What's Adelaide been up to?

Oh wow she is beautiful! What wonderful news!

CONGRATS thats wonderful news

Awww.... That is great!!!!! Now, tell her she can jump up in bed with you, but no letting you hold her or joining you on the sofa until my Mama catches up with her progress! Mama also has a favorite dining room chair. She is happy but prefers to stay in there by herself inside of joining the rest of us in the family room. I will never forget when Mama was walking through and saw the TV for the first time. It scared her half to death which made me chuckle, but I felt sorry for her.

Hi Chris


I don't know Mama's story - was she feral too? Adelaide's has only been in the living room two or three times, but she's fascinated by the TV - if she catches a look at it, she's fixated . But don't worry, she won't be discovering the beds anytime soon. She knows my daughter appears from upstairs, and goes back up there after raiding the food cupboard, but at the moment UPSTAIRS is a different world - I don't think she can figure it out. It's funny though, when daughter walks around upstairs Addie's head follows her progress across the floor. I think it will be some time before she ventures UP THERE!

I think she's taking to the idea of being fussed!!! She walks about two steps and collapses, rolling over and purring. She does this all the way round the dining room table

Adelaide has really taken to my daughter. When daughter comes downstairs, Addie runs over to her. (Our stairs come down into the dining room). When she goes back upstairs, Addie sits at the bottom of the stairs, then she lies there waiting for daughter to come back. We've found her sitting on the 4th step as well, listening to daughter typing on the keyboard upstairs. I think before long she'll be fighting for space in daughter's sitting room upstairs with the other cat.

Beth,

Yes Mama was a feral/stray. I think probably a long time ago she was with someone or at least used to people. She had been on her own though at least over one year because we tried to tame her. She lived under our deck most of the snowy winter. We bought her an insulated dog house and I put blankets in it but I think it was too confined (no place to escape) We fed and watered her. I would get so sad when it was cold. I placed the food and water outside out bay window so I could watch her eat and drink without scaring her and boyfriend Mike (a real feral) away. We didn't accomplish what I wanted because she got pregnant before we were able to get close enough to her. Oh, and what fun that day was when we finally put her in the garage. I was certain we both would not survive that day. So, that's why I told you Addie couldn't advance to the Head of the Class yet because I brought Mama inside (attached garage) on July 4th and you need to allow the slow pupil time to catch up Tell Addie to have pitty on the stupid American cat

I predict Addie will be upstairs before year end!

Well, now that we can at least touch her, we've booked Adelaide in for her Vet visit

She goes in just over a week - we've explained the situation to the Vet and they've booked us in for a nice quiet time when there shouldn't be too many other animals around. Felicity is going for her booster shot at the same time - they asked us if we wanted an appointment for all three cats. We chickened out - Tippy who has to be the skitziest cat around might not appreciate it - I'm not sure we could deal with the injuries she might inflict either so it's just Adelaide and Felicity that day.

They're going to give her the once over, do her blood tests and see if they can tell whether she's already been spayed.

I've noticed one side of her tummy is hard, so I'll tell them about that too and hope that it's nothing nasty

In the meantime, we've got to get her used to the cat carrier. We've kept it in the conservatory with her for the last 5 weeks and she hasn't shown slightest bit of interest!! So, we'll be putting a bit of mackerel in it (she has a taste for that ) to see if we can get her used to walking in and out of it. I don't fancy the war of having to handle her next week if she won't go in on her own!!!

EEEEEEKKKK!!!!

Good luck with the carrier thing!

The only thing that works with Ophelia is draping a towel over her and then picking her up and putting her in the carrier. It just won't happen without severe injuries (to my husband and I!) any other way.

And definitely good luck with the vet next week!

Beth,

Just checking in on Addie. I don't envy you with the vet visit. I hope there is nothing wrong with her stomach. I remember when we first took Mama in and she was relaxed enough for me to pet her, I was afraid she had some tumors but the vet said you can just feel internal organs better with some cats and certainly better than what I'm used to since all of mine are little chunkettes (including Mama now).

Let us know what the vet says!

Originally Posted by captiva

Beth,

Just checking in on Addie. I don't envy you with the vet visit. I hope there is nothing wrong with her stomach. I remember when we first took Mama in and she was relaxed enough for me to pet her, I was afraid she had some tumors but the vet said you can just feel internal organs better with some cats and certainly better than what I'm used to since all of mine are little chunkettes (including Mama now).

Let us know what the vet says!

Click to expand...

Hi Chris. I hope you had a good Christmas. Addie's Vet visit is booked for Thursday - it's getting closer all the time . We put some mackerel in the cat carrier the other day and she shot in there and ate it - no problem at all! We've tried it since and she hasn't shown the slightest bit of interest. She's very loving now - but still nervous. When we walk into the room she starts purring and gets off the dining chair for a fuss. Although she still doesn't like to see our hands. She's started to do a little "chirrup" noise when she gets off the chair to show she's ready for a fuss.

I'll certainly let you know how we get on. Addie is bigger built than our other cats and seems happily chunky she's also quite muscular - so it could just be that we're not used to that kind of build of cat, but I'll be interested to see what the vet says and keep our fingers crossed that she's healthy.

Although I'm not on line much this week (Christmas and family) I just had to log on to tell you this.

This morning when I walked through the dining room Addie jumped down from her chair as usual for a fuss. Even though she makes it clear she wants to be fussed (I'm getting to know her body language) she waits for me to make the move to her. The last couple of days she's been pulling herself closer to me when she rolls over and has touched my hand with her paw twice - although she ran away quickly afterwards. She normally gets pretty much beside herself rubbing her body and face against anything that stands still long enough. Well, today I was sitting on the floor, and my hubby on the stairs whilst I fussed her. She started to walk around and was getting closer to me. Then, I held my breath because I didn't dare hope for what happened next....she walked around the back of me and (ever so lightly) I felt her back rub around mine. . I was ecstatic, I wanted to shout out loud...I looked over at hubby and whispered Yes! Yes!. She had made contact with me ON HER OWN TERMS. I was sooo happy. I just can't wait for her to do it again.

I just hope that she doesn't hold it against me now when I take her to the vet on Thursday

I know just how far we've come with her though. On Christmas day when family popped in for a visit, I explained that we had a very frightened cat in the dining room and that they should not go in there. anyway, someone blundered in and poor Addie fled into the conservatory and hid behind a plant pot quaking. It's amazing that she can be so at ease with us, yet still so frightened of others. I feel very honoured that she feels safe.

Beth that is fabulous that Addy made contact on her own! I'm sure that she will bounce back from the visitor to her domain, and the vet visit better than expected. She's a survivor, that girl.

Well, I think hubby and I have figured it out - Addie's jealous. This morning when she rubbed around me I was talking to hubby at the time. I've been the prime carer of her since she first found us. Then, this evening I'd been giving her a fuss and Felicity appeared at the top of the stairs, so I looked up and was talking to Felicity (my little girl's feeling a bit confused at the moment) and Addie started rubbing round me again as if to say "hey, what about me?" Everytime I looked up and talked to Felicity she'd do it again.

When we leave the dining room we ask her if she wants to come with us. we say "come on Addie". Sometimes she follows us to the hall, occasionally she'll poke her head around the living room door but quickly leaves. Well, after she got jealous she followed us into the living room and has plonked herself down on the floor, quite comfortably and is watching tv. She looks settled until we throw her out for bedtime!!

Well, having plateaued for a while, Addie's making up for it now - I think she took a break for the holidays . This morning when hubby went to make a cup of tea she followed him into the kitchen (she hasn't liked men much so far). When he brought the cup of tea up to bed, Addie followed him upstairs. She's made it to the 4th step before, but never up the stairs. Well, whilst we sat in bed drinking tea, she gave the upstairs a thorough exploring.

It's a shame that the Vet visit is coming on Thursday - I think it might knock her back a bit.

All the way upstairs??? What a brave girl Addy is!!

The vet appointment may knock her back a bit, but I think it will be a short setback. She's got the basic trust of you now, is feeling comfortable with her new home, and after all...you will be the ones who take her out of that nasty place! Kitty logic can be somewhat flawed...

Oh yes Heidi - all the way upstairs and spent a long time wandering around our bedroom, the bathroom and our daughter's study. She also gave daughter's bedroom door a sniff, but it was closed (probably for the best a teenager's bedroom might be too much for a nervous kitty ). Then she sat on outside our bedroom having a wash for about 10 minutes.

She is a very brave girl

wow Beth - I have been away for a while and just caught up on all of Addies progress - and what progress this is

she certainly is a brave girl and how wonderful for that first contact on her own terms - did you have a tear? hehe I would of!! oh what wonderful news...

sending lots of calming vibes for her vet visit I am sure it will be just fine!!

ADDIE'S HOME FOR GOOD!!!!

We've just got back from the Vets. I'll cut to the chase and give you the story later - SHE'S PERFECTLY HEALTHY . We've all been so stressed about this and we're so happy.

We tried putting fish in the carrier - she just wouldn't play ball. She knew something was up and kept as low to the floor as she could. In the end hubby put on his thick suede gardening gloves and just grabbed her and stuffed her in the carrier. She didn't make a murmur - what a little star . We put a towel over the carrier so she couldn't get scared and loaded her into the car. I think taking Felicity with us was the best thing because she looked to Fliss for her lead and saw that she wasn't panicking, so she didn't either.

The vet checked her, said her eyes were fine; her ears perfect; nothing wrong with her tummy and checked to see if she'd been microchipped - she hadn't. So we are pretty sure she was nobody else's cat. The vet also said her behaviour was such that she didn't think she had lived with people before. Hubby held her, she didn't bite anybody nor did she scratch or yowl (she was terrified though). The vet clipped her nails too and gave her the first vaccination.

She's perfectly ok - about 6 - 8 years the vet thinks with a very young face.

She goes back on January 21st to be spayed, second of her shots and microchipped.

She's fine, she's home for good.

Happy and Relieved!!!!! Thank you all for sending her your magic - it worked.

When she came home she shot into the kitchen hid behind the door. We put a dish of fish on the floor for her, but she wouldn't take it. So we brought Felicity in (who also had her booster shot and was as good as gold) and Flissy started to gulp it down. Addie sat behind the kitchen door with her mouth watering licking her lips - we knew bringing Felicity in would have an effect. Anyway she soon started eating her fish then. After that they shot under the Christmas tree together and haven't moved since!!!!

Wonderul news!!! I'm so happy for you! I bet Addie's exhausted after her big day!

I predict Addie will be upstairs before year end!

Click to expand...

Hey - I'm psychic!

Beth that is just FANTASTIC!! And it sounds like Addy has made a feline friend along the way too.

I have to say, I'm more amazed that she is 6-7 years old and seemingly never lived with people, and yet she socialized so well, and so quickly (relatively speaking). She must have just known that she was with good people.