Once Upon A Time ~ Scardy a.k.a. Blackie's Story

Once upon a cat there was a time when this one was the most abused and sad barn cat I'd seen in some time. He was absolutely terrified of me and every cat on the colony! He'd run from everyone without hesitation. I could not come even remotely close to where he was or he'd be gone like a shot. Over a few months this summer, I won his confidence with food, talking to him, sitting close by and offering my hand so he'd realize that hands don't always hurt. Every barn cat was mean, if not cruel to him. For whatever the reason he wasn't accepted by any of them. He was hit, snarled at, hissed in his face, chased away, beat up and forced out of shelter in the worst kind of weather. Morning after morning, I'd find him hunkered down on my patio in what little shelter it gave and depending on the food and milk I provided.

In summer, I'd leave the patio door open so he could venture in. Once he was comfortable with that, I closed the door once on him and he, realizing that he couldn't get out ran from door to living room window smashing his nose to a bloody pulp on both before he calmed down enough to see that he was not going to be harmed. He stayed away for a few days after that but came back and this time I was able to approach and pet him. When I picked him up, he tucked himself into a protective ball so I made a point of holding and cuddling him until he became more relaxed with being handled. 

Today;

I rescued him from an existence
of abandonment and cruelty. Its amazing the change in him now that he was given a little help and shelter.  He is expressly an 'indoor' cat now that he has adopted us as his owners. My other cats still hiss and yowl at him, but he has the most gentle way of totally ignoring them!

 
Especially Sassy!

She's my SCREAMER! 
And none too pleased with any cat she feels does not belong.



I think it really annoys her the way he ignores her nastiness and goes about the house like its his home too, in spite of her opinions. He finally stopped the constant hiding a few months ago and pretty much acts like ~ he's home now! This past year has seen all but one kitten (she's too young) spayed and neutered on the dairy, including Blackie ~~ renamed from Scardy. Only lost two cats to a deadly cat virus; one of them, this grey one's brother...(whom I was very sorry to lose)

 
Now Blackie and he play together ~ first time Blackie's ever had a playmate and acceptance by another cat! 

Blackie's own brother, the only sibling I knew of that he had, was put down this fall because of the same deadly cat retrovirus that the grey one in this photo's, brother was put down for. They have something in common these too... they both lost there brothers to sickness. Now, they are best friends who horse around playing tag all over the house!! 

 So here he is, being a little sweetheart. Happy in the home he's been accepted into.

Catspaw

 

2.5 Growlers, A Screamer and A Beggar!

Of my four cats, three of which are female, I have two and a half Growlers, a Screamer and the beggar is usually two of the four.

When was the last time you heard a cat scream?  There really isn't a sound like it and it can't be mimicked by human vocal cords. If I absolutely had to part with any of them, only Winston could relocate and there is no way I'm parting with him!

Wondering which are which yet?

Winston is my male tabby and he's the biggest darling you will ever meet.

Sassy, on the other hand...

She's my Screamer! No cat screams like Sassy!  She sets the entire household on edge with her screams and she screams when any cat, other then ours are around. Yesterday she didn't realize that she was laying beside a grey barncat in the office, when he moved and touched her, she screamed. She is also one of my growlers. Poor Winston, he's surrounded with moody females, each with a temper and he's always getting snapped at or a whack on the nose for no reason. He always exits the room as fast as catly possible and with as much dignity as he can keep intact.

You would look at Emerald, sitting on the chair and think to yourself, what a beautiful cat!  Well...

Depends how you like your cat personalities.

She is my Chief growler.

She absolutely HATES to be picked up and will growl at you for it! Come to think of it, she hates a lot of things. She growls if you pet her when she doesn't want it, she growls if you pick her up, she growls if you don't give in to her demands, she growls if you let other cats into the house, if you've touched an alien cat and then have the audacity to pet her... Ya, well, you get the picture. Emmy will not only beg food from you, she will down right take it off your plate if you're not watching. We love her anyway ~ we kinda have no choice!

Molly and Winston are pictured here ~ Mom and son, though half the time you wouldn't think so. 

Molly comes in a close second in the growler department but with something added ~ a Real Catattuide! Molly is one of those cats who believes the world and more importantly, that we in particular, owe her a living. She is the principal one to give Winston a cuff, a slap, a whack, a growl whenever she sees fit. She is very Moody and a very particular beggar. There are only certain things she demands and she demands them, incessantly. Molly is also very animated, she will come and ask to be let outside and will ask persistently if you don't do it right away.

That leaves my Winston...

Gifted with the sweetest disposition that the females lack, he's become far more vocal since he's been neutered. He 'puts up with' his mother ~ Molly, Sassy and her daughter Emerald. He's a strategist though, when they start with the growling, screaming or bopping ~ he's OUTTA HERE! He will only growl if the barn cats come too close.

As you can well imagine there is seldom a dull or reasonably quiet moment to be had in this house, especially with the constant invasion of about four barncats who like to spend the day inside sleeping and out of the cold and wet where they usually spend their nights. Its been a slow process but my cats have learnt toleration. That, of course, does not mean always acceptance of the rule of sharing what they consider their exclusive territory. Oh well.

Catspaw

Quick Update On Sassy

On February 24th Sassy and Winston were spayed and neutered. Sassy hasn't been feeling good over these past 5 days, she's been experiencing some pain and discomfort, though no infection. She also had a adverse reaction to coming out of the anesthetic; the after affects stayed with her longer. 

The whole rest of the day and night of the 24th she was so dopey she couldn't walk straight and kept falling over then laying there until I came and picked her up. I put her back in her carrier to keep her from trying to wander the house. Her ears where too cold and the instructions said to keep her warm because she was unable to regulate her body temperature until the drug wore off completely. I still had to keep her warm over these past few days.

Now its exactly a week later and she has improved enough to play and is resting comfortably. 

Treat time

Her appetite suffered a little but she always was a small and delicate eater. She seems somewhat confused about her treats and usually eats only half of them; its almost like she is losing her taste for these special morsels. She eats them because the other three do so she follows their lead.

Incision in Sassy's tummy

This is the incision area and its clean with no infection and healing well. 
I am glad the pain has passed for her and she is starting to feel better. 
This same operation did not affect Molly or Emerald the same way, I believe its because Sassy is such a tiny cat and has never had much weight to her that she suffered more from the post-surgery than they did. 

nap attack!

So just to let my readers know that Sassy is steadily improving from her surgery and is feeling much better. 








Catspaw

Barn Cats And a Yellow Lab

I might have told you this before but we live on a small dairy that is also a registered cat colony and there is one dog, a yellow lab who also calls it home. Its not immediately obvious that its a cat colony because most of the cats wander across the road into the bush and the dairy itself is fairly large. Many of the cats have been spayed and neutered but there are a few who refuse to be caught, so every spring a certain amount of kittens are to be expected. For those females who will allow it, the owner's wife takes care of her and the litter but there are some that are feral and are content, it seems, to remain that way. Its a job to even find the little ones when they are of age to be fixed and traps have to be set for them as they are not all people-friendly.

One of Rory's buddies

The barn cats follow him everywhere

Rory, the yellow lab doesn't like anyone to notice the fact that he likes the cats. They are always around his feet and follow him wherever he goes. He gets very embarrassed when its he's being watched with his little buddies. Its funny to watch him almost trip over them when the larger kittens are walking in and through his legs because he's so careful not to step on them. 


Rory is a big lovable mooch but he's also terrified of thunder and will mow you down if you're in the room with him; strangely, he won't hurt the cats.


Catspaw

Well Written Ads Successfully Find Homes for Cats and Kittens

You’ve raised the kittens and it’s time to leave the nest. You have rescued a stray and it’s time to find a good home; what should happen next? To find them a loving home advertising for free, is the quickest way to go, on the more popular classified search engine sites. 

First, find a website like Kijiji where you can advertise everything from selling toasters to giving away kitty’s to good households, read the guidelines and write a really great ad. When I had a litter from my unspayed females to find new residences for (they have since been spayed) and when I rescued three throwaways that were tossed from a car near the dairy we live on, I posted ads on Kijiji that got three hundred responses within the first two to three days and phone calls/emails inquiring about them the same day. Since then, I have successfully found homes for fourteen kittens, three of which were strays and one six month old fixed male cat. How did I do it? Read on. 

Knowing me for the writer I am, I like to include a bit of a story about them that catches people’s attention and I always include the cutest pictures I take from a bunch that I have. I like Kijiji because I can write more than on some of these sites and I can easily update my ad with changes. Here is an ad I wrote for a stray cat that came round one night – yes, of course I took him in. 

“3 weeks ago a 6 month old (my husband estimates his age as 6 months), Fixed, white multi colored cat was abandoned at the farm and has been wandering from house to house ever since looking for someone who will accept him. He is clearly an indoor cat and has been trying to live outside in the barn ever since. The other cats here do not accept him so he's been getting rough treatment from them. I was able to catch him and he's very grateful to be indoors again, as he's not used to the harsh cold outside. He's unusual with a large head and large paws, six toes on each paw! He is healthy. His temperament is VERY loving and gentle. Even after such terrible treatment, he's very responsive to human kindness and compassion.

Please, I know he's not a tiny kitten but he is still a kitten. At only 6 months old, he is as loving as one. He would adapt well to a home with no other animals or to one with younger animals. I believe he would be no trouble around children. He really needs a home and with the Christmas Season soon to be passed, sometimes human compassion passes as well. I would love to keep him but I already have 4 cats and they are not taking kindly to his presence. I have to keep him separated, in a cold porch, by himself, visiting him once in a while until someone claims him and calls him their own. He desperately needs a new home! Please, someone, give him one. He is litter box trained.

Please contact me by email or phone to see him. I will give cat food and kibble to the new owner of this homeless baby.”

Although this seems like a lot of text to include in an ad and I usually write a little less, I included this much because this cat is older and most people want kittens. It’s more the content than the length that got me the results I wanted for this older stray. I have found that telling a story about the animal helps people understand the urgency of finding a loving home for it. This extends to any animal be it cat, dog or bird. The time of year also seems to have a bearing on an ad’s success.  I wrote this one at Christmas last year when it was popular to give a kitten as a gift. If necessary I will keep the animal for a little longer until the new owner can collect it and I usually offer canned cat food or kibble when they come. Because it was the first cat for the new owner, I put together a small 'care kit', he couldn't believe I'd done that and was very appreciative. I have had an email since, the cat has had a vet visit and is doing very well. His new master is happy with him.

Catspaw