I finally let them go...

[kazy]

6/9/08

We are having another cold spell coming. We are now calling this month 'June-uary'!!!
(http://www.komonews.com/news/19657944.html)
I am sick of this this crazy weather!!!

Torako has been trying to catch little critters through out the day.
On Saturday, my daughter rescued chipmunk from Torako. We also saw Torako almost catching a bird from birdfeeder, but failed due to not being able to hang on. We have metal sleeve wrapped around bird feeder poll to deter raccoons and rats. Torako was trying to hang on there, but slipped down. It was a funny sight and we all laughed.
On Sunday, she was climbing on the tree to be closer to bird. I noticed humming bird circling around her . I think humming bird was teasing Torako.

 

[kazy]

6/12/08

I got picture of Torako in the bird feeder yesterday!! She is so cute.
Despite of constant harassment by her, birds keep coming. May be they are mocking her???

Torako pretty much stays in my yard all the time doing this.
Raccoons are still around. The other night, Mr. Scar spent good 30min trying to break in to the cat house. I don't think he could get in. If he did, it would be tough to get out.

Leo has single kitten syndrome.
When Torako comes in to his room, he starts to play really rough with her. He bites. I think Torako knows Leo is playing, but it still hurts. It made her growl few times. Leo is becomes very annoying. He just keeps jumping on her and bites. He used to bite me when he was playing rough. I made sure to hiss at him whenever he started to bite and he stopped doing so now. How can I teach him not to bite Torako… Maybe Torako needs to hiss at him. But she doesn't. She is such a nice cat…too nice!!
I need to try harness on Leo again. Whenever he sees Torako at the porch, he tries to get out. I had to grab him really hard to prevent him run out.

 

[katie=^..^=]

The picture of Torako in the bird feeder is really funny!

I'm sure you're right that she wants very much to catch one.

I've noticed that boy cats play differently from the girls. They are more into wrestling and mock fighting. The girls are more interested in practicing their hunting skills -- stalking and pouncing, then chasing. I think Leo and Torako will work it work. It's a cat thing and they don't need your help. If you think someone's going to actually get hurt just separate them.

I'm also convinced that when the cats see another cat accepting affection and care from us, it gives them confidence that it can be the same for them. I had a little feral girl named Happy-Go-Lucky. Lucky for short. She became affection with me and liked to be picked up and carried around on my walks in the garden. When the other cats saw that, some of them became more trusting and affectionate, too.

Your adventures with the cats are so wonderful. Please keep the stories and pics coming.

 

[kazy]

Thanks, Katie.

Yes, I think having Leo made outdoor cat to open up more. Boy cat Torao is opening up more and more. Sometimes he meow back from the bush when I call him.

I guess Leo is being a boy. I will let Trako handle him.

 

[kazy]

6/16/08

On Sunday, I found cat's vomit on the rock by bird feeder. It contained mouse skull and some other mouse part. It looks like one of them gobbled entire mouse head and ended up throwing up.
Then I found headless dead mouse on the ground.
They stopped bringing gift to me, (because raccoon will end up eating it) but they are still catching.
I wish they wouldn't eat them, though.
I should pop Drontal next time when Torako comes inside.

I bought different harness and put Leo outside again. He seemed to be better this time than before.
This figure 8 harness is much easier to put on, but easy to come off.
Despite of my warning, my daughter decided to ride on scooter on patio. That was scaring Leo and he panicked and darted really hard. He managed to get loose from harness.
I will keep continuing harness training him this time.

 

[kazy]

6/17/08

Outdoor kitties brought me. It was so nice.
Leo's harness training is going well. But figure 8 harness is no good.
It was very stupid think for us to leave him out there unattended to begin with… His leash tangled up in the bush and he wiggled himself out of harness. This time, he decided to follow outdoor kitties!! I had to make sure he stayed in the back yard.
He came close to me, but refused to be caught. Torao and Torako were in the back yard and I asked them to help us. They went after Leo and disappeared quietly. After that, Leo wondered around back yard. I finally got his favorite toy out and he followed it in to the house.

It was nerve wrecking, but I had confidence in Torao and Torako helping Leo out if anything happened.
I bought "Come with me Kitty" harness again and put it on Leo. I don't think he can get off of this one easily. We wouldn't use bungee leash, though.




I got a bag of raw lam meal for cat for free. So I tried out last night. Torao sniffed and walked away. I guess they don't like lam smell??? I put little bit of Fancy Feast out and put a lot of juice and mixed them together. Then, he ate some. Puff was near by and I think he cleaned up the plate. Fancy Feast is considered as not good quality food, but if cats enjoy and they are doing well, I will stick to it.

 

[kazy]

6/25/08

Summer is here and we are busy.
We are going for Alaska cruise entire next week and I wonder how outdoor kitties will think.
I will leave plenty of dry food for them to eat. But I don't have anyone to give them wet food.

Torao is becoming more and more tame. But he is still far from being able to be petted.
Yesterday, I was playing with DaBird with Leo in the kitchen. Then I noticed Torao peeking in side.
DaBird was Torao's favorite toy while he was inside. I am sure he remembered the sound of it winging around. So, I decided to go outside and started to wiggle it around. Then Torao started to pounce!!! Torako came out to check out, but that's not her favorite toy anyway…
Leo was going crazy through the screen door, so I let him out without leash. (call me crazy)
3 kitties played and played. At the end, I wiggled DaBird to inside and Leo followed.
When fence is in, I will put mesh under the gates and let Leo out in my yard without leash.
His craws are cut pretty short, so I don't think he will climb over the fence. I am pretty sure I can entice him to come inside with DaBird.

Leo doesn't mind leash, but he never walks with leash. He tends to escape from harness and roam free to chase outdoor kitties.

 

[kazy]

6/28/08

It was 90 degree day here today.
Torako was in her den (juniper bush) sleeping all day long. She also positioned herself to be seen by us. I wonder why?? Maybe she can see us good from there, too??
Her den is right next to walk way. I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t notice it at first, but I saw her legs out there. She was stretched out and relaxing. I petted her and she didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even move. She transformed to 100% kitty pet!! I only saw Torao earlier in the morning. But I am sure he came out and ate Torakoâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s left over while we were out in the evening.
We will be gone for 7 days starting tomorrow. We dropped Leo off at nice pet boarding facility. He has a nice private room with huge bay window with view of meadow. He was already making himself conformable as soon as he was inside.
I am trying to communicate with my kitties as much as I can. I have been sending messages to them about us being absent for 7 days. I think they understand…
The other day, I was visiting my co-worker who is experienced cat owner. I wanted to visit their Bengals. As I approached them, I tried to communicate with them as much as I could. Compared to professional animal communicators, I am only doing 5% of what they could do. But still, my co-worker was amazed of how their cats were behaving with me. I was even able to hold their older cat who hates strangers. My co-worker said “it was even spooky to see how I could communicate with cats.†I truly believe everybody has this ability. We just practice to be able to do it.

 

[wendyr]

Have a great time on your cruise. I am sure the cats will know you will be coming back. Around Christmas - before we took our three kittens in, so they were still on the street - we went back to Seattle for three weeks. I was really worried they would forget us or be worried that they had lost their food (hence, losing trust!), but the night we got back they were all sitting outside our house like nothing had ever happened. We opened the door and they came trotting in, just like they had before. I was so happy.

 

[cc12]

Originally Posted by Kazy

6/28/08
am trying to communicate with my kitties as much as I can. I have been sending messages to them about us being absent for 7 days. I think they understand…
The other day, I was visiting my co-worker who is experienced cat owner. I wanted to visit their Bengals. As I approached them, I tried to communicate with them as much as I could. Compared to professional animal communicators, I am only doing 5% of what they could do. But still, my co-worker was amazed of how their cats were behaving with me. I was even able to hold their older cat who hates strangers. My co-worker said “it was even spooky to see how I could communicate with cats.†I truly believe everybody has this ability. We just practice to be able to do it.

I do that too! I talk to my cats and communicate with them and I feel like we understand each other. I do it with any cat I come across. Sometimes I feel that with certain cats the lines are all tangled up and it is harder. I know you will miss them while you are away but like wendy said, they will be there waiting for you.

 

[kazy]

7/7/08

We are back! I was checking on cat cam few times, but connection from the cruise ship was super slow to do much. But I was able to see cats eating and cat house was not invaded by raccoons.
We were home around 10:00am. I called cats but no one showed up…

I went to pick up Leo from pet hotel and let him out on the leash. No sight of Toras…
After taking nap, I call them again around 4:30pm. Then Torao came out and he was meowing a lot!!! He kept meowing and meowing to us.

While he was eating fancy feast, he kept calling Torako. Torao ate the first serving, so I put more out. He ate half and kept calling Torako. Then Torako finally showed up! It almost look like they leave some for each other and they are very close. I wonder where they were during the day….
They both seem to be happy to see us.

This morning, my husband almost run over one of the Toras. It was 2 houses down the hill. I have to tell them to be more carful. I wonder if they started to wonder far away since we were not home….
I am having problem connecting my file deposit server today so I can't see any of night footage. I am anxious to review them.

 

[cc12]

They will stay close now that they know you are back. I hope you had a nice cruise.
Glad to know the Toras are ok.

 

[kazy]

7/14/08

Konne sighting!!

We were gone for the weekend for camping.
And there was brief shot of black cat visiting cat house from cat cam footage!!!
She sniffed the entrance of cat house and water fountain by it and walked away.
Puff daddy is only showing up once every few weeks now. I wonder they are rather hunt for their own food than eating cat food??

Torao and Torako pretty much live in my back yard. I started to let Leo roam free in my back yard for few hours every day. Fence is up and all openings have been blocked. His craws are trimmed so that he can't climb vertical wall. It has been working out good. He plays with Toras. At first Torao was very skeptical about him, but he seems to be bonded pretty well with him. Torao follows him around. He is becoming more comfortable around us, too. He won't let me pet him but he comes much closer.
Torako is very tame. She is totally a kitty pet.
Torami only comes for food. I wonder where she spends most of her time.

 

[cc12]

I am so glad you spotted Konne.
It seems like she remembers her old home.
Leo has friends and that is very sweet.

 

[kazy]

7/23/08

Summer in Seattle has been very nice and we spend a lot of time being outside. Thus not spending much time browsing lately.
As soon as we come home, we let Leo go out to the yard. Then Tora's will come out.
Torao is crazy about Leo and he rubs his enter body on him. It is so nice to see three cats being together as friends.

While back , whenever Torao saw me close by, he hissed once and then meowed. But he no longer does this to me. It is as if Leo is telling him how nice we are to him.

This makes me wonder…. Back when I brought my cats inside for the winter, there were 4 cats. Momma and 3 kittens. Torao, Torako, and Torami.
When spring came and I had to let them out, (that was the reason I started this log) they stayed in my yard for a while. But Momma left. Torami does come to eat, but she never shows her self. She does not live in my yard. We have another cat who looks to be kitten's daddy. He comes one in a while to eat from cat house. I know all this because I am monitoring the cat house with network cam 24/7.
I wonder if all of them stayed in my yard if I never brought them inside…. Konne, the momma cat was in my yard for few years before having kitten. If I didn't have kid in my house hold, would that made difference? Is Torami living life alone? Is she happy that way???
I am still so happy to see Torao and Torako decided to adopt us. Torako is very tame and she loves to be petted and brushed. I think Torao will be like that after few months. September is the months I had to take Tora's for annual shot. I am hoping Torao to be more tame by then.

 

[cc12]

That is so cute that Leo has friends. You are doing such a fantastic job with all of them.
When the mood hits I would love some more pics. The kitties are just so gorgeous. Has Mr Scar stayed away?

 

[kazy]

Thanks, CC.

I haven't seen Mr. Scar for a while. But he did show up few days ago.
I think blocking bottom opening of gate is making him not to come in easily, though. He sniffed the cat house but didn't bother to break in or mess with it.

 

[kazy]

7/25/08

Whenever Leo goes out to yard, Trao shows up and follows him. Leo is ready to wrestle with him, too.
Yesterday, they were wrestling so hard that Leo was crying. That alerted my husband but it looked like they were just having fun. Tora's have sharp craws. But Leo never comes back with any scars.




After all, Torao is bigger than Leo and he is more stronger. Maybe that makes Torao feels good. After all, he was a scaredy cat. Now it's giving him more confidence???

It's been hard to take picture of Torao snuggling with Leo. Whenever I point camera to Torao, he runs away.


Here is Torao is about to snuggle with Leo.



Here is Torao and Trako waiting for Fancy Feast.

 

[cc12]

Oh how cute! That is so sweet. Leo and his buddy.

 

[kazy]

7/30/08

Yesterday was rainy and cold. I put harness on Leo to let him out, but he was very hesitant.
Then Torao came by and sniffing at each other through the screen door. So I opened the screen.
Torao slowly came inside!! Then I shut the door. Torao panicked and climbed up on the screen.
I peeled him off and took him upstairs to Leo's room.
Torao was in panic and I could hear his heart beating fast, but he didn't protest very much. I think he was just scared. I left the room to get some stuff and when I came back, I was sure to find him under the couch. So I was looking down there calling his name. Then heard meow from Leo's litter box. Torao was hiding there. I opened the hood and he hissed at me a little, but I picked him up and he was pretty good with it. I applied Revolution and gave him warmer. I gave him few pieces of sliced cheese and he ate them just fine. His ears were down, but he was purring. I remebered him staring to purr whenever we grub on to him around his chest. He was like a big teddy bear. I know he is scared, but he still meowed when I called his name. I wonder what he thinks about being touched or petted....
I brought him downstairs and put him down slowly to the patio. He didn't run but he walked away fast. Then he went inside of his den and started to call for Torako.

I hope entire experience was not too traumatic to him. I think it wasn't too bad since he came back to eat in front of me and played with Leo after rain stopped.

I loved holding him. He becomes kind of floppy when I hold him. I think he likes it, but still scared. I am sure he will be more trusting with time. I hope he will be tame enough to let me hold him by mid September. That way I can take both Torao and Trako for annual shot together.

Today, when I came home and let Leo outside, Torao came right out. When I put Fancy Feast out, I tried to touch him but he was still not sure. He ate right in front of me, though. I guess I have to be patient and let him approach me instead of approaching him. He sees me petting Torako and Leo all the time, so he should know that's not anything scary....