But that was it. He had a cave in the closet which was the crate he came to me in.
Months passed and then he started venturing out of the room at night. Yes I said MONTHS. And since I was not working I might be up at night and he would see me on his own terms. And he would sit in the hall watching me watch TV or talking / petting the others. He would hide in the shadows of the hall. I kept the light out for him in that area to encourage him to come out of his room. I bought all kinds of living room toys for him to hide in and he slowly came out of hiding and eventually he could slink our of the hallway and walk low to "avoid detection" and would sit behind the TV or in a tunnel watching me carry out my daily "nite life". I became a night person so he could see me more and more. I became part of his colony at night.
It's been a long road with him.. But I think I see days ahead of him laying in my lap. Maybe in a few years....... It's all up to Jimbo.
Even now, he has never purred for me. I thought maybe I felt a purr once. But I'm unsure. But what he does do is meow at me. He talks to me when he wants something. He trusts me now. I am very very happy with him.. And sometimes he forgets he is supposed to be afraid of my husband and so he pets him. hahaha...
The ticks are out. My frontline has been ordered and I am frontlining them all in a few days as soon as it arrives and then they are free for a month. I never in my wildest dreams felt Jimmy would ever be an in/out cat. i think it works for him because he KNOWS this is his safe spot so he does not venture far. He is never more than an acre away unless I am with him and he is behind me.
I got a little carried away on this but I keep thinking something I might say will help someone else who has a Jimmy cat. Patience, time and no expectations. Every cat is different. Completely feral adults are very different than babies who are feral. Very different.
I have read posts here from people wondering if they have a feral cat... If you have to wonder -- the cat is probably a stray. A stray can be scared and not approach you. When you have a feral, there is no doubt in your mind that the cat is a feral. You cannot tame a feral adult in two weeks that has never had human contact. Your commitment to a feral is one that will and should last years and years and years. I have been fortunate enough that I have had two... and I still have them both.
Jimmy was so cute that I could not correct him. He stood on his hind legs and put his little front paw on my TV tray watching me eat and watching my plate intently. His eyes followed every bite to my mouth.hahaha.... He is pretty bold now and long as I keep my movements slow and don't startle him, he just stays beside me.
He was so sweet standing on an inch from my food that I gave him several bites of steak last night. I know I shouldn't let him but I love it that he comes to me like that and begs for a special treat. I remember the days where I struggled to get him to lick food off my finger. Now he RUNS to make sure he gets his share. But he loves steak and he loves bacon.....
You have to do what you have to do to get the ferals to trust. I guess everyone has their own method and it is probably based on each individual cat. My method with Jim was steak and bacon and cheese and sitting in the floor during the early days brushing the other cats while he watched ..... That's what worked. He doesn't eat the steak out of my hand. He has never taken a bite out of my hands. He might have licked my finger once but we do have a special communication about food and snacks.....I hold it out and he puts his mouth right against and then meows real high -- and I lay it down and he eats it right beside me. Last night he kept standing up and begging for MORE...... and I kept giving it to him.
I guess my main method with him at first was just giving him his own room (literally) and leaving him alone. He was an adult and prone to be a biter I had heard. I never ever pushed him so therefore he never bit me. I would quietly empty his litter and feed him and most of the time I never even saw him. He hid. I have some very sad little pics of him during those days. I did not try to pet him ... My presence terrified him so I was quiet and easy and spoke low and kept my eyes down. Nothing confrontational or quick or loud. Everything was peaceful and easy. A few times I took a nap on the bed to put my smell all over everything. But that was it. He had a cave in the closet which was the crate he came to me in.
Months passed and then he started venturing out of the room at night. Yes I said MONTHS. And since I was not working I might be up at night and he would see me on his own terms. And he would sit in the hall watching me watch TV or talking / petting the others. He would hide in the shadows of the hall. I kept the light out for him in that area to encourage him to come out of his room. I bought all kinds of living room toys for him to hide in and he slowly came out of hiding and eventually he could slink our of the hallway and walk low to "avoid detection" and would sit behind the TV or in a tunnel watching me carry out my daily "nite life". I became a night person so he could see me more and more. I became part of his colony at night.
It's been a long road with him.. But I think I see days ahead of him laying in my lap. Maybe in a few years....... It's all up to Jimbo.
Even now, he has never purred for me. I thought maybe I felt a purr once. But I'm unsure. But what he does do is meow at me. He talks to me when he wants something. He trusts me now. I am very very happy with him.. And sometimes he forgets he is supposed to be afraid of my husband and so he pets him. hahaha...
The ticks are out. My frontline has been ordered and I am frontlining them all in a few days as soon as it arrives and then they are free for a month. I never in my wildest dreams felt Jimmy would ever be an in/out cat. i think it works for him because he KNOWS this is his safe spot so he does not venture far. He is never more than an acre away unless I am with him and he is behind me.
I got a little carried away on this but I keep thinking something I might say will help someone else who has a Jimmy cat. Patience, time and no expectations. Every cat is different. Completely feral adults are very different than babies who are feral. Very different.
I have read posts here from people wondering if they have a feral cat... If you have to wonder -- the cat is probably a stray. A stray can be scared and not approach you. When you have a feral, there is no doubt in your mind that the cat is a feral. You cannot tame a feral adult in two weeks that has never had human contact. Your commitment to a feral is one that will and should last years and years and years. I have been fortunate enough that I have had two... and I still have them both.
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That is just beautifully said. Thank you for that. It is so very, very true. It is a lifelong commitment and each and every feral adult cat is so different. I do believe wholeheartedly that a feral adult cat can learn to "trust" a human..... but it can take years :nod: and unlimited patience on the human and absolutely no expectations. Expectations just get in the way. It does get worrisome when I read about people losing patience in this process. That is when you know things will not work out so well, when the person socializing starts to get anxious and in a hurry, doesn't understand why the cat is not their friend YET, etc. etc. etc. I think the main thing that people need to understand is that IF you want to socialize, you have to completely "shelve" any anticipations, assumptions, forecasts etc. and just take each day as it comes. I think it is a never-ending process - this thing called "socialization". When you understand that, then you are rewarded. :heart3: p.s. YES.... the ticks/fleas are out in full force
Warm winter, and early Spring. March in Chicago - was record breaking heat.....
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #66
amen to that!!!!I do believe wholeheartedly that a feral adult cat can learn to "trust" a human..... but it can take yearsand unlimited patience on the human and absolutely no expectations.
My frontline plus has shipped... I got my notice day before yesterday. I can't afford to get it at the vet in individual doses due to the amount of animals that I treat. I get mine from petshed.com. I get the 12 months suppy for large dogs (139 lb) of frontlineplus and measure it out via a syringe for the kitties and the dogs based on their weight. Frontline plus is the same exact ingredients for dogs and for cats. It takes about 5 days to get here from Australia.
.5 ml for the cats.
.67 ml for my little dogs
and emma gets close to a whole one.
A 12 month supply is only (if I remember right) a little over 100 bucks. I can do 7.5 to 8 cats with one vial accounting for slight spillage on my part. So the 12 vials treat my animals for several months of the summer..... Works out great!!
And you live not too far from me. I am in NW arkansas. The ticks are already breeding here as well. I have quite a bit of diamaceous earth left over from last year. Today I am mowing their enclosure and spreading it out. Also getting rid of their winter straw, weeding and revamping their house.
We are thinking of putting a small kitty door on the front instead of leaving it open so they can come and go and still have a safe place in case of stray wandering dogs. I don't think coyotes would come this close to our yard. But I have seen neighbors dog from a mile away walking down our dirt road...
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- #67
Just wanted to post a few pics of my kitties playing at the creek today..... You know I've had them for soooooooo long that I get to thinking they are tame. A friend stopped by the other day and went in the enclosure with me.... She saw two cats. Where the other 15 were I have no idea. I think they buried under the straw to hide. They all became invisible. I feel so honored that they let me take care of them...........Jenn
But here's playing at the creek... I'm going to put Jimmy out tomorrow so he can play too. He is so used to being in that I am going to have to carry him outside.
But here's playing at the creek... I'm going to put Jimmy out tomorrow so he can play too. He is so used to being in that I am going to have to carry him outside.
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Your cats are certainly very lucky to have such a beautiful, safe and natural environment to live. I love seeing pictures of your happy cats. You can go to bed at night knowing your feral cat's are always safe and sound. OH BOY... do I wish that for me and my ferals. Maybe someday :cross:- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #69
They sure are something else. I'm going to leave the cat house cracked tonight because it's so warm. Some are already tucked in their house as they as so used to "roosting" in it at night. I'm going to bring JJ in since he has three legs and I'm bringing Buddy in too because he terrorizes Cow, Hank and Snoopy. Not sure why he does not like them, but it sure irritates me. I wish they would just kick his butt and get it over with so he would leave them alone.... That sounds harsh but he is the instigator. He stalks them and runs them up trees and Snoopy and Hank are scared to climb down. We have to use 25' ladders to climb trees and rescue them.. It sounds funny, but Buddy is a holy terror. He's the bad child. All the other get along great!
I made them a tent on my porch just in case they want to lay out.
I made them a tent on my porch just in case they want to lay out.
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- #70
Hello..........
Just wanted to post a pic of Jimmy I took today. He was taking an outside nap.... he is still doing awesome. He does not like to run in and out of the house like some of the others. He prefers outside. He usually sits by the door and stares in the house. He loves his enclosure but likes running around the most. I keep him a crate by the door on the porch that he also likes to nap in. If another cat get in his crate, he sits ands stares at them till they come out, which is quite funny.
He is a 100 percent success story. There is nothing else I can say about him. He has adjusted, made it and is a valued cat... He is fat, friendly and that's a good as it gets. He is non aggressive, There is not one single thing about him that I would change.
I won't update his thread often because he is complete now. I do like a post a pic or two occasionally for Elly so she can see his cuteness and how well he has progressed.
Here's to ya Jimmy!!!:beerpals:
Jenn
Just wanted to post a pic of Jimmy I took today. He was taking an outside nap.... he is still doing awesome. He does not like to run in and out of the house like some of the others. He prefers outside. He usually sits by the door and stares in the house. He loves his enclosure but likes running around the most. I keep him a crate by the door on the porch that he also likes to nap in. If another cat get in his crate, he sits ands stares at them till they come out, which is quite funny.
He is a 100 percent success story. There is nothing else I can say about him. He has adjusted, made it and is a valued cat... He is fat, friendly and that's a good as it gets. He is non aggressive, There is not one single thing about him that I would change.
I won't update his thread often because he is complete now. I do like a post a pic or two occasionally for Elly so she can see his cuteness and how well he has progressed.
Here's to ya Jimmy!!!:beerpals:
Jenn
Awwwww.....Jimmy. I love that cat!! :heart4::heart3:
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- #72
Something you may not know about Jim is that is is very multi-talented....
Here he is guarding our front door from the wood pile. He has his own pillow because he is very diligent in his duties and we want him as comfortable as possible while he carries them out. He is a wonderful guard kitty. He gets rid of all the killer moths in our area. But from this pic, I can see a spider is sneaking up on him... He is probably only pretending to be asleep here. :lol3::lol3::lol3:
Here he is guarding our front door from the wood pile. He has his own pillow because he is very diligent in his duties and we want him as comfortable as possible while he carries them out. He is a wonderful guard kitty. He gets rid of all the killer moths in our area. But from this pic, I can see a spider is sneaking up on him... He is probably only pretending to be asleep here. :lol3::lol3::lol3:
:lol3: AWWW Jimmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is such a wonderful update that Jimmy is doing so well. Absolutely, 100% success story! Just warms my heart, hun!!! Great job with Jimmy :heart3: :rub: Please DO update now and again, and especially with pictures ix:. 
Please DO update now and again, and especially with pictures ix:.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #74
I'll keep updating as things happen. I promise...... I love to post all their pics..... But Jimmy is just my pride and joy. He was such the challenge!! He is so used to camera flashes that he takes it all in stride.
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- #76
I just got home from work but hubby is asleep but I can see his handywork... Juan has put a small rug over the wood pile with a flannel wrap over it to make it real soft. Jimmy is laying in it. I love my husband!!!
Jimmy looks like he's thinking, "Life is good, this is where I want to be".
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- #78
Yeah ..... exactly.....
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- #79
I put this on layaway for this winter for the cat house. Should have it installed in a month before the bad weather hits. The thermostat goes down to 45 degrees I think. I tested it in the store and it is freaking awesome. It blows heat and heats fast. We're going to use blankets this winter and not hay in the enclosure. Husband is building a shelf to put it on and drilling holes to set the rollers down inside. it will not be on the floor and It does not get hot to the touch. It is perfect. It has a low blower and a high blower and the thermostat is on the rear. I could not be more pleased.
We have a temperature gauge in the enclosure now with a remote control in our house so we always know how hot or cold the enclosure is. This is just perfect!!
It is called a Solarflare Infrared heater. They will be snug as a bug..... Diamond Feed was selling it in our local store.
We had thought about getting a window unit for them, but this is better. It will last much much longer. If anything goes wrong in the first two years, they replace the entire unit.
If the cat house is 40-45 degrees, they will be fine. The house is super insulated so that shouldn't be a problem. In fact, this heater works so well, I might have to keep one kitty door cracked. It turns itself on and off. I will not have to do anything but set it on the temp I want.
We have a temperature gauge in the enclosure now with a remote control in our house so we always know how hot or cold the enclosure is. This is just perfect!!
It is called a Solarflare Infrared heater. They will be snug as a bug..... Diamond Feed was selling it in our local store.
We had thought about getting a window unit for them, but this is better. It will last much much longer. If anything goes wrong in the first two years, they replace the entire unit.
If the cat house is 40-45 degrees, they will be fine. The house is super insulated so that shouldn't be a problem. In fact, this heater works so well, I might have to keep one kitty door cracked. It turns itself on and off. I will not have to do anything but set it on the temp I want.
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You have a bunch of very well loved and lucky kitties. :lovegrin: What a great addition to your cat house!!!!!!!!!I put this on layaway for this winter for the cat house. Should have it installed in a month before the bad weather hits. The thermostat goes down to 45 degrees I think. I tested it in the store and it is freaking awesome. It blows heat and heats fast. We're going to use blankets this winter and not hay in the enclosure. Husband is building a shelf to put it on and drilling holes to set the rollers down inside. it will not be on the floor and It does not get hot to the touch. It is perfect. It has a low blower and a high blower and the thermostat is on the rear. I could not be more pleased.
