Jimmy is having a breakthrough!!

graciecat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
3,365
Purraise
4
Location
In Steelers Country!
He really is a nice guy.
To this day when I see him on the street he always stops and speaks to me.
The strange part is he remembers everyones name.
He must have had thousands of students over the years, but he never forgets a name.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #622

jcribbs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
2,064
Purraise
25
Location
In them thar hills...
well, well, well............

We are exhausted..... Didn't go buy wire today..... Juan said we still have a way to go before we need it.... We are clearing land to get to the trees to use for the enclosure. Can't put wire up without posts. As a result, the dogs new area is shaping up......... I bought frontline plus today for 24 cats and 3 dogs...... I get it from petshed which is pretty reasonably priced. Takes it about a week to get here. Tick season is here and I can't let them run with us in the woods until they are treated. So they were sad today.

This is how they spent their day as they "watched us work"




Emma was a little more alert than Muffin..... Muffin was crashed in the sun.

My husband was clearing land when I woke up. Yesterday we went to walmart seperatly. We ended up both surprising the other with lopers... The old pair I broke working in the enclosure. So we needed new ones. His cost 12.00 and mine cost 30.00. He tried to get me to return mine. so this morning when I went outside, he had been using mine and said they were the best pair he had ever used. [I knew he would like them]... The lifetime warrantly sold him on them.

But this had been our day.... very very productive day....

Here is hubby at 10am with a corona.... All the land around him, he lopped... It was solid woods.... This is part fo the dog yard expansion.


This shows how thick the woods were..... He did a heck of a job and he burnt everything he cut. There are no leftover.


While he did that, I forged a path to the creek.




And then I cleared one side of the creek which mainly consisted of weed eating waist high grass and dodging ticks. Have not done anything down here since last year because we have been so busy on other projects.. But anyway, I had on shorts foolishly and I have blood spots all over my legs. But the results are very nice. We love it!!! I can't wait till I get off work tomorrow to do some more. This is going to be my dreaming spot.... Because I love meditation every single day. I started on the area above this but ran out of weed string so tomorrow after work I will get some more and some tick crystals to throw on the finished ground so we can actually go out here and sit sometimes. It's hard work but the results make the effort very very worthwhile.


These are the rocks [in an earlier pic] that were uncovered by the bush. They will be in the dogs yard..... I will toss some grass seeds around the ground here so grass will grow between them for them to lay on.


Juan also uncovered this den "of something" ... we just left it be. It was about a foot in diameter. Not sure how deep it goes back. but it is a heck of den for something.




It was a day well spent... Lots of things were accomplished and it feels so good........

Jenn
 

graciecat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
3,365
Purraise
4
Location
In Steelers Country!
I'd be right there along side Muffin!

You guys sure got a lot done yesterday, it looks great.

That first picture of the den is scary, it kind of looks like to great big huge eyes looking out at you.
I wonder what spent the winter in there

Whatever it was I don't think I want to meet it on a dark night!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #624

jcribbs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
2,064
Purraise
25
Location
In them thar hills...
JUan is hoping that is Sarge's home......... That is why we are leaving it alone. And we hate to distroy some critters little abode...... you know, they need their little home.

I doubt it is a snake den but it could have snakes in it right now. It has to be some small animal..... When the yard is actually done, I bet Muffin gets inside it and sleeps.......That's her favorite thing. Whatever lived there is probably long gone by now.

but Juan says, a possom or an armadillo or something........ After work today I plan on throwing a small rock or two inside and see if anything "rattles" or if something comes out. I just want to make sure no big copperhead or rattlesnake is in there.
 

huggles

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
9,620
Purraise
4
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I have just caught up on weeks and weeks of news, adventures and gardening progress... wow! you guys are doing so great! Going to try and keep up more reguarly now because I was so behind and had to read so much that now I cant remember what I wanted to comment on
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #627

jcribbs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
2,064
Purraise
25
Location
In them thar hills...
Relaxing with friends.......... I've been sitting in the kitchen floor talking to the cats while Jimmy sat a few feet away under the kitchen table. I held my hand out [empty] and he just looked at me. He wants to..... I do believe he actually wants to come to me now. But he still has somethign holding him back... Then a few minutes later I took this... He was playing with Pebbles and Tink.... He actually batted a ball. I have about 20 in the living room floor right now. I put the dogs out for cat time. [20 balls...........not 20 cats... [but there could be]
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #628

jcribbs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
2,064
Purraise
25
Location
In them thar hills...
Well, I was outside and Jimmy was sitting at the edge of the enclosure... I squated beside him with the fence in between us. He was withing stretching distance of me. I put my hand through the fence and he walked up to me and smelled my hand twice... I did not pet him.

the other cats behind him made noise and startled him and he jumped but he came back to me and smelled my hand again.....

I have tried that so many times and today he smelled my hand with no food in it. He had to take a step or two to get to me.... The fence gives him a feeling of safety I guess. And that's ok..... If I have to have him learn to be petted through the fence, so be it..... It won't always be that way.

Maybe next time he will let me touch him...... But he might take a few more "smellings" first.....
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #631

jcribbs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
2,064
Purraise
25
Location
In them thar hills...
l'm off tomorrow and plan on doing that, or trying to do that, several times.......

It might be the key to another breakthrough. Right now Jimmy is comfortable in the house with us, in the room with us and so forth. I want him to know there is more......

That poor little guy must have been through heck in his life to cause him to have so much baggage.......
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #633

jcribbs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
2,064
Purraise
25
Location
In them thar hills...
jimmy is actually coming up to the enclosures sides when he sees me. He is sniffing my hand with no problem at all...

The other cats bother him if they get too close to him while he does this so he hisses at them and then walks right up to my hand. Eventually he doesn't like group hugs..........

This morning after "his sniffing", he walked over to one of the boards in there and rubbed his head all over it. He feels affectionate I do believe....... He is just slowing coming to believe it.

Something else is the look in his eyes when he does this. He looks interested. Not afraid. He feels safe with the fence there. This morning he actually appeared to be waiting for me so he could sniff my hand.... It might become his morning routine.... That would be great!!
 

tru

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
996
Purraise
2
Location
Michigan
Jenn,k

I'm real glad to hear about Jimmy's progress. I always enjoy seeing pics of him, (and of course all the others too
).

My Sylvester, (Jimmy's look-a-like) managed to escape so I just figured I'd try again next winter. I did however nab him a few days back to do flea meds and kept him in overnight. Then when everyone went out the next morning I coaxed him upstairs to go out with the rest.

It took a lot of coaxing as he crouched on the basement steps, but he finally did make a dash for it and run up the walk like someone was shooting at him. He always becomes flighty over the house.

Gladly I can say that his distrust didn't last long and he is already allowing himself to get fairly close to me when I set his nighttime food on the truck. I just have to wonder if he and I will live enough years for him ever to truly accept me as a non-threat.


I have a feeling your Jimmy will willingly be in your arms before Sylvester is with me.

You keep those updates coming. I, (among many I'm sure), look forward to them.
 

lotso'cats

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
657
Purraise
10
Location
South TX
I'm new here and didn't read your whole story but I'll chime in with don't give up on him...he'll come around. I've been working with a female feral cat for 4 long years and 4 weeks ago she was VERY pregnant (which slowed her down I guess) and she was close to me (she'd get close but wouldn't let me touch her) let me give her "itchies". She had the kittens that night so maybe that's why she was so happy for me to give her attention...lol

Even since then she comes to the comes to the door and wants me to give her attention. She also lets me hold her new baby and the kitten loves human attention. I have tamed 3 other kittens of hers from previous litters but I'm most proud of the fact that she came around. Now she can be taken to a vet and be spayed!!
No more babies for her. Oh and she's also letting my husband pet her too. That was a big suprise.

Yes it took a long time but it was well worth it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #637

jcribbs

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
2,064
Purraise
25
Location
In them thar hills...
I've had Jimmy since April 19th of last year, so approx 14 months.....

And Tru's kitty sylvester sounds like Star. She would come and go if I let her. Her advanage when I let her outside was the fact "she followed the pack" and would come in wiht them. But Jimmy displays more interest in me than she does. Oh, I can come up behind her slowly with the brush and she will allow me to brush her and then when she is tired of it she quits.

Jimmy ......hahaha.......on the other hand is watching for me now when he is in the enclosure. He manuevours through the other cats to get to me and smell my hand.... Today or yesterday, I don't remember which but JJ an him were standing side by side with me petting JJ through the fence. Jimmy smells me "as usual"........hehe.... Then he rubbed himself on JJ simulating a petting. He was so close to me.

He wants to be petted and I can't wait. I am going to just keep doing what I am doing so I don't spook him.

Because I have frontlined them all.......... except Turtle, Star and Jimmy...

Star smelled it so she has not came in from the enclosure since this morning. It is now 2am..... I am going to get it ready and tomorrow [i am off work], I am going to brush her and do it at the same time. She never watches me brush her. She keeps the back of her head to me. She doesn't like eye contact.

And speaking of eye contact, Jimmy looks me straight in the eyes and walks toward me. I keep my eye contact with him even though everyone says not to. I have avoided his eyes for so long that it feels really special to have him communicate with me. He does that slow blink thing when he looks at me. I just keep talking quietly to him and he walks straight up to me....

He is getting so brave..... through the 2 x 4 wire.. hehe But that is a good start. It give him a chance to be close and feel safe. We will work on not using the fence. I might could actully make a tiny fence a foot high and put between us in the house and see if that would make him feel better. I think tomorrow I will reward him with food on my finger .

It has taken at least three hrs to frontline plus 3 dogs and 21 cats....... I had to use a list and make their name off. I have a huge shot/incident/frontline dated file I keep on them all so I never have to wonder about anything concerning any cat. Turtle is a piece of cake to frontline but she has not come in yet. Star is purposely hiding from me. And it's weird, because I made a point of not letting her see me do the frontline.

I am going to wait on Jimmy's frontline until I can touch him. I suspect I can do him within a couple weeks... through the fence. He has made MAJOR progess getting close to me through the fence. When I go out now with my morning coffee he walks to the side and waits for me to approach him with my hand... hahahahaha.....

He is just amazing...... I never thought the fence would help me and Jimmy.

And you know, I have only seen a few ticks this year so far. But as far as fleas, we haven't seen a single flea.... I don't think fleas are going to be a problem here.
 

booktigger

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 11, 2005
Messages
4,520
Purraise
3
Location
UK
Aww, I am so glad Jimmy is doing well Jenn, it is lovely to hear such good updates - and good luck with the Frontline!!
 

graciecat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
3,365
Purraise
4
Location
In Steelers Country!
That's wonderful news, Jenn.
It won't be long now and you'll be posting pictures of Jimmy sitting on your lap.
You're doing such a great job with him.
 
Top