No cat but here anyway!

Hello from northern New England!
My name is Jean, and I have lived on and off with cats for most of my life.
I live with my husband and two dogs in northern New England, practically in the woods. The nearest hosue is 1/4 mile away, and we have a 1/4 mile dirt driveway that goes to a dirt road, from there it is another 1/4 mile to the nearest paved road. We have seen everything from skunks to moose in our yard (like my husband says, we moved into THEIR space).

Our cat Grey went missing two months ago. He was 8 yrs and was fairly aloof. His thing was to sit near you on the sofa just far enough away so that you could not pet him. Maybe twice a week he wanted to be petted for 10 seconds and that was it. He was good about leaving us 'presents' (parts of birds, chipmunks etc.) in the garage. Actually that was his favorite place, the garage. I guess the hunting was pretty good in there.

Anyway, even though he was aloof, that did not stop him from joining us IN the bed for the 'morning snuggle'. Here is a photo of the gang back when Grey was still with us (if the link works). As you can see, dogs and cat were buddies.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mymixe...nm=3a9are2.jpg

So like most forum newbies, my first post was not my introduction but a 'need help' post and I am really glad I found a forum where members can help me understand cats better.

PS can anyone explain why the forum logs me out after about 5 minutes? Can I change that?

Welcome to the site, Jean!

That sure is some "gang" you have there! I have a question, where did YOU sleep?

I am so sorry to hear about Grey going missing I read your thread, and I wanted to tell you not to give up hope. There are members here whose cats have gone missing and turn up some time later.

I am not sure why the forum would be logging you out every 5 minutes... Does it just automatically come up with a screen that says you have been logged out?

If you have any other questions as you make your way around the forums please let me know. You can do so by simply clicking on my user name and sending me a private message. I will be glad to help in any way I can

Thanks squirtle.
Where do I sleep? Look under the white dog's butt and the red dog's head, maybe you'll see me.
Just kidding. I sleep on the right side of the bed, DH on the left. The routine was that the white dog (Zircon) curls up into a bagel near my feet on the outer corner, Sophia stretches out on her back with her feet propped against the wall (doesn't look comfy to me, but that's how she likes it) and Grey would claim the living room couch to sleep on.
Grey would usually come into the bedroom about 2 AM, hop up onto the bed on DH's side, pad around purring for a few minutes, make sure the dog smelled ok and then settle down, usually near DH's feet but sometimes next to the white dog to finish up the night.
As soon as there was some sign of waking up, as in first human to groan at the alarm clock, Sophia would jump up onto DH's side and snuggle up next to him to maximize body contact. She would normally rest her chin on his hip. About once a week she will get on MY side and lay her head on my chest. No problem keeping warm in OUR bed!
This was one of those rare mornings when everyone was on my side. I slid out from under the animals and grabbed the camera.
We have given up on Grey. He was not a wanderer. If he could move, he would come home. More than once he came home with minor injuries, once with a serious leg injury. This was 4 yrs ago, before we got Zircon. Zircie keeps the yard clear of varmints and was a good protector for Grey. Before we got Zirc, a neighbor's cat used to come and beat up Grey. Well 5 month old Zircie got up one morning and growled at our front door. He had spotted a strange cat in our front yard. I opened the door. The cat made like the Halloween cat. Black, bushy tail, arched back hissing. Little Zircie was not impressed. He took off after that cat and made sure he did not return.
I think Grey knew that Zircie was his protector and they were good buddies. Unforunately he was not able to protect him from whatever happened a couple of months ago.

welcome to TCS, you´ll love it here, its great, with loads of advice, support, friendship and of course a bit of fun now and then
As you explore the site a bit more you will see theres a place to post about other animals, you can find all sorts there about dogs, rabbits, squirrels and we even get rats mentioned now and then . We love them all
Anyway enjoy the site and heres sending hopeful {{{{{ vibes}}}}} to wish Grey finds his way back to you soon

Hi and welcome to TCS!!!!

to see you on the forums!

Welcome! I"ve only been here for a week or so and it's great. Everyone is nice, helpful, and caring. I'm sorry about Grey, I had a couple of cats lost too. I didn't know that cats can actually get lost, but they do. We had to search for our Zena a few times. Always found her meowing and scared in the bushes in the field behind our house. Now we live in an apartment and she seems very content. Don't be a stranger, I love all animals, just happen to have 5 cats (2 are my daughters). See ya.

Thanks for the warm welcome!
We have given up on Grey-he knew his way around our property so he could not have gotten lost. He is definitely gone.

And the cat I got from the Humane Society on Friday (the rescued feral) escaped the first chance he got. After I realized he was outside the house I registered here to get advice from cat lovers. They said: put out food! (OK they also said to set a trap, but around where we live you could catch any number of wild animals so I was not quite ready to try this one).
Sunday I put dry food and water out and it looked like sombody had dumped out the food looking for something, but nothing got eaten.
Monday I put canned food in with the dry. The canned food got eaten betwen 7-9PM but nothing else.
Tuesday I put canned food out again (a whole lot) and watched from a basment window to see who was eating it. It was him!
This is what he looks like:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mymixe...e2.jpg&.src=ph
He is a smart little stinker. Figgered out how to escape and come back for food. And fussy too. Eats the canned but not the dry.
So I guess I can no longer say I do not have a cat!

Hi welcome to TCS!

welcome to the site!

your pets are realli sweet! what's your dogs names??

I am really sorry to hear about your cat , he looks so cute

Hi and thanks for the warm welcome.
The white dog's name is Zircon (male). He is a Yellow Lab (we think) maybe mixed with something that hates rodents, like a rat terrier. The red dog is Sophia, a Golden Retriever.
And currently I am working on regaining the trust of a cat that I LOST named Brady.
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/...?petid=6538627
Currently I am putting out food at 7:45 PM and he eats at abut 8PM with me on the deck chattering to him. We have put a trap in the yard so he gets used to it being there. The folks on the feral and strays board helped me out a LOT. Once I get that boy inside I'm sure i'll need more help!

Hi there

we're so happy to welcome you and your furfamily to TCS. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay with us - we're one great big family and you'll find loads of friends here. If I can help at all while you're finding your way around TCS just click on my username and send me a Personal Message - I'll do what I can to answer your questions

I'm so sorry to hear about Grey - that must have been so hard for you. Keep working on Brady, it sounds like he's doing great. Evenutally you'll be able to do what we did with Adelaide and lure him inside, then finally to shut the door and keep him in (along with the three days of yowling

)

Dear Jean:

Glad to meet you and loved your photos! Brady is beautifully marked; is he a rescued feral and where is he now? I'm so sorry about your Gray disappearing; we'll hope and pray he is in another loving home now . Your environment sounds wonderful! I'm out in the Mojave Desert with "my" 9 rescued, indoor-only, spayed/neutered and spoiled overlords, ranging in age from 16+ Nicolas T. Cat down to 2-year-old Baby Su. Out here we have a lot of wildlife, too, from jack and cottontail rabbits to kangaroo and wood rats, mice, snakes, lizards, birds, more kinds of insects than you'd think could possibly exist, coyotes (beyond the fence, and besides, all our cats are indoor-only!), foxes, and others, I'm sure...
I'm posting this on 26 September, so am sure you've already gotten answers to your questions, but if there's any cat question I can help with, just ask! I was born and raised with cats, and they are my life...

Gosh the thought never occurred to me that some day my kittens may wander and not return.. I am so so sorry grey is missing my stomach knotted at the thought as I read your post. Good luck with Brandy he doesnt know what hes missing right now, you sound like you have so much love to give him when he comes in hes never gonna want to go out again lol. I am new to the forum too everyone is really helpful and friendly I think we will both be regular visitors here x

Dear Sox:

Yes, cats sure can and do wander -- my dear UK friend's beloved Saffy Cat has not reappeared since they all moved, and she is heartbroken...For every good reason, it's best to keep cats indoors 24/7-365!