- Joined
- Jun 28, 2017
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Hi everybody!
Just subscribed to this forum because I need a little advice about my cats (which I'll ask for in the cat behaviour subforum :-) ). I live in the Netherlands and I've adopted two gorgeous kitties, Babs and Kenzie, from the shelter about a month ago. I'm a first time cat owner so it's quite the adventure.
Babs is a small, stocky, pear-shaped female (though you wouldn't say so from the photo) with white and grey fur, she always looks extremely displeased (again, you wouldn't say from the photo) and her walk is more like an inelegant wobble. She's kind of butch, but I like that about her. She has a no-nonsense attitude. She really loves to play with the "fishing rod" (what's it called in English?) and I've come to find she's a very skilled hunter. The way she darts through the air and attacks the little mousey at the end of the rod is way beyond play. She keeps to herself most of the time. Babs is 3.5 years old and she was found with kittens, which had already been adopted when I came to the shelter.
Kenzie is a beautiful calico girl with slightly longer fur than usual. She's very meek, almost passive. She is also very curious and follows me around with her big eyes and seeks my company every evening. However, sometimes I get the impression that she feels a bit lonely because Babs is so indifferent. When we play she likes to sit and watch the fishing rod as it bounces around, and on the rare occasion that she catches it she jumps away immediately after, scared of her own actions. She looks up to Babs and likes to go wherever she goes. Kenzie is 1.5 years old.
Both were found in the streets and from the looks of it, they've never had any (positive) interactions with humans before. The shelter did their best for them, but they're still both extremely shy and scared, almost feral. They won't let me touch them and they attack when I get too close. I've been able to comfort them enough so that they're okay to be in the same room with me and play with the fishing rod, and they eat wet food from a spoon. They're also comfortable enough to walk through the house when I'm there, but any sudden movements from my part and they'll dart to their safe room. But they've made incredible progress so far (they were practically paralyzed with fear in the first week) and I'm very proud of us.
The reason I adopted them together is that they've become best friends in the shelter and they could only be placed as a couple. And that was exactly what I was looking for.
Well, that turned into quite an essay. I can talk about my cats for hours:-)
Just subscribed to this forum because I need a little advice about my cats (which I'll ask for in the cat behaviour subforum :-) ). I live in the Netherlands and I've adopted two gorgeous kitties, Babs and Kenzie, from the shelter about a month ago. I'm a first time cat owner so it's quite the adventure.
Babs is a small, stocky, pear-shaped female (though you wouldn't say so from the photo) with white and grey fur, she always looks extremely displeased (again, you wouldn't say from the photo) and her walk is more like an inelegant wobble. She's kind of butch, but I like that about her. She has a no-nonsense attitude. She really loves to play with the "fishing rod" (what's it called in English?) and I've come to find she's a very skilled hunter. The way she darts through the air and attacks the little mousey at the end of the rod is way beyond play. She keeps to herself most of the time. Babs is 3.5 years old and she was found with kittens, which had already been adopted when I came to the shelter.
Kenzie is a beautiful calico girl with slightly longer fur than usual. She's very meek, almost passive. She is also very curious and follows me around with her big eyes and seeks my company every evening. However, sometimes I get the impression that she feels a bit lonely because Babs is so indifferent. When we play she likes to sit and watch the fishing rod as it bounces around, and on the rare occasion that she catches it she jumps away immediately after, scared of her own actions. She looks up to Babs and likes to go wherever she goes. Kenzie is 1.5 years old.
Both were found in the streets and from the looks of it, they've never had any (positive) interactions with humans before. The shelter did their best for them, but they're still both extremely shy and scared, almost feral. They won't let me touch them and they attack when I get too close. I've been able to comfort them enough so that they're okay to be in the same room with me and play with the fishing rod, and they eat wet food from a spoon. They're also comfortable enough to walk through the house when I'm there, but any sudden movements from my part and they'll dart to their safe room. But they've made incredible progress so far (they were practically paralyzed with fear in the first week) and I'm very proud of us.
The reason I adopted them together is that they've become best friends in the shelter and they could only be placed as a couple. And that was exactly what I was looking for.
Well, that turned into quite an essay. I can talk about my cats for hours:-)
