Jimmy is having a breakthrough!!

Jenn, you are so patient and kind to all of your animals, I just know that Jimmy will come around, you are doing things the right way. Just keep doing what you are doing.

Food is a great motivator! I suspect that at this point, food on a finger two inches away from him won't elicit a hiss.

...and we do the blinking thing with all our kitties. I really think they come to trust you sooner when you "look at them with your eyes closed." Now most of them blink slowly back!



Laurie

When I get off work at midnight tonight I don't go back till thursday night. So sometime during the next two days, I will try the food treat on the finger.

I have left the old quilts wadded in the bottom of my closet. Jimmy had taken to them and I hate to move them. They smell like us. He lays on them during the daytime. today when I saw him, I just talked to him but tomorrow, is snack finger day!! I'll either post snack news or a post a pic of my wound.....

Jenn

Originally Posted by jcribbs

When I get off work at midnight tonight I don't go back till thursday night. So sometime during the next two days, I will try the food treat on the finger.

I have left the old quilts wadded in the bottom of my closet. Jimmy had taken to them and I hate to move them. They smell like us. He lays on them during the daytime. today when I saw him, I just talked to him but tomorrow, is snack finger day!! I'll either post snack news or a post a pic of my wound.....

Jenn

Click to expand...

I am hoping to see news of him eating, I do not want to see a picture of a wound.

And if Jimmy likes the old quilts, just leave them laying.

I agree.
I'd much rather see pictures of him eating than a picture of a mangled finger

If he is on the quilts when I get home I will try this. I'm going to wrap my arm in a thick towel... He looked pretty serious when he hissed. Hopefully he is all hiss and no bite... I think he is just trying to be a little dominate.

I'll leave the quilts there for a while . I might rearrange them a bit. Right now they are in the middle of the floor. I need to put them in a ball in a corner if Jimmy will let me... He is turning out to be the boss. He is quite a dominate male cat.. The girls boss him around however.

So later, if he is there tonight, either a mangled finger picture will ensue or a content cat eating from a finger. I will have to get the camera ready so I can take pics with one hand... Jimmy is used to flashing lights.

Jenn

I am hoping everything worked out for you Jenn. You are so good to all these animals.



Please keep us posted on how he is doing.

Thank you LSU... I love the animals. You know everyone needs a passion of some sort in their life. The cats are mine...

Today I am off work..... We'll see how it goes with jimmy...

Good luck with the big guy, Jenn!

ooooo - I'm dying to know what's happening! I am positive it's going to be that he licked the food off your finger. With what's been going on, it just HAS to be!

Laurie

Jimmy ... be a good boy for your Mommy.

Just checking to see how it went with Jimmy.
I'm hoping he ate off of your finger and didn't just eat your finger!!!

ok.............no pictures first of all.

I am still working on him regarding eating off my finger. It is hard to catch him on the quilts since all the outside males enjoy sleeping there. However, just now, I feed everyone and so most were occupied with food. Felix, Festus and Jimmy were in the bedroom. So I put dry food out in there. Felix and Festus quickly began eating.

Jimmy was across the room under a chair.. I had soft cat food in my pocket. I started to approach the chair and Jimmy jumped acroos the bed heading for the enclosure so I quickly dipped some out and tossed a piece that landed directly in front nof the cat door which stopped Jimmy dead in his tracks. He skidded to a stop so fast his feet were smoking.

Pebbles ran and ate it. Jimmy went back to the chair. I did not look at him and sat on the bed approx 3.5 feet from him. I dipped my finger back in the food here come Pebbles again. Jimmy watched her eat it. So I got some more and lay on the bed on my stomach and stretched my arm out to Jimmy. My fingertips were approx 6-8" from him. He could smell it. He sat there approx 15 seconds looking at my finger while I gently talked to him and held my head down and blinked my eyes. Jimmy walked toward my finger. I couldnt' believe it. My heart was pounding. He smelled my fingers and then back up. He did not eat the food but he knew it was his. I put th efood down on the "new carpet" [crap]....., and when Pebbles went toward it Jimmy swatted the hell out of her and she backed off and he ate it.

I have a couple hrs before I have to get ready for work so I am going to try some more. I don't know if at this point I can get a pic of this. I think it would spook him.

But he smelled my finger. It won't be long before he is eating out of my hand. Gotta go.... got to try again.... I never thought it would be so exciting for a cats nose to touch my finger....... oh boy..... I am thrilled beyond belief.

Jen
-p.s. one more thing. He was totally non agressive. He displayed mere interest. He knew it was food and he knew he wanted it... Canned kitty food is going to get him. I have always used it for treats.

He is in the enclosure. I'lll have to wait a bit. He was just heading outside when I went back. I have my equipement ready now. Food is ready. And a little tray for floor...........hehe

This feels good.......

ooooooo - so close! This is so much fun - and Jimmy swatted Pebbles - not you!

He's gonna go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laurie

You will win your boy over Jenn.

Your're right...... I think he is going to go for it!!!!! He'll be back inside in a mintute.. I saw him poke his head in.... Poor Pebbles, but I am glad it was her and not me... She was not hurt..

All the others are milling around since they saw "soft food".........

since I am here, I'll tell ya what I think. I think Jimmy when he eventually gets humanized as far as Juan and I, ........ I think he will be dominate cat. I have never seen another cat swat at him or take anything from him. It took him a while to find his spot in my group of cats but I suspect he is going to be a top cat like JJ. I remember once when we had a feral tom on our porch that Jimmy and JJ were the ones at the door growling. I have pics of that posted in their thread somewhere. But Jimmy is very territorial. Yellow is also territorial. There is another yellow tom that lives somewhere out here and he was outside the enclosure the other day and I thought yellow was going to try and eat the fence trying to get at him to fight... He was a puff ball. Jimmy was right there with him.

Ok.........off to see what I can do with Jimmy again. I have about 30 more mintues to blow off. I need to leave early for work. We got snow yesterday and I am not 100 percent how good the roads are. I am giving myself plenty of time to get there..

I'll post on Jim before I go.....

Good luck.

He is not quite ready yet. But what I did today, I am going to do EVERYDAY so he will get used to it and of me being very very close to him. I will do it until he relaxes enough to let me feed him and pet him. I don't think it will take long.

He is in the closet right now. I laid down on the quilts with him with food plus Hank and Pebbles. They ate off my hand while Jimmy watched. I put food on my fingers and held it 3-4" in front of him. Closer than that, he growls but does not strike out.. So, I just continued laying a couple feet [1-2 feet] from him playing with the other cats and feeding them and talking to him. He was fine with that and he contines blinking real slow while I talk. He lays there and watches us... and he is learning by that.

Laying on the quilts that close to Jimmy is quite an accomplishment in itself. This boy comes from a long line of ferals and he is quite the little corker and I suspect if cornered he would fight. It would take very little to cause a setback and I dont' want to do that. It has taken nearly a year to get this close to him. When I lay there I make sure I am not blocking the door so he has easy access to get out if he feels the need. The closet is about 4x6 or 4x5. It is a good size closet so we have plenty of room.

I don't want to push him into feeling threatened so that he scratches me or tries to bite me. I want it to be easy and slow. I don't want him to have the memory of biting me or scratching me. I want him to only feel good where I am concerned. So I am just going to keep laying down close with him on a daily basis..... He will get used to me being that close.

I will keep the camera handy.. But darn, tomorrow I am going to make that closet more comfortable for me... It might be a cats haven but for a human it is rough. Thank god it is a big closet.

Now got to get ready for work.

Ill repeat this every day and post what happens. I feel it won't be long before he caves in and lets me pet him....

I have two months before I have re redo his shots. I want to be able to handle him by then.

Jenn

Heres a quick pic of Jimmy I just took. He is in "his chair" which is right beside our bed. He claims that chair......... He is so beautiful and I can't wait to love on him.