Monday, September 09, 2013

Cats! Mine.

Dano, in my bathroom, this morning, door open.
Now that his fleas are dead again, I try to let Dano out of the bathroom for a few, to see how my cats will behave towards him.  He's good with them, tries not to create issues, but you know some of my cats, how they are....
Sam eyes Dano (Shaulin in background) with a jealous eye.
Butt Sniff amongst friends.  Sam and Shaulin are good friends, but Sam wanted to eat first, so came the butt sniff, which sometimes can mean "move aside, I'm first".
Panda Posing!
Panda and her brother, Soloman, are now almost 8 years old.  Time flies so fast.  Hard to believe most of the cats here would now be considered senior citizens.

I have three "most ancients":  Hairy, the feral someone trapped in Corvallis and took to Heartland to be killed, only they didn't kill him, they tried to find him somewhere to go.  I took him, as I thought I had somewhere for him, but I had to retrieve him from there.  He took an entire year to adjust and now is living the good life and still loves his chow, which is how we made friends in the first place.

Heartland had said the people who brought him in said he'd come through their cat door, wanting food and then would fight with their cat for food.  So, when I first took him from Heartland, in a trap, I quickly opened the trap and slipped in a plate with wet food on it.  He stared me down, then gulped it down.  I gave him another.  So we were friends then. I knew what he wanted.  He was a big boy and hungry is all!  And had been for some time, probably since whomever had him fixed (he was already ear tipped when he arrived at Heartland), left him behind.  But he is not young, probably at least 12, and likely much older than 12.

Vision is at least 19. Another of my three "most ancients".  And my beloved Electra, at 14, is feeling her age, and not as active as she once was.  Miss Daisy is older now too.  She is 12 and that makes me sad, because she is my beloved.  Gretal is now 8 years old.  How time flies.

I do not know how old Sam is.  He was an adult when I found him abandoned in Millersburg, with Oci (and many others whom I found homes for, when a woman abandoned the cats and her trailer).  Sam is probably between 7 and 10 years of age.  Oci, however, from the same place, was only 8 months old or so at that time she came here.  So she's only about six years old now.

Largely, this is a senior citizen assisted living center for cats.  And people.  I taint young myself.

Juno, from the seed warehouse, still adores her new life here.
Calamity!

Calamity was one of three kittens born not far from where I live to an abandoned mother cat.  She was born feral.  Her brother was killed by a dog.  Her sister, a Siamese mix, got a home quickly.  Calamity didn't.  So here she remains.

Guess Who?
You would not think a group of cats as I have here could live together in relative peace and be so happy and mostly, healthy.  People cannot fathom this could be, when they might have two or three cats who fight and pee mark.  I do have pee marking that goes on sometimes, but not that often anymore.  And fighting, not often either and that's usually when someone feels left out or we're not playing enough.  More attention, more play, and treating hairballs usually resolves spatting issues.  I don't tolerate bullying and send the bully into time out, first for a few hours, and if repeat occurs, for a day, or even up to three days.  The bully cage is either in the garage or inside, in a corner.  Usually, it is not needed.

I think it is a combination the cats love here, of having lots of friends, so they are never alone, sleep in piles, and play wildly together.  That combined with lots of exercise, with all the cat runs and access to the cat yard and cat climbs and interactive play with me, I think that helps them stay happy and healthy.  I don't have money to buy them premium food, so it must be the exercise, play and having friends.

It astounds me too, that so many cats can live in peace together, have so much fun and be so happy that when I adopt one out, they sulk and cry, and when returned here, if the adoption fails, race around for joy in circles and go into celebration (with their friends).  What a dilemma for me.  Someone told me once they have too much fun here and if I want adoptions to work out better, I should cut down on all the play, make life harder for them, so they don't mind leaving.

Nah.

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