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For those of you sitting on the edges of your seats on virtual pins and needles consumed with the need to know what's going on with my "new" cats, I give you this.
Lucy continues to completely blow me away with her friendliness and need for attention. This is the same little cat who hated to be touched and wouldn't come anywhere near me before Monday. Now, she meows at me constantly, rams her head into my legs or feet or knees or hands...basically anything she has ready access to.
And the nibbling! She is fond of using her teeth to get my attention. If I don't immediately reach down with a ready ear-scritch, she's got one of my toes in her mouth chomping down on it. Or a finger. And if there's nothing she can get her mouth around, she reaches up with claws extended and rakes them across my leg. It's lovely. Really.
I was afraid that nibbling would transfer to wires and cables, but so far, she's shown no inclination to nibble anything but me.
She has discovered that treats are good.
Although Granddaddy had a 32" television and ran it at max volume all day long, Lucy is completely fascinated by The Television <reverent chord> and yet terrified of it at the same time. Matt is unanimously against The Television <reverent chord>.
When I turn it on, if Lucy's in the room, she stops whatever she's doing and stares at The Television <reverent chord> intently. If it makes a sudden sound, she flinches, and has even run from the room.
While it's being relatively quiet, she stares at the bright, moving images with rapt attention.
She won't sit in my lap, but she seems to like sitting in The Chair <evil chord> between my legs. And kneads, her claws fully extended.
You barely notice her missing leg because she manages to get around quite well without it. She hops instead of running, so she's easy to make out if I'm downstairs and she's upstairs. The only time it has become relevant was when I invited her up on bed, not taking the missing leg into account. So, she grabbed the bed with both front paws, all claws extended, and climbed it instead of leaping nimbly up like most cats. Handicapped? She doesn't know the meaning of the word. (Literally, but we won't go there.)
She is going to kill me at some point, because she wants to walk between my feet when I'm walking, and she's fond of darting through a door just as I'm going through. It's only a matter of time before she trips me. She's also dark gray. I like to keep my house fairly dark. My other two cats were white. Easy to see in dim light, such as light leaking in from two rooms away or from a computer monitor. Lucy is completely invisible in the dark. I'm so afraid I'm going to step on her that I've started leaving lights on that I wouldn't normally. Again, this is only after three days. I train well. :-/
Matt is a large, yellow tabby with a coward's heart. :) He wants desperately to get some attention, but can't quite overcome his abject terror. He peeps around corners at me, and if I make eye contact, he darts away. He seems to live behind things: the couch, the other chair, the kitchen island, etc. I never see him except fleetingly.
Last night for the first time, he actually came when I called him, walked past The Chair <evil chord>, allowed me to touch him and even pet him briefly, and then the DVD I was watching made a noise and it was goodbye Matt.
He wanted a can of cat food so badly last night that he knocked the garbage can over in the kitchen and (apparently) licked the last can I opened until there was nothing left in it. This morning, he wanted another one, but because he's terrified of me, Lucy got all of the can. :) Food will probably be my way "in" to Matt. He's a monster of a cat, probably weighing in at 15 - 17 pounds. That's Gremlin-sized.
Lucy has chosen the upstairs as her domain and Matt has the downstairs. They're not territorial; this just seems to be where they prefer to hang out. For now.
Neither of them are "players." They were basically feral as kittens, and feral cats actually grow up past the "playing" stage, whereas our pampered housecats do not (as a rule). I have tried to interest them in some of the toys I still have lying around, and neither of them even looks at the toy. They watch my hand. For food/treats. I have not tried cat nip.
Lucy has the same habit Taz had of going off by himself and then yowling in a panic-stricken tone until I called him. She comes running when I call her, and then continues to meow at me in kind of an accusing/remonstrative tone. (Those of you with cats understand this tone. Those without will probably never "get it." :)
Both of them have been conditioned from long years of living with Granddaddy and Nanny not to dally in a doorway. If I open the refrigerator or pantry or bathroom, they don't dart in. I'll bet either one or both of them have gotten shut into places or nearly lost their heads or tails in "suddenly closing door" accidents in the past. At least that's good.
So, all in all, it's going remarkably well, considering that I was 180 degrees wrong. I thought Matt would be the first to come around and that Lucy would remain shy and timid. :)
Lucy continues to completely blow me away with her friendliness and need for attention. This is the same little cat who hated to be touched and wouldn't come anywhere near me before Monday. Now, she meows at me constantly, rams her head into my legs or feet or knees or hands...basically anything she has ready access to.
And the nibbling! She is fond of using her teeth to get my attention. If I don't immediately reach down with a ready ear-scritch, she's got one of my toes in her mouth chomping down on it. Or a finger. And if there's nothing she can get her mouth around, she reaches up with claws extended and rakes them across my leg. It's lovely. Really.
I was afraid that nibbling would transfer to wires and cables, but so far, she's shown no inclination to nibble anything but me.
She has discovered that treats are good.
Although Granddaddy had a 32" television and ran it at max volume all day long, Lucy is completely fascinated by The Television <reverent chord> and yet terrified of it at the same time. Matt is unanimously against The Television <reverent chord>.
When I turn it on, if Lucy's in the room, she stops whatever she's doing and stares at The Television <reverent chord> intently. If it makes a sudden sound, she flinches, and has even run from the room.
While it's being relatively quiet, she stares at the bright, moving images with rapt attention.
She won't sit in my lap, but she seems to like sitting in The Chair <evil chord> between my legs. And kneads, her claws fully extended.
You barely notice her missing leg because she manages to get around quite well without it. She hops instead of running, so she's easy to make out if I'm downstairs and she's upstairs. The only time it has become relevant was when I invited her up on bed, not taking the missing leg into account. So, she grabbed the bed with both front paws, all claws extended, and climbed it instead of leaping nimbly up like most cats. Handicapped? She doesn't know the meaning of the word. (Literally, but we won't go there.)
She is going to kill me at some point, because she wants to walk between my feet when I'm walking, and she's fond of darting through a door just as I'm going through. It's only a matter of time before she trips me. She's also dark gray. I like to keep my house fairly dark. My other two cats were white. Easy to see in dim light, such as light leaking in from two rooms away or from a computer monitor. Lucy is completely invisible in the dark. I'm so afraid I'm going to step on her that I've started leaving lights on that I wouldn't normally. Again, this is only after three days. I train well. :-/
Matt is a large, yellow tabby with a coward's heart. :) He wants desperately to get some attention, but can't quite overcome his abject terror. He peeps around corners at me, and if I make eye contact, he darts away. He seems to live behind things: the couch, the other chair, the kitchen island, etc. I never see him except fleetingly.
Last night for the first time, he actually came when I called him, walked past The Chair <evil chord>, allowed me to touch him and even pet him briefly, and then the DVD I was watching made a noise and it was goodbye Matt.
He wanted a can of cat food so badly last night that he knocked the garbage can over in the kitchen and (apparently) licked the last can I opened until there was nothing left in it. This morning, he wanted another one, but because he's terrified of me, Lucy got all of the can. :) Food will probably be my way "in" to Matt. He's a monster of a cat, probably weighing in at 15 - 17 pounds. That's Gremlin-sized.
Lucy has chosen the upstairs as her domain and Matt has the downstairs. They're not territorial; this just seems to be where they prefer to hang out. For now.
Neither of them are "players." They were basically feral as kittens, and feral cats actually grow up past the "playing" stage, whereas our pampered housecats do not (as a rule). I have tried to interest them in some of the toys I still have lying around, and neither of them even looks at the toy. They watch my hand. For food/treats. I have not tried cat nip.
Lucy has the same habit Taz had of going off by himself and then yowling in a panic-stricken tone until I called him. She comes running when I call her, and then continues to meow at me in kind of an accusing/remonstrative tone. (Those of you with cats understand this tone. Those without will probably never "get it." :)
Both of them have been conditioned from long years of living with Granddaddy and Nanny not to dally in a doorway. If I open the refrigerator or pantry or bathroom, they don't dart in. I'll bet either one or both of them have gotten shut into places or nearly lost their heads or tails in "suddenly closing door" accidents in the past. At least that's good.
So, all in all, it's going remarkably well, considering that I was 180 degrees wrong. I thought Matt would be the first to come around and that Lucy would remain shy and timid. :)
Tags:
YAY!!!
Yay! For cats!
no subject
I also picked up several sets of pet stairs once Salem had the stroke... they're handy for letting older cats get to higher places. You could also just put up a pet ramp parallel to the side of the bed using a single 2x4. :D
Glad Lucy's gotten all lovey! I'm sure Matt will settle in in no time.
no subject
(The internet is for porn ... and pictures of your cats.)
no subject
That tripping thing is going to get Buttermilk killed one of these days. The minute anyone starts walking around he does the 'figure 8' through our legs as we walk. I've never had a 'figure 8-er' before so this is new cat behavior for me.
Of course, like our other cat, he loves to run and fall down right in front of where you are walking. When you step over him, he jumps up runs in front of you and falls down again. Another action that is going to get him killed one of these days. Or me, tripping over him!:D
no subject