Mr. Jinx health/stuff update

:lol3: Sounds almost romantic - wine, harp music, candles, Christmas tree - just heavenly :9: :bigthumb:. AWWWW - mr. Jinx - he will make small steps forward each day. AND it will be SO fun for you to watch his personality blossum. You are in for a real treat

Feralvr said:

:lol3: Sounds almost romantic - wine, harp music, candles, Christmas tree - just heavenly :9: :bigthumb:. AWWWW - mr. Jinx - he will make small steps forward each day. AND it will be SO fun for you to watch his personality blossum. You are in for a real treat

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:lol3: Sounds just wonderful!

I have to ask - were you playing the harp music intentionally for calm kitties? Because harp music is THE BEST to help dogs and cats feel nice and relaxed!

Sounds just wonderful!

I have to ask - were you playing the harp music intentionally for calm kitties? Because harp music is THE BEST to help dogs and cats feel nice and relaxed!

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Oh I didn't know it was for dogs too! No wonder it was such a relaxing evening! I had read it re: cats, so I thought to try it, and wow does it work!

Well, I think this pace is working. Today I went into mr jinx's bedroom (yes, it's his bedroom now LOL) and closed the door behind us so he'd feel safe, but he kept moving toward the door. I opened it a bit, and he stepped out about two feet, and hurried back. I really wanted to leave it open for him but the DH and I are invited somewhere tonight, so we'll have to wait for tomorrow. I definitely want to supervise him and make sure he's okay. But so far so great! He's also taking his giardia meds in food without a problem, so I'm feeling pretty lucky.

DH is sad though, because Mr. Jinx isn't too fond of him, and hisses at him when he comes into the room. I keep telling him that this is normal and it's going to take time, but DH is impatient and wants cuddles, too.

Is DH feeding him and cleaning his litter boxes? If not, that's the first thing I'd recommend. :nod: Tell him to basically ignore Mr. Jinx when doing this, just talk to him softly and nicely while he's in there putting down food, scooping, etc. He can also get a t-shirt really good and sweaty, and put it under Mr. Jinx' food dish, to help him associate DH's scent with something he loves - food.

But if DH basically becomes his primary care-giver for a month or two, I expect Mr. Jinx will come around pretty quickly. :lol3:

:lol3: The dirty, stinky t-shirt from DH will help Mr. Jinx to begin to feel comfortable around him. and, YES, have DH feed and care for Mr. Jinx for a bit. This will help tremendously. Tell him not to feel sad about it. Some kitties are one person cat's - feral or home-raised - they just pick "their" person. BUT it has been known to change, the favorite person . Cat's have a way of surprising us that way.

Great advice everyone!!

I wanted to ask another question - so Mr. Jinx is now okay with his safe room door open, but won't come out. He likes to watch things "outside" but isn't ready to venture out at all.

I was wondering if you'd recommend leaving the door ajar at night, so he could explore the house on his own in the dark? Good idea, or no?

I'm a little gunshy since the first night we had him he escaped through that vent (now completely closed) and I've gone over the whole house looking for more exits, there aren't any.

Any thoughts or suggestions??

Thank you!

I know you want him to come out and just be part of the family right away, don't blame you one bit . But, just don't rush anything and I think right now I would not let him have the run of the house while you are sleeping. First off, you probably won't get any sleep worrying about him :lol3: and secondly, you wouldn't believe how easily cat's can hide. It always amazed me at the places they would find to hide in the house. One time it took me two hours to find a cat- panicking the whole time. It was in the entertainment center behind the TV You are doing SO well with him and I would just wait a bit longer before trying that. He will start to come out little by little. It could take days or week's to be totally comfortable coming out. I have used those tent's (kitty cubes) that velcro together in the past - two of them. I put a kitty blanket in one of them so the cat's use them as beds in the safe room too. Then when I open the door to their room to start inviting them out of their room, I move those two tents to just outside their room. They will then start to come out of the room and run into their tent's and then back into the room. I move the tent a little further each day. It is a fun little game - run to the tent and then back to the safe room. Help's them feel more comfortable and not on display when they venture out of the room. They still feel like they are undercover

Thank you!

I did let him out for only a couple hours last night. He is much more comfortable coming out when we're not around. He didn't hide, but he did sit by the back door and stared at the yard, his old house. It was sad and I could tell he felt overwhelmed, so I picked him up and brought him back to his room and closed the door for him.

I did try to put his little kitty house in the open doorway, but he actually doesn't like cat cubes. He doesn't even use the ones in his room. I think he's a bit afraid of them.

In the meantime I'm just opening his door whenever I'm around, and so if he wants to come out, he can. Hopefully it won't be TOO long. I miss him when I can't be in the room with him, and right now the schedule is so hectic, I'd like to see him for longer.

I have been in your shoes :nod: and it is hard when they have to stay in their safe room for awhile. BUT you have a lifetime and many days to come to enjoy his company and right now he is still adjusting to this new way of life. It is basically a culture shock. You really are doing a GREAT job with Mr. JInx and just take thing's slowly - it really can be such a slow process - but that is better for the cat to be that way. I am sure he loves his room, they really do. I think it is harder on us than it is for them. Keep up the great work with Mr. Jinx

Feralvr said:

I have been in your shoes :nod: and it is hard when they have to stay in their safe room for awhile. BUT you have a lifetime and many days to come to enjoy his company and right now he is still adjusting to this new way of life. It is basically a culture shock. You really are doing a GREAT job with Mr. JInx and just take thing's slowly - it really can be such a slow process - but that is better for the cat to be that way. I am sure he loves his room, they really do. I think it is harder on us than it is for them. Keep up the great work with Mr. Jinx

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They DO like it, they feel safe, and it IS harder on us than them. :nod: I know this for SURE, because when we moved with our cats (all feral rescues), we released them into the bedroom. We left the door open at night - and only ONE of five cats (at the time) ventured out inside of the first three days. One of them stayed in the bedroom for two weeks before venturing out to explore just a little at night. It took me about a month to get them all to voluntarily go down the stairs.

And these were cats I wasn't afraid were going to look for a way out. :lol3:

You guys are so right!

I can see from how he responds to me, and his room, and his love of food that this is definitely the best he's ever felt. He's SO happy.

I think, "Gee, the room is a decent size, but does he get bored?" The answer is no. He sleeps on a full size bed with a home-knit afghan, covered in catnip and toys LOL And he has several meals per day, fresh water, a fresh litter box (and BTW, he LOVES using the box now! I've changed his litter to "normal" litter now, no cat attract or soil!) - he's just the happiest little guy ever. I think he's thrilled that he isn't searching for food or looking for shelter, or fighting for his life all the time (especially with the lack of teeth - how terrible!). I remember the nights he spent in my yard sitting only feet away from giant raccoons eating what was left of the food I put out. I was scared for him!

I leave the door ajar when I'm downstairs, and he sits inside the door and watches everything. Little lady doesn't mind him at all now, she's very over it. I picked him up and held him while touring him through the living room. He enjoyed that, and when he started to seem uncomfortable I brought him back to his bed and pet him, and he was thrilled again.

DH brought some tuna in for him tonight, and it seems as long as I'm there, Jinx is okay with DH's presence. He was happy with the tuna, and didn't hiss or run. After he ate, DH came over again, and this time Jinx hid behind me, but didn't go far. Keeping the door slightly open has helped him get used to DH's voice, since he does most of his work there.

I know I'm slightly impatient - I just love him so much and can't wait until he sleeps with me, and sits on the couch. He's just such a sweet, nose-kissing little guy, I can't help it!

And we move at the end of Jan! Poor Jinx will have to start again in a new house.

You move in January?? Yes, he will probably have a bit of a setback - BUT not much at all. Just make sure you have a room for him in the new house too :bigthumb: Mr. Jinx REALLY does :heart3: you!!! Hiding behind you but not running off when DH came near is a good sign Small steps each day - they are happening

Yes, we do move at the end of January. Stressful, but I think it'll be okay. He's pretty good at bouncing back from difficult things, so I'm crossing my fingers. And I'll probably (on the day of) move him and his room first, so that I can set it up while he's in his carrier, and then let him out in a small area, with his bedding, etc. so he can smell "home" and feel safe.

With DH, things are going well. Mr. Jinx no longer hides from him! As long as I'm there, he's okay. He even purred and fell asleep while DH was talking to us, poking his head into the room.

Mr. Jinx is becoming a brave little man. Tonight while I watched, he ventured through the lower level of the house, checking everything out. He was particularly interested in the heating vent. It was so funny to see his shock at the heat blowing out! He loved it. My little lady didn't bother him at all, she just let him do his thing. He's been serenading her since he got here, so I think he's made it clear he's a friend. She seems to think so too.

One really interesting thing happened, and I wonder if it's usual. I had to pull the shades down in his room because he was very afraid of the yard where he came from (one of the windows looks out onto it). I thought it was my DH walking through it, or a cat, or something he saw... So I pulled the shade. This happened a few times, he'd look outside and growl, then try to hide.

So tonight, while being an explorer, he made his way to the back door, which is glass. The light was on in the yard, so I could see it pretty clearly. I expected he'd be a little sad, maybe try to dig some, but he did the opposite - he took one look outside, growled, and ran back into the main part of the house! I'm a little shocked!

OH MY goodness :lol3:.... I have heard of this behavior IF they have seen something outside the window that really frightened them, they don't forget too easily. But to do it at the back door too..... WOW. He just NEVER want's that part of his life again, poor baby. OR he did see something outside and is just remembering and announcing his displeasure. He will get over that... You will be see some very interesting behavior in Mr. Jinx, especially since this is probably his first time living inside of a house. It is all brand new to him, i.e., the heat register. :lol3: AND that is great news - he was venturing about last night

Strange - I wonder what he saw? I don't know if he "sees" the same view from the back door and the bedroom window... or if he knows that where he used to live? :dk: VERY interesting though! I just know that we have 8 rescued ferals. We were always worried someone would be a door-dasher. But nope - they stay as far away from the door as possible. When we open it, they are NOWHERE near it. :lol3:

And just "awwww" at Mr. Jinx and your existing baby girl (what's her name?). Sounds like things are going to work out just fine between them. :nod: :cross: :rub:

REALLY good to know!

He's coming along pretty great now. Every night when it's mostly dark and DH is upstairs, he'll come out and check out the world. He still goes to the back door, but yeah, same reaction. So he dashes away from it quickly and heads back into the living room. He's become the chattiest little guy, always talking, especially while exploring.

Yesterday my little dog came into his room, and Mr. Jinx ran over and smacked him, poor puppy. Eventually I had them both sitting and calm, enjoying a few pets and purring/cuddling, so all is good. It'll take time for sure, since Mr. Jinx isn't used to the idea of NOT having to fight to be somewhere.

He also still believes hands are completely unattached to my body, and tries to eat them sometimes. If he catches one in his periphery, he goes after it. Today though, I pulled it away and told him no. He looked up at me with the crazy large pupil eye, and I held my ground, then he cuddled me again. LOL

Mr. Jinx is really one of the most affectionate cats EVER. It is extremely important for him to touch your nose with his nose. When I kiss his head and he hears the sound, he mimics the sound  by opening and closing his mouth. This cat makes me laugh so much. What a tragedy that he was outside, when clearly he is such an indoor kitty.

YES- I suspect you are absolutely right - Mr. Jinx did have a family at one time.... poor baby - BUT he has YOU, your DH and a new family of sibling's to share his life with . He really DOES sound like such a sweetheart and I can tell that you love him so much :heart3: AND Laughter :lol3: is SO good for the soul. Mr. Jinx is good for your soul. :bigthumb:

Feralvr said:

YES- I suspect you are absolutely right - Mr. Jinx did have a family at one time.... poor baby - BUT he has YOU, your DH and a new family of sibling's to share his life with . He really DOES sound like such a sweetheart and I can tell that you love him so much :heart3: AND Laughter :lol3: is SO good for the soul. Mr. Jinx is good for your soul. :bigthumb: :

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I LOVE reading about Mr. Jinx! He is just PRECIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! Give that boy a kiss from me please! :lol3:

Haha! Thanks so much guys!! You're the only ones not sick of me talking about him!

Tonight Mr. Jinx decided he wanted into the living room and went under the couch. When I heard he did that (WITH DH in the living room at the time), I went to check on him, and when I did he walked right back into his safe room. So I figure, it's the right time to leave his door open. I double checked everything and I feel confident, so here's hoping I still see him in the morning! Considering he now seems to hate the outdoors, I don't think he'll be looking to leave anyway. The only "under" area we have is the couch, and I closed every other door. Hopefully by morning he'll think the house is safe, and hang out!

He's really making a lot of progress! It probably won't be long before he's on the couch, instead of under it.