I think that only 3 or 4 years doesn't foretell the rest of the story - I've seen my indoor cats evolve (mostly our calico) from being "don't touch me" to now wanting to cuddle. So, your hope is very realistic.
Great update!!
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Interesting times ahead
- Thread starter dunnyboy69
- Start Date
Great update!!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #42
Thanks, both, for the interesting and positive feedback.
I went and had a good look at the term 'pariah cat' on Google. I reckon it describes Little Cow pretty well though on top of her pariah status, she's also feral! But, as you say, she's happy.
Here's a picture I took of Little Cow a few weeks back. It's at the rather derelict back of the farm area, a part of the farm where both she and Rudi seem to do a lot of their hunting. Typically, the photo looks as if I'm about half a mile away but I was actually only about 20-25 feet from her and only had my mobile to hand. So it's very much in the spirit of Where's Waly, though instead of searching for a bespectacled lad in a stripey top, you're looking for a little black and white lady......
http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/...urrent=007.jpg
I went and had a good look at the term 'pariah cat' on Google. I reckon it describes Little Cow pretty well though on top of her pariah status, she's also feral! But, as you say, she's happy.
Here's a picture I took of Little Cow a few weeks back. It's at the rather derelict back of the farm area, a part of the farm where both she and Rudi seem to do a lot of their hunting. Typically, the photo looks as if I'm about half a mile away but I was actually only about 20-25 feet from her and only had my mobile to hand. So it's very much in the spirit of Where's Waly, though instead of searching for a bespectacled lad in a stripey top, you're looking for a little black and white lady......
http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/...urrent=007.jpg
I would love to live on that farm to be able to care for my cats!
What a wonderful cat life you have for them!
Yes, I would be afraid of the foxes, too, I must admit.
Tradeoffs are many, I'm sure, but then, life is not perfect.
What a wonderful cat life you have for them!
Yes, I would be afraid of the foxes, too, I must admit.
OH What fabulous photos!! I love your farm so much. Just lovely and a perfect setting and home for your cats. They are so lucky to have you and be able to live their lives on that wonderful farm
. I also have a "part-pariah" kitty
, Perla. Perla is easily frightened. She is fearful and gets worried when anything changes in her daily routine or schedule. She is also afraid of strangers. Her and her two brother's were born to a very feral barn cat, but I was able to easily socialize the kittens on a daily basis and mom didn't seem to mind. I think Perla did retain some of her mother's sensitivities and fearfulness of humans. Perkins (her brother) and Wendall (a new rescue, unrelated) like to tease her. Wendall did learn to do this from Perkins. They never chase her at the same time, they take turns
.... So not sure if she is truly pariah in rankings or the big picture, but she makes herself an easy target because she gets so hissy about things and those two boys take advantage of that
I DO love her so much. She is my only female and such a little princess
.
Enjoy your updates and really think you have happy cats that have a great life on your farm.
. You are doing a great job and it is so obvious how much you love your cats
and I am sure they know it
Enjoy your updates and really think you have happy cats that have a great life on your farm.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #45
Evening All....been a while since I updated as I've been away on business a lot. So here goes...
Paddy: she's doing fine. Quite the little diva, but a lovely girl really and, I think, hugely happy (she's not a big fan of belly rubs but I take it that her rolling around on the floor about a foot in front of me is a good thing?). She's got such a kitten-like instinct for things, but as she's not 2 till January, I guess that's no surprise. It's getting dark quite early here in England now - and will be really early when the clocks change this coming weekend - and tonight I had to bring the shopping in from the car in the fading light. Bless her, Paddy was around my feet, dashing in and of the utility room while I was bringing various bags of shopping inside. Once all done, I shut the car, went inside and put the kettle on. Two minutes later - car alarm. You guessed it, she'd only jumped in the car while I was unloading the last of the bags and was busy exploring around the car when I'd inadvertantly locked her in! She seemed unfazed by the shenanigans, thankfully.
Little Cow: have only seen her a couple of times in the past fortnight, sadly. I think she's going nocturnal on us again. Just before the temperatures started dropping (and we have had a very mild early Autumn) I saw her properly out and about on the farm, bounding around in the sun. Utterly heart-warming, it was. I am confident that the upcoming winter, which is forecast to be really nasty, will be survived by this tough little cookie.
Rudi: a source of some concern. I think as cat owners and lovers we are all perhaps guilty of trying to transpose the range of human feelings onto our kitties. I'm certainly guilty of this and, as such, I think Rudi's got the blues. He's now been big friends with us for about 6 months (having been around the farm as a stray for maybe 15-18 months) and I think the sun shines out of his big, fat, grey behind! But the arrival of Paddy has really changed the dynamic. Until she was on the scene, the big lad spent much of his time up near the house - he has now marginalised himself to the edge of the farm, and is often seen wandering near the hedges that divide the farm from the building next door (which, ironically, is where I have an office so as to separate - but not too much! - work from leisure). B.P. (Before Paddy), he was (99% of the time) only ever a call of 'Rudi, Rudicat, come on, tea-time!' away from us. Now he might show up for food every couple of days. I certainly haven't seen him since yesterday morning - and I've gone looking three times today. Last week, while I was away on buisiness, the rest of the house didn't see him at all. B.P. he would sit with me on the back step, roll over and demand a big, man-sized belly rub almost every day. Now if he does show up, he eats his food, has a little petting and walks away. Interestingly, I did get a belly rub session in with him last week - but only at a 'neutral' part of the farm. Finally, the last big change since B.P. is that he doesn't come in the house anymore. Previously he'd happily saunter around the utility room, pop into the kitchen and sometimes the study, as long as he knew the back door was open. Now if he does turn up for food he doesn't come over the threshold. I wonder if it's because we have to keep the utility room closed as we can't let Paddy in and roam free round the house like we can Rudi.
But I'm guessing it's all territory-related and, much as he gets on with Paddy (and she clearly likes him), he has ceded the courtyard/ near house area to her. I am worried that he might be a little broken-hearted and feel a little rejected (there I go again, putting people sentiment onto kitty psyche) and, more practically, I am not sure that he'll get through the winter as well as the other two if he continues his itinerant ways as he's a fair bit older (about 5). I'd really love for him to share Paddy's straw-filled kennel - it's big enough for half a dozen cats, let alone 2. I've read on this site that cats are also expert at hiding pain and I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to know that he is also under the weather. I think another vet trip for him may be in order and then we may need to review his situation based on their findings. Essentially, he's becoming a stray again, if that makes sense. Any thoughts welcomed - I really do feel this past 2-3 weeks as if he's slowly wandering away from me and I do feel more than a bit guilty. But I can't change the fact that Paddy's here now, so any advice would be appreciated!
best to all (LDG - hope all goes well with Baloo. Fab name!)
Paddy: she's doing fine. Quite the little diva, but a lovely girl really and, I think, hugely happy (she's not a big fan of belly rubs but I take it that her rolling around on the floor about a foot in front of me is a good thing?). She's got such a kitten-like instinct for things, but as she's not 2 till January, I guess that's no surprise. It's getting dark quite early here in England now - and will be really early when the clocks change this coming weekend - and tonight I had to bring the shopping in from the car in the fading light. Bless her, Paddy was around my feet, dashing in and of the utility room while I was bringing various bags of shopping inside. Once all done, I shut the car, went inside and put the kettle on. Two minutes later - car alarm. You guessed it, she'd only jumped in the car while I was unloading the last of the bags and was busy exploring around the car when I'd inadvertantly locked her in! She seemed unfazed by the shenanigans, thankfully.
Little Cow: have only seen her a couple of times in the past fortnight, sadly. I think she's going nocturnal on us again. Just before the temperatures started dropping (and we have had a very mild early Autumn) I saw her properly out and about on the farm, bounding around in the sun. Utterly heart-warming, it was. I am confident that the upcoming winter, which is forecast to be really nasty, will be survived by this tough little cookie.
Rudi: a source of some concern. I think as cat owners and lovers we are all perhaps guilty of trying to transpose the range of human feelings onto our kitties. I'm certainly guilty of this and, as such, I think Rudi's got the blues. He's now been big friends with us for about 6 months (having been around the farm as a stray for maybe 15-18 months) and I think the sun shines out of his big, fat, grey behind! But the arrival of Paddy has really changed the dynamic. Until she was on the scene, the big lad spent much of his time up near the house - he has now marginalised himself to the edge of the farm, and is often seen wandering near the hedges that divide the farm from the building next door (which, ironically, is where I have an office so as to separate - but not too much! - work from leisure). B.P. (Before Paddy), he was (99% of the time) only ever a call of 'Rudi, Rudicat, come on, tea-time!' away from us. Now he might show up for food every couple of days. I certainly haven't seen him since yesterday morning - and I've gone looking three times today. Last week, while I was away on buisiness, the rest of the house didn't see him at all. B.P. he would sit with me on the back step, roll over and demand a big, man-sized belly rub almost every day. Now if he does show up, he eats his food, has a little petting and walks away. Interestingly, I did get a belly rub session in with him last week - but only at a 'neutral' part of the farm. Finally, the last big change since B.P. is that he doesn't come in the house anymore. Previously he'd happily saunter around the utility room, pop into the kitchen and sometimes the study, as long as he knew the back door was open. Now if he does turn up for food he doesn't come over the threshold. I wonder if it's because we have to keep the utility room closed as we can't let Paddy in and roam free round the house like we can Rudi.
But I'm guessing it's all territory-related and, much as he gets on with Paddy (and she clearly likes him), he has ceded the courtyard/ near house area to her. I am worried that he might be a little broken-hearted and feel a little rejected (there I go again, putting people sentiment onto kitty psyche) and, more practically, I am not sure that he'll get through the winter as well as the other two if he continues his itinerant ways as he's a fair bit older (about 5). I'd really love for him to share Paddy's straw-filled kennel - it's big enough for half a dozen cats, let alone 2. I've read on this site that cats are also expert at hiding pain and I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to know that he is also under the weather. I think another vet trip for him may be in order and then we may need to review his situation based on their findings. Essentially, he's becoming a stray again, if that makes sense. Any thoughts welcomed - I really do feel this past 2-3 weeks as if he's slowly wandering away from me and I do feel more than a bit guilty. But I can't change the fact that Paddy's here now, so any advice would be appreciated!
best to all (LDG - hope all goes well with Baloo. Fab name!)
Like I said in one of my recent threads about Baloo - and I think many of us that work with ferals/outside kitties feel - sometimes it's just so much easier when our ferals are FERAL.
I suspect you're right, and it's a territory thing. He may also just be distancing himself from all that "kitten like" energy. I'm sorry he's not coming by every day for food. That'd be breaking my heart too.
All we can do is hope that when the weather gets colder and nastier, he'll decide he wants back in the utility room.
You've another straw filled shelter for him somewhere? If he's spending more time out by your office, you may want to make something for him there?
I don't know if this will help, and it's about our inside gang. But I'll share anyway. We rescued four siblings and another cat from July 2002 to Sep 2003. The first two came in 10 days apart (July 2010). The next came inside full time in December. The fourth sibling came inside in April 2003, and the fifth was a little kitten rescued in September 2003.
They used to sleep together - in threes and pairs. They'd make kitty piles, and lie on top of each other watching out the window. In 2004, when the four were 2 years old, they started spreading out. Within a few months of that, we almost never saw any of them together anywhere. Before the "spreading out," we'd come home and find most of them asleep on the bed together. Now, while a number of them will sleep with us at night, they're all in very different places, ensuring they won't even touch each other.
I do think cats can feel blue, and Rudi may be missing his pets.
When you're not traveling, do you spend much time in the office? Can where you feed him be moved? Perhaps there's a way to set up a new routine with him that encompasses his new territory?
Another story. When Tuxedo (the fourth sibling) was still outside, he was a terror. We deemed him unadoptable, because he was very aggressive to other cats. We had to take two cats he'd attacked to the hospital for stitches. We had to start a routine where he got fed first, far away from where we fed the colony of cats. He ended up creating his own territory, and the other outside kitties left him to it.
So given Rudi has decided to alter his patterns, I think your best bet is to try to figure out how to incorporate his food and shelter - and your time together - in his new space.
...or does little piggy Padders follow you around, and make something like this basically impossible?
I hope not.
Of course, a trip to the vet is not a bad idea. With our outside kitties, changes in behavior can be more difficult to determine. But unless you're able to get him in, there's not really any way to know if this is just because of Padders, or if it's because there's something up with him.
I suspect you're right, and it's a territory thing. He may also just be distancing himself from all that "kitten like" energy. I'm sorry he's not coming by every day for food. That'd be breaking my heart too.
You've another straw filled shelter for him somewhere? If he's spending more time out by your office, you may want to make something for him there?
I don't know if this will help, and it's about our inside gang. But I'll share anyway. We rescued four siblings and another cat from July 2002 to Sep 2003. The first two came in 10 days apart (July 2010). The next came inside full time in December. The fourth sibling came inside in April 2003, and the fifth was a little kitten rescued in September 2003.
They used to sleep together - in threes and pairs. They'd make kitty piles, and lie on top of each other watching out the window. In 2004, when the four were 2 years old, they started spreading out. Within a few months of that, we almost never saw any of them together anywhere. Before the "spreading out," we'd come home and find most of them asleep on the bed together. Now, while a number of them will sleep with us at night, they're all in very different places, ensuring they won't even touch each other.
I do think cats can feel blue, and Rudi may be missing his pets.
When you're not traveling, do you spend much time in the office? Can where you feed him be moved? Perhaps there's a way to set up a new routine with him that encompasses his new territory?
Another story. When Tuxedo (the fourth sibling) was still outside, he was a terror. We deemed him unadoptable, because he was very aggressive to other cats. We had to take two cats he'd attacked to the hospital for stitches. We had to start a routine where he got fed first, far away from where we fed the colony of cats. He ended up creating his own territory, and the other outside kitties left him to it.
So given Rudi has decided to alter his patterns, I think your best bet is to try to figure out how to incorporate his food and shelter - and your time together - in his new space.
...or does little piggy Padders follow you around, and make something like this basically impossible?
Of course, a trip to the vet is not a bad idea. With our outside kitties, changes in behavior can be more difficult to determine. But unless you're able to get him in, there's not really any way to know if this is just because of Padders, or if it's because there's something up with him.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #47
Thanks for the reply - as ever, lots of sensible ideas. And your point about real ferals being emotionally a little easier on us than the strays/ semi-ferals is so true; I know, for instance, that I can't connect with LC but I do know that Rudi and I are a mutual appreciation society!
Rudi's patterns are definitely changing and, the more I think about it, it all started happening about 4 weeks ago when Paddy became impossible to get in her wendy house every night and basically moved 20 yards into the farm courtyard's straw-filled dog kennel instead
He has shown up for breakfast twice in the past 6 days since I've been back from work travels. On these occasions he basically defers to Paddy: I'll put a bowl down each for them and she'll put her nose in the first bowl down - even if I put the bowl down in front of him. He's also, thinking it through, turned up for his supper on two evenings - and on neither occasion did paddy stir from her slumbers so we got a bit of 'dad and lad' time.
But, yes, Paddy does generally follow me pretty much everywhere when I'm out and about! Indeed, every time I've gone looking for Rudi these past 36 hours, she's been at my side, squeaking away (in a sense, adorable - but not as rewarding as a Rudi headbutt).
From the front door of the house to the door of my office is, as the crow flies, about 200 ft. But i very seldom take this direct route: instead I generally take the long way round, which involves wandering around the farm driveway/ paths. This takes me past the various places where Rudi and LC hang out (never together, mind) up to the road that links the farm and the offices. There are 2-3 places on this route, farm-side, with lovely warm straw bales where Rudi goes for a kip and I have seen him there a few times this past month or so, just as I did as I was getting to know him all those months ago. But these days I'll be invariably followed by Paddy on my walks around the farm and I do wonder if Rudi decides against making himself seen because he can sense Paddy around and could do without the hassle! Actually Paddy sometimes really worries me as she'll follow me right up to the road on which the farm and offices technically lie (although both are set back) and only turns around when a big lorry rumbles by about 10ft from her. And, of course, pretty much all the time she's following me she's meowing her funny little 'I'm here, I'm here, pay attention to me Dad!' type squeaks....I swear that, before too long, she will follow me to the office....
But I digress. My office is a small, 2nd floor one in an out-of-town conference centre owned by the local authorities. I have one room from about 40 in total. There's not only a hedge between the conference centre and the farm but a wire-mesh fence has been erected, I believe, to stop the rabbits that plague the farm (although they plague us less since the cats!) getting onto their land. I wouldn't be surprised if Rudi has gone onto the office grounds either via the main road/ path or via some hole in the fence. Indeed, one of the porters at the centre reckoned he saw him a few mornings back, although he said it was a black cat, not a dark grey with a white bib and socks. However I'm not sure I can do anything for Rudi at the office given that it's a shared facility and some tenants might not be best pleased (although some might be chuffed!). If the office was owned by me and I was the only tenant I'd definitely set him up with something there. I'll ponder on solutions - but a vet visit needs to be first to make sure he's ok. Wish me luck - hope I can find and catch him! Going to work at home tomorrow (as the office is such a haul
) so hopefully I'll see him out and about on the farm and get a bit of quality time with him.
Rudi's patterns are definitely changing and, the more I think about it, it all started happening about 4 weeks ago when Paddy became impossible to get in her wendy house every night and basically moved 20 yards into the farm courtyard's straw-filled dog kennel instead
He has shown up for breakfast twice in the past 6 days since I've been back from work travels. On these occasions he basically defers to Paddy: I'll put a bowl down each for them and she'll put her nose in the first bowl down - even if I put the bowl down in front of him. He's also, thinking it through, turned up for his supper on two evenings - and on neither occasion did paddy stir from her slumbers so we got a bit of 'dad and lad' time.
But, yes, Paddy does generally follow me pretty much everywhere when I'm out and about! Indeed, every time I've gone looking for Rudi these past 36 hours, she's been at my side, squeaking away (in a sense, adorable - but not as rewarding as a Rudi headbutt).
From the front door of the house to the door of my office is, as the crow flies, about 200 ft. But i very seldom take this direct route: instead I generally take the long way round, which involves wandering around the farm driveway/ paths. This takes me past the various places where Rudi and LC hang out (never together, mind) up to the road that links the farm and the offices. There are 2-3 places on this route, farm-side, with lovely warm straw bales where Rudi goes for a kip and I have seen him there a few times this past month or so, just as I did as I was getting to know him all those months ago. But these days I'll be invariably followed by Paddy on my walks around the farm and I do wonder if Rudi decides against making himself seen because he can sense Paddy around and could do without the hassle! Actually Paddy sometimes really worries me as she'll follow me right up to the road on which the farm and offices technically lie (although both are set back) and only turns around when a big lorry rumbles by about 10ft from her. And, of course, pretty much all the time she's following me she's meowing her funny little 'I'm here, I'm here, pay attention to me Dad!' type squeaks....I swear that, before too long, she will follow me to the office....
But I digress. My office is a small, 2nd floor one in an out-of-town conference centre owned by the local authorities. I have one room from about 40 in total. There's not only a hedge between the conference centre and the farm but a wire-mesh fence has been erected, I believe, to stop the rabbits that plague the farm (although they plague us less since the cats!) getting onto their land. I wouldn't be surprised if Rudi has gone onto the office grounds either via the main road/ path or via some hole in the fence. Indeed, one of the porters at the centre reckoned he saw him a few mornings back, although he said it was a black cat, not a dark grey with a white bib and socks. However I'm not sure I can do anything for Rudi at the office given that it's a shared facility and some tenants might not be best pleased (although some might be chuffed!). If the office was owned by me and I was the only tenant I'd definitely set him up with something there. I'll ponder on solutions - but a vet visit needs to be first to make sure he's ok. Wish me luck - hope I can find and catch him! Going to work at home tomorrow (as the office is such a haul
OK, sillly maybe stupid question. But if Padders follows you into the utility room, any way to shut her in there for a few while you look for/spend time with Rudi?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #49
good thinking - i shall do that tomorrow if/ when I see the big fella. She can't do any damage to the utility room in a few minutes - but obviously I don't want her being in there too long as we're still trying to get her 100% certain that the kennel is her home.
BTW, just had another fruitless trip around the farm. The food - comfortably enough for 3 kitties, and fairly full about 4 hours ago, has all but disappeared which I suspect means that Rudi and LC have both made trips recently.
And I was, of course, accompanied on my search by Paddy. I must get her a new collar - her last one, which had a lovely little bell on it that was soooooo handy for knowing where she is ("ah, she's under my feet, best move slowly") must have come off somewhere, as she came out of her hut one morning not wearing it.
BTW, just had another fruitless trip around the farm. The food - comfortably enough for 3 kitties, and fairly full about 4 hours ago, has all but disappeared which I suspect means that Rudi and LC have both made trips recently.
And I was, of course, accompanied on my search by Paddy. I must get her a new collar - her last one, which had a lovely little bell on it that was soooooo handy for knowing where she is ("ah, she's under my feet, best move slowly") must have come off somewhere, as she came out of her hut one morning not wearing it.
Re: Padders in the utility room. If you close her in there and leave to spend time with Rudi, I suspect she will not associate this as "fun" or "good." She may continue to give you a piece of her mind given she's a talker.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #51
I'll give one more collar a try and then that's it!
She gives me a piece of her mind all the time:
'why are you walking away from me towards that building next door?'
'my food, please'
'look at me rolling on my back'
'do you have any of that special milk?'
'look at this mouse I killed!'
'it's bloody cold out here, can I come in?'
and, most commonly:
'pay attention to me, pay attention to me! I'm here! Look!'
It's actually increasingly endearing. She's now been with us for 10 weeks and since she's been outside there's only been one time when she and I 'fell out'. She was doing her rolling around on her back thing and I mistakenly took it for a 'rub my belly' sign. After a couple of rubs she basically went for my hand with her teeth in a non-playful way but didn't draw blood (clearly she was giving me a warning). I learnt then not to pet her belly again and she learnt not to bite the hand that feeds because the owner of that hand blanked her for 48 hours - she got fed but totally ignored. Not sure if this was the right thing for me to do, but she's been more loving than ever since so it seems to have worked. It's weird; on her 'resume' they talked about her loving cuddles. I'd say she loves petting but not cuddles: everyone I know who has picked her up has found her trying to wriggle free within 10 seconds. The things rescues say, eh?! But I'm good with this - I love to give her a few pets a few times a day (its handy working so close) and have never been a big one for picking cats up anyway.
But I'm rambling. I'm going to have a late one tonight catching up on paperwork, watching the World Series (ESPN has come to England - fab!) and maybe having a little traipse around the farm, weather-permitting.
She gives me a piece of her mind all the time:
'why are you walking away from me towards that building next door?'
'my food, please'
'look at me rolling on my back'
'do you have any of that special milk?'
'look at this mouse I killed!'
'it's bloody cold out here, can I come in?'
and, most commonly:
'pay attention to me, pay attention to me! I'm here! Look!'
It's actually increasingly endearing. She's now been with us for 10 weeks and since she's been outside there's only been one time when she and I 'fell out'. She was doing her rolling around on her back thing and I mistakenly took it for a 'rub my belly' sign. After a couple of rubs she basically went for my hand with her teeth in a non-playful way but didn't draw blood (clearly she was giving me a warning). I learnt then not to pet her belly again and she learnt not to bite the hand that feeds because the owner of that hand blanked her for 48 hours - she got fed but totally ignored. Not sure if this was the right thing for me to do, but she's been more loving than ever since so it seems to have worked. It's weird; on her 'resume' they talked about her loving cuddles. I'd say she loves petting but not cuddles: everyone I know who has picked her up has found her trying to wriggle free within 10 seconds. The things rescues say, eh?! But I'm good with this - I love to give her a few pets a few times a day (its handy working so close) and have never been a big one for picking cats up anyway.
But I'm rambling. I'm going to have a late one tonight catching up on paperwork, watching the World Series (ESPN has come to England - fab!) and maybe having a little traipse around the farm, weather-permitting.
You did the exact right thing.
Cats are very much about "what's in this for me," so training is denying them what they want, and rewarding them with lots of praise for when they do good.
And usually they want some sort of attention, and ignoring them is the BEST way to train them not to bite!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #53
Everyone is here, all present and correct .....
When I went outside this morning, Paddy came from her kennel in the courtyard and did her usual 'I want food now' act. So I put her food in the back of the lean-to (where I've been feeding them all for a while now) and set off to find Rudi while she chowed down.
And there he was, in the back barn, on a pile of straw. This is the place where I first became 'buddies' with him about 9-10 months ago (just before he started meowing at me and I still thought he was a she called Ruby, he disappeared for a few days. I was so chuffed to see him/ her back one day that I emptied a tin of human tuna for him/ her there and, given that he was very nervous of me, walked away....came back 10 minutes later to find tuna devoured...next morning he's meowing....4 weeks later he's in a trap, has a sex change and becomes the world's best farm cat!). Anyway, given that I was sans Paddy he was delighted to see me and we had a good petting session. As I didn't have any food with me he followed me back to the house and devoured his favourite breakfast - a sachet of Gourmet Perle and a little bit of special cat milk. Cue the return of Paddy and the two of them shared the last of the milk together in a fashion not dissimilar to that scene in lady & the tramp, including growling at the last bit!
Anyway, the continuing good news is that Paddy then got distracted by something and I got a bit of quality time with the lad. We wandered back to his barn and he settled down. He then got a special treat a couple of hours later when I re-emerged (again, without disturbing Paddy) and gave him a second sachet which was greeted with a headbutt of gratitude.
So I think it's going to be a case of separate feeding areas for the time being, at least wherever possible. And he seems well - his eyes are a bit gloopy but I remember being told by the vey months ago that, given he'd been a stray for so long, he was likely to always have a problem like this lurking. I'll keep monitoring it and, if it worsens, I'll get an appt.
Also glad to report that The Cow put in an appearance mid-morning. Interestingly, she emerged from a side barn different from her usual haunt. This is the second time recently I've seen her come out yawning in the morning from this location and, importantly, that was another of Rudi's former strongholds of territory. So I reckon there's been even more territory to-ing and fro-ing than I'd first realised. You think they'd have the decency to tell me what they're up to, wouldn't you? ;-))
When I went outside this morning, Paddy came from her kennel in the courtyard and did her usual 'I want food now' act. So I put her food in the back of the lean-to (where I've been feeding them all for a while now) and set off to find Rudi while she chowed down.
And there he was, in the back barn, on a pile of straw. This is the place where I first became 'buddies' with him about 9-10 months ago (just before he started meowing at me and I still thought he was a she called Ruby, he disappeared for a few days. I was so chuffed to see him/ her back one day that I emptied a tin of human tuna for him/ her there and, given that he was very nervous of me, walked away....came back 10 minutes later to find tuna devoured...next morning he's meowing....4 weeks later he's in a trap, has a sex change and becomes the world's best farm cat!). Anyway, given that I was sans Paddy he was delighted to see me and we had a good petting session. As I didn't have any food with me he followed me back to the house and devoured his favourite breakfast - a sachet of Gourmet Perle and a little bit of special cat milk. Cue the return of Paddy and the two of them shared the last of the milk together in a fashion not dissimilar to that scene in lady & the tramp, including growling at the last bit!
Anyway, the continuing good news is that Paddy then got distracted by something and I got a bit of quality time with the lad. We wandered back to his barn and he settled down. He then got a special treat a couple of hours later when I re-emerged (again, without disturbing Paddy) and gave him a second sachet which was greeted with a headbutt of gratitude.
So I think it's going to be a case of separate feeding areas for the time being, at least wherever possible. And he seems well - his eyes are a bit gloopy but I remember being told by the vey months ago that, given he'd been a stray for so long, he was likely to always have a problem like this lurking. I'll keep monitoring it and, if it worsens, I'll get an appt.
Also glad to report that The Cow put in an appearance mid-morning. Interestingly, she emerged from a side barn different from her usual haunt. This is the second time recently I've seen her come out yawning in the morning from this location and, importantly, that was another of Rudi's former strongholds of territory. So I reckon there's been even more territory to-ing and fro-ing than I'd first realised. You think they'd have the decency to tell me what they're up to, wouldn't you? ;-))
Idea for Rudi's gloppy eyes. Herpes virus is VERY common, and it affects the upper respiratory system and eyes.
For kitties I don't like the pills because they have binders and other stuff in them, and they can be a pain to get into the cat (of course you can just crush the pills and sprinkle it in the food as you would the powder). Here it's easy to find L-lysine POWDER online.
A dose for when there's a flare-up (goopy eyes) is 1/4 teaspoon (500mg) - split into 1/8 teaspoon in the morning and 1/8 teaspoon in the evening. Maintenance daily dose would be 1/2 of that.
If during a flare-up you don't see improvement in a couple of days, it is safe to bump the total daily dose to 750 - 1000mg for a few days. It doesn't build up in the tissue - it's non-toxic, they just excrete it.
