Pawley - and all of us - could use your vibes

[sweetthangtx]

I'm so excited about Pawley's progress. I think he probably tossed the mouse on purpose. Me thinks your new boy has a sense of humor. I can't wait for the next installment. Can you install a cat cam so we don't miss anything? Some of the best stuff probably happens in the middle of the night.

I know that at our house it can be all nice and quiet and about 11 pm it begins to sound like an army is invading.

The photo is two of the midnight marauders. The dark one is Bailey the lighter one is his brother Sunny.

It's all bumps and thumps and little cat feet dashing across the bed. I can never understand how a five or six pound cat that can sneak up on a bird or a bug can sound like a storm trooper just getting from point a to point b. A lot of the travel is airborne too. You have to be on the lookout for flying cats at our place.

image.jpg

• sweetthangtx
• Feb 21, 2014

 

[stewball]

I'm my mind murple is the little sound that

Like a chirrup?

























your cat makes that is sort of a trill. One of my cats does it mostly when he is looking for someone to play with. It sort of has a question mark at the end of it.

He also has a distinctive meow that he uses when there is something that he wants that he cannot get to. For instance, he may spot " da bird" toy up on a shelf and is asking us to get it down. He also sits and stares at the skylights in the house and plaintively asks why he can't reach them.

 

[ldg]

It's all bumps and thumps and little cat feet dashing across the bed. I can never understand how a five or six pound cat that can sneak up on a bird or a bug can sound like a storm trooper just getting from point a to point b. A lot of the travel is airborne too. You have to be on the lookout for flying cats at our place.

Right? :lol3: It's amazing!!!!

No, no video cam. We have cameras, but they're old and not easily hooked up to the laptop.

But yes - you're right. I think he's got a sense of humor. He has the CUTEST head tilts, and this sparkle in his eye....

 

[ldg]

I have always used the crate and your experience is perfect proof of how well it really works for the feral to adjust to the people in the house AND the beginning of safe introductions. To me, it is the best way to socialize and acclimate a feral kitty to becoming part of the family and indoor life. It really moves things along much more quickly than the safe room technique. :happy3: A gentle way to "force" them to be part of the family. :heart2:

I think you're right about Billy planning the invasion. He did it again today. :lol3: This time Pawley acknowledged him and they rubbed noses. Then Billy got upset I wanted him out of there. :lol3:

And I was never a fan of the crate method - but it was, obviously, because I'd never used it. I thought they'd feel like they were on display and make them more fearful. But with a place to hide inside the crate... this works!

 

[goholistic]

I enjoy reading these updates.

Laurie, I just realized you'll have to add Pawley's name to your signature! 

 

[ldg]

I enjoy reading these updates.

Laurie, I just realized you'll have to add Pawley's name to your signature! 

Oh my - you're right! I also have to create a cat page for him. Might wait until he's out of the crate.

 

[stewball]

Oh my - you're right! I also have to create a cat page for him. Might wait until he's
out of the crate.

How do you create cat pages?

 

[ldg]

I don't know how to do it from a phone - not sure if it's in the menu. But from a PC or laptop, up at the top of the page, under The Cat Site logo, is a row of options:

Home, Forums, Reviews, Articles, Cat Pages, Gallery, Blog, My Profile

Just click on cat pages!

 

[ldg]

Pawley had his first "outside cage" experience last night.

We decided Pawley was ready to begin to brave the world outside of his cage last evening. Gary picked him up IN his hidey bed, and brought it/him to the bedroom. We sat up in bed, Pawley on Gary's lap. He buried himself under the pillow in the hidey bed. Gary reached in there to pet him, and Pawley finally poked his head out - looked around all wide-eyed. He decided he could relax. He never did purr, and he slept for most of it - he got lots of pets. :heart2:

Billy, Tuxedo, Chumley, and Ming Loy all came by to investigate. There were some nose touches, and Pawley slept through Tuxie and Ming Loy checking him out. No one seemed put out. He went back to his cage for (late night) dinner, and appeared no worse for his first foray into the world outside of his cage.

_Pawley first out of cage 140223.jpg

• ldg
• Feb 24, 2014

 

[stewball]

Thank you. I'll get on my PC soon.

 

[ldg]

Oh - an his bacterial infection is NOT cleared up. I picked up zenequin today.


AND we now know for sure he's "met" Lazlo.

_Pawley and Lazlo 140224am.jpg

• ldg
• Feb 24, 2014

OH! And Shelly followed Billy's example - he jumped in Pawley's cage yesterday. :lol3: He was most interested in the litter box. He and Pawley did touch noses, and Pawley reached out his paw at him, and Shel understood he wasn't being aggressive. I didn't want to "manhandle" Shelly out of there, so I left the door open and grabbed some treats. Shel hightailed it out of there right quick for a bit of freeze dried chicken.

 

[tammyp]

Your Pawley stories make a great bright bit in my day!  So good!!

 

[sweetthangtx]

Aww that is such a nice gentle way to let him see a bit of the outside of the crate world. I love hearing about his achievements.

 

[lrosewiles]

Way to go Pawley!  What a guy to socialize so quickly after all his trials and tribulations.  Bet you're glad he's happy inside with yet another dratted "Polar Vortex" bearing down on us! 

 

[feralvr]

Pawley had his first "outside cage" experience last night.

Billy, Tuxedo, Chumley, and Ming Loy all came by to investigate. There were some nose touches, and Pawley slept through Tuxie and Ming Loy checking him out. No one seemed put out.

_Pawley first out of cage 140223.jpg

• ldg
• Feb 24, 2014

BIG HAPPY SMILE - yup - on my face. :happy3: Really, this could not have gone ANY better anywhere else and this is SOOOOOOO amazing and astonishing that I think I may faint. :lol3: REALLY, REALLY WONDERFUL, Laurie AND Gary. AND - good for Billy (whom I am not surprised was involved in the snuggling session), Tuxie, Chumley (who knows better than him how Pawley feels :rub and MINGLE !!!!!! :heart3:

 

[feralvr]

_Pawley and Lazlo 140224am.jpg

• ldg
• Feb 24, 2014

:lol3: AWW look at Lazlo. :heart3: :heart2: The cool thing is that Pawley is a bit above everyone else but doesn't seem to take advantage of it by being authoritative, not in the least!!! Shel had it right - go directly to that litter box and sniff around. LOTS of information in there. Really, I am just beaming with smiles and sunshine :sun: over these updates.

----> MEGA for Pawley's bacterial infection to clear with the Zenequin. :cross:

 

[ldg]

The zenequin, knock wood, seems to be doing the job. :cross:


Things with Pawley are progressing slowly. :rub: It's pretty clear - integrating him as part of the family with his territory being the rest of our home is going to take a LOT longer than anyone was thinking.

He is DEFINITELY a feral cat that has never been inside before. The problem is NOT the other cats. That's all fine. The problem is his fear, poor little guy! I don't know what he was like before his broken leg - but let's remember - he chose to live solely under the RV, living in that shelter day in and day out for months and months and months.

We had him in the bedroom for the first time WITHOUT his hidey bed over the weekend, and he was too scared to even really look around. He huddled up in Gary's lap and closed his eyes tight! He did relax as Gary petted him - but never purred (which he does almost immediately when we pet him in his cage). We could leave a cage door open - probably forever - and I doubt he'd leave it. If we took the litter box away, I suspect he'd go in there rather than seek out the boxes just outside and lower than his cage. Poor baby boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He did much better then next day - but he is still sooooooooooooo tense. :rub: We're doing both TV on and TV off - but wow it really freaks him out!

So we've decided to bring him out more often - and no more petting him in the cage, no more playing with him in the cage (not for any length of time, anyway. :heart2: ).

We're going to start feeding him one meal a day outside the cage (in the bedroom, with Gary), the dinner time meal. He can live in his cage (for now) - but he's not going to get anything more (well - not much more ) than a bed and a litter box in there at this point. Well - two meals a day, at first.

The idea, anyway, is to provide all kinds of incentives to expand his territory outside of the cage, and little incentive to stay in there.

 

[jcat]

That sounds like a good plan. He's come so far already that I'm sure he'll eventually become less dependent on his "safe haven".

 

[stewball]

The zenequin, knock wood, seems to be doing the job. :cross:


Things with Pawley are progressing slowly. :rub: It's pretty clear - integrating him as part of the family with his territory being the rest of our home is going to take a LOT longer than anyone was thinking.

He is DEFINITELY a feral cat that has never been inside before. The problem is NOT the other cats. That's all fine. The problem is his fear, poor little guy! I don't know what he was like before his broken leg - but let's remember - he chose to live solely under the RV, living in that shelter day in and day out for months and months and months.

We had him in the bedroom for the first time WITHOUT his hidey bed over the weekend, and he was too scared to even really look around. He huddled up in Gary's lap and closed his eyes tight! He did relax as Gary petted him - but never purred (which he does almost immediately when we pet him in his cage). We could leave a cage door open - probably forever - and I doubt he'd leave it. If we took the litter box away, I suspect he'd go in there rather than seek out the boxes just outside and lower than his cage. Poor baby boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He did much better then next day - but he is still sooooooooooooo tense. :rub: We're doing both TV on and TV off - but wow it really freaks him out!

So we've decided to bring him out more often - and no more petting him in the cage, no more playing with him in the cage (not for any length of time, anyway. :heart2: ).

We're going to start feeding him one meal a day outside the cage (in the bedroom, with Gary), the dinner time meal. He can live in his cage (for now) - but he's not going to get anything more (well - not much more ) than a bed and a litter box in there at this point. Well - two meals a day, at first.

The idea, anyway, is to provide all kinds of incentives to expand his territory outside of the cage, and little incentive to stay in there.

And water :-)

 

[stewball]

I hadn't even considered this. I also know they use those loops that go around their necks. I see potential problems with both, especially having no experience. But we will DEFINITELY chat with the vet about this - they may lend us something!

What's an RV?