Jimmy update!!!

[jcribbs]

Thank you Feralvr.  I am so excited by this.  Last year, we just let them in when temps dropped dropped to what I consider too cold.  But most are really really spoiled.  If if rains, they want in.  The covered porch is not enough for them, or at least they think it's not..  I don't like them cold and I don't like them hot. 

They love it outside in the summer but when it get over 95-100 degree or I notice someone panting, they come in.  This last summer was unbelievably hot here where I live.  Everyday I went the yard and porches down throughly.  I kept sprinklers going and kept the ground as cool as I could.  Who know, they might end up with a little AC one day too....lololol
 

 

[angels mommy]

WOW, Jenn, what a great space you have there!  I know this kitties love it! It's nice you have all that safe space for them to roam around.  I bet it's beautiful there when the colors are changing. It's my favorite time of year.

You are doing a wonderful job with all the kitties & their enclosure!  I know you have some happy kitties!!

 

[eilcon]

Jen, I wanted to apologize for not being around TCS much lately. Please know that I appreciate your updates and pics of Jimmy. He'll always be special to me. 

 

[jcribbs]

Elly, that's okay....  There's no need to apologize for anything.  I go through stages where I am not here as well....  There is never a need to be sorry where I am concerned.  I love you!

You gave me my Jimmy

and I am so thankful for him.  He has enriched our lives and changed how we view the cat world. 

And he is doing soooooo well Elly.  Last night I gave all the cats some of that gooey wet kitty food for a treat...   Jimmy wanted more, so he sat at the door hanging on to the screen with all four feet -- meowing loud....  He did not want indoors, he wanted more gooey food.

You were right in telling me years ago that you saw a real character in him, because he is a real character!!

Never be sorry where I am concerned Elly.....  All is well.

Jenn
 

 

[jcribbs]

woo hoo.........made a second payment on my winter kitty heater......  Next payday, it will probably be home with me.....  Juan needs to go the store and measure the bottom of it and get my shelf built.... (hint hint)

And today I have the dogs in the cat enclosure sans cats to get them out of my hair.  With hunting season here, can't let them run.  My two tiniest little dogs like to chase deer.  We have been putting their harness on them for tinkle time.

 

[jcribbs]

Jimmy's Cat Lounge....

It's a little chilly to lay on top of the wood these days, so I made Jimmy a cat lounge.  He is very generous in sharing it with Star plus a couple other kitties....

Two pieces of plywood hinged together and braced between two pieces of concrete -- with one being the back of our fireplace and the other is concrete blocks with wood stacked on the other side. It is very toasty inside his lounge when we have the fire going....  he loves it.... It has a really soft blanket inside and on the far end I made a small plywood opening.  Keeps the breeze out and the warmth in.

This is not a winter shelter.  This is just a comfy spot for him.

cat lounge.jpeg

• jcribbs
• Oct 28, 2012

 

[jcribbs]

Well, I never really thought after all these years that I would have more Jimmy updates that were significant, but I do and I am so pleased to be posting this update.

I have had Jimmy for so many years and he had adjusted so well, that I thought he had reached the end of his updates.  I actually thought he was "all that he could be" and I accepted it and have been thrilled by all that he is.

But he has surprised me.  AGAIN!!!  And it is a big surprise.

I will start out by saying Jimmy loves being outside.  But I also like him indoors sometimes, so in order to get him indoors, I have had to bribe him with food, and would then pick him up and carry him indoors.   I have done this for one year.  (One year is approx the length of time that he has had free rein otuside).

He has NEVER just walked in the house when I opened the door. It was taboo to him.  It was just too much.

I think I have posted before that he would hang on the screen door when I would give the other cats indoor treats.  But he didn't want to come in the house.  He wanted me to bring his treats OUTSIDE for him to eat.  He would never cross the door threshold on his own.  And I was fine with that.  I had just accepted that's just how he was.

Last week, all that changed.  He just "out of the blue" decided he could and would, come "in and out" of the house, all on his own and at any time he chooses.  And he never paused, hesitated or acted uneasy about it.  He just strolled in the house one day and freaked me out.  He now meows when he wants out and he meows when he wants in.  So I give him what he wants and he is perfectly happy with it.  It took him a year to figure it out, but he is very placid about doing this.  He acts like he has been doing this how whole life. He is acting non-feral "with me".. and just all at once.

This tiny little action of him deciding he can "walk in and out of the  house with no fear" has created a whole new different level of trust for both me and for him.  And it is like a 100 percent turn-a-round.  This is not a little step.  This is a huge step!!  He is a totally different cat than one month ago.   I don't  even quite know how to explain it.  He is walking  around the house like a non feral cat.  He is sitting in my lap.  He lays on the couch beside me.  He has allowed me to kiss him all over his head  and he is enjoying it.  He purrs.  I have always loved him, but now he is allowing me to love him in new ways and he is enjoying the contact, the attention, the petting, the brushing and the kisses.  He is soaking it up like a sponge. I am so over the top with his new behavior that I am not sure I am explaining this well.  He is also talking to me.  He walks by and meows at me.  This is not just a physical change.  This is an emotional change in Jimmy.

I actually never thought he would walk in and out of the house on his own.  I had accepted the fact that he would not.  But him making  that decision on his own, has changed everything about his entire behavior.....  It is unbelievable how different he is after making this decision. 

I will never under estimate big Jimmy again.  He is still learning.  I can't even imagine what he will do next.  He has come farther than I ever imagined his capable of.

Jenn

p.s. Also--- the cats LOVE the kitty heater.  I keep it 62 degree inside. It's a perfect animal heater.  It turns itself on and off so that I never have to adjust anything.  It has the best thermostat that I have ever seen. They also have a queen size mattress in their house with their blankets covering it, so they are snug as a bug in a rug.   I have a small light in there as well, just so they have a little light in ther area.  I think it's a 15 watt bulb.    But somehow or other, half of them end up in the house at night laying in front of the fireplace........hahaha.......

.  

 

[jane rivelli]

awesome....they are so unpredictable but in the greatest of ways....mine are in after 7 years out - not sure I did the right thing - but if I did not do it - I really don't know what would have happened to them - I had to leave the building I was in and I live in a city....but they seem okay....they always are looking out the windows though and I feel bad.....any advice?

 

[jcribbs]

Well, what you might do is put humming bird feeders outside their windows so they have something to watch.

You could also build a window box that is closed in and that fits securely in your window so they can lay in it and get fresh air.  The bottom of it could be window level and you could make it 4' tall or so with shelves in it to lay on.  You could put hanging toys in it etc......  We've done similar things like that before...... 

 

[jcribbs]

NEW PICTURES OF JIMMY!

He is still doing awesome and has exceeded every possible expectation I have had for him!  See how relaxed he is...  This were taken today.

He is lounging by the porch....

jimmy 1 .JPG

• jcribbs
• Jul 6, 2013

jimmy 2.JPG

• jcribbs
• Jul 6, 2013

jimmy 3 .JPG

• jcribbs
• Jul 6, 2013

  This is mid-meow!!!

Jenn

 

[jcribbs]

Ellie!!!!   JIMMY HAS CROSSED OVER TO THE TAME SIDE!!!!!!!!!!    I just have to share these pictures or no one would believe it .  I have had him for so long and he has made so much progress, but I NEVER expeccted this much out of him.   I have lost track of how many years I have had him..... 

He has decided he LOVES me to hug him and kiss him.  When he gets on the back of his favorite chair, I know he is ready for loving and kissing and huggs..  He has the loudest purr of any cat that I have ever had in my life. He gets totallty into me loving on him.  BUT, he still won't let husband pet him.......

close.JPG

• jcribbs
• Dec 12, 2013

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He is mashing  his head under my chin.  Doesn't he look proud of himself?

getting love.JPG

• jcribbs
• Dec 12, 2013

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He is asking for more here.  I pulled back a little but he wasn't finished with me yet.

kiss.JPG

• jcribbs
• Dec 12, 2013

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He is just laying in my arms here.  This is soooooooo incredibly special to me.  He is so relaxed in my arms....... 

snuggling.JPG

• jcribbs
• Dec 12, 2013

 

[shadowsrescue]

The pictures say it all!!!  Congrats.  All of your hard work and patience with Jimmy has paid off.  What a wonderful gift!

 

[angels mommy]

That's so wonderful. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

 

[jcat]

eilcon

What an unbelievable turnaround! Merry Christmas!

 

[eilcon]

OMG, Jen, those pics of you and Jimmy made my year!!! I can't believe how far he's come, and it's because of your love, patience and willingness to accept him for who he is. Thank you, thank you, thank you for loving him so much! I'll always be grateful to you for taking a chance on him. He's a lucky boy! 

 

[nanner]

Awwwwww!!! Those pictures make my heart swell!!! Amazing!! :heart3:

 

[jcribbs]

Thank you guys and Merry Xmas to yall too!

And with Jimmy, it was all about patience and never pushing him further than he was willing to go.  I truely believe that.   I  have always let him call the shots and I have always been just the person who fed him and talked to him "for years".  If I had pushed him, he would never have came near me because of his intense fear of people.  I had never seen a cat that was more afraid that Jimmy when I first got him. 

But even when his fear left as far as myself and even my husband, he still did not allow much touching. It has always been a rare thing.  And purring never occurred.  But now -- this is like a dam has burst....  He can't get enough of it now and boy can he purr!!  He hasn't purred in years and now that's all he does.  I can hear it from across the room and I  know he is happy!!

He talks now too.  It warms my heart so much to hear him meow at me.   And he meows at me now every single day.   It's like my signal of him saying "Come here please.."

Ellie, I also want to sincerely thank you for trusting me with Jimmy's care and allowing me to be his care giver.  You saw something in him that noone else did and you were right. God bless you dear for your kind and giving heart!  Jimmy has been a blessing in my life and I have learned as much from Jimmy as he has from me. Adult Ferals are  like their own breed of cat.  Their love, when they share it, is very very special..

Jenn

 

[jcribbs]

He is still progressing and moving forward with his decision to be "socialized" at least where I am concerned ......  he is now sleeping behind my head at night.  He is also allowing me to rest my arm over his body while we "sleep".....

But another thing he does while I am resting my arm on him is that he opens his mouth and rubs his teeth on me or lightly holds my arm for a second or two with his teeth.  It's not a bite.  It's more like he is touching me with his teeth.  It is very non agressive.  I'm not sure what he is telling me but it does not appear threatening.  I think he is communicating with me on some feral level but I have never experienced this before with my other cats....  I'm not sure what he is telling me but he is communicating with me.  That much is obvious.  I thought this was pretty interesting.  This is something new that he is doing.  He only started doing this a few days ago.  Has anyone ever had a cat do this?  I have had and still have many cats but none have ever done this before. 

 

[barbgee]

What a perfect coincidence that this is the first thread I see today!  I was just fretting a bit about the adult feral that I've taken in, wondering if I will EVER be able to pick her up, or have her on my lap.  Your experiences show me that changes can happen, even with older kitties.  My Kitty, now that she is in the house for ~ 2 months, will do what you describe with grabbing my arm or hand with her paws and ever-so-gently will bite my hand.  My understanding is that this is an invitation to some play.  I'm very careful to watch her tail, eyes and ears, and see if she is getting too excited or wound up when she does that.  It's usually if I've been gently scratching her under her chin, cheeks, forehead, and then I stop.  It's as if she's saying, "MORE!  NOW!".  It's not really biting at all, but I don't want to encourage too much mouth play, so I back off my hand and let her calm down.

Progress is so slow sometimes with these kitties, and the reminder that patience and not pushing needs to be repeated in my head over and over.  She now will jump up onto the bed (she's a recent amputee) and lie down stretched out next to my leg.  She's so funnny; she will not go to the other side of the bed.  She will place herself so that her head is either just a few inches too far from my hand, or she'll turn and have her head up under my armpit, where I can't pet her that way, either!

Nice work!  Enjoy your successes!

 

[jcribbs]

That is so awesome Barbgee!!  It sounds like she is coming right along since you are petting her now.  She will be in your lap in no time.  My best advise for adult feral owners is let them pick the pace.  Offer your love but never push it at them.  Let it always be on their terms.  It WILL happen!!

Good luck dear, Jenn