Pads Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Those of you who know me know I took on a 4 year old ginger tom a year and half ago. He had not had a happy home life and it took me a while to get him to trust me and my husband , He spent the first 3 weeks sat on the landing window ledge glaring at us because we wouldnt let him out , He soon took to the dog , who is a real softy but would only play with her on the landing , not down stairs . I tried really hard plying with loads of great food , brought toys and nice cosy bed and tunnel to hide in when he wanted to be alone ...and plenty of gentle hugs ear rubbing and strokes. When the Day came for us to let him out for the first time we were scared he wouldnt return , we let him out at 10am and by 6pm after not seeing him all day I cried with the worry thinking he would be lost or run over or just didnt want to come back to us . Finally he turned up at 8pm and for the first time rubbed him self against my leg asking for some tea .....I cried again with relief .....After a few months he still wouldnt come and sit in the living room with us in the evenings preferring to sit on the landing or in the dogs bed in the kitchen , then it was time of year to light the fire , he showed some interest in it and soon came to sit in the room with us but not on our laps ... I started a game with him as he was always on the landing where I would pretend to sneak up the stairs wiggling my fingers through the rails and making funny noises just peeking my eyes over the top and bobbing back down , he loved this bum in the air , tail waggling , eyes on stalks , he would pounce on my fingers and kill them ..... then I would lay on the floor on the landing and pretend to be asleep he would come over and snuggle a little ....I knew I was making progress...Imagine my surprise one evening , Id gone to bed early was watching telly with the lights out , and I felt him jump up on the bed he came high up on my cheast almost nose to nose he fell asleep on me ....I was so chuffed , then in his sleep his little paw reached out and touched the side of my face , it broke my heat and i just wanted to hug him so tight but was to scared to wake him....Imagine my joy when I took this ....photo [IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z22/pads_03/IMG_5600.jpg[/IMG] (feel free to nose at the rest of my pic's plenty more of him and other things) Hubby was so proud it was the first time he had fallen asleep on him He is now a very loving cat and adores hubby and the dog but has some very strange habits , one while asleep in his bed his tail waves around in his sleep like a seperate animal or a charmed snake .Some times he storms into the house looking fuming , boxes the poor dogs face and moves her off her bed so he can have it .or will storm up to me or hubby and bite us really hard for no reason. where every he can reach leg hand face . He also empties all his biscuits out of the bowl with his paw on to the floor then comes asking for more food to be put in his bowl ... He wont have his window shut , if you do he stands either side of it asking to be let in or out even if he has just come in or out already ... Suddenly for no reason other than to scare the wits out of me ...he will scream really loudly then stare at me as if to say do some thing ...not sure wot ?He likes to follow me and the dog on our walks , but it made me so nervous on the road that I decided to try and teach him to walk on the lead ...he took to it like a duck to water ..which was useful for his first trip to france with me last year . as I could walk them both at service stations and could walk him around our area in France for a few days to be sure he knew where home was and its been perfect. he comes for trips out in the car and sits at the table outside cafe's as f he has always done it . It took him a year to bring me his first mouse ...now they are none stop. Im sure he loves us now but it took time.Some times he sits and looks so sad and stares into space , I wish I knew why ....so I could tell him he is safe now and we will always love him. Never known one like him but wouldnt be with out him now , So if any one is thinking about adopting a older cat please do they come with odd behavoiur but are so so worth it ...I hope I have brought some joy into his little life ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 How lovely, Pads. After all the hard work and patience you have put in, it's finally paid off. And a bruised little animal is now a (reasonably!) well rounded and happy domestic cat.[:D]Well done! Chrissie (81) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louis Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 What a beautiful story Pads. It just goes to show what patience can do for an animal.Well done to you and your husband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJT Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Pads, he is so lovely and of course lucky! Well done for your patience and kindness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Thanks for the replies , I just wanted to point out that taking on a older cat can be so rewarding and amusing ( so adopt a stray today !! ) ...... now who is the P...ussy whipped one here [IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z22/pads_03/IMG_6338.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Love the pic - that's just typical!!!Chrissie (81) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC65 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Adorable! Pads, do you know the poem "Guide Cats for the Blind" by Les Barker? Here's a You Tube link (no need to watch the silly slideshow with it, just listen) - it makes me really laugh every time: sorry, on Safari, so link will need copying and pasting.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je4A6S2jYdA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Thats so funny ...more than you think ....While trying to teach Tigger to walk to the lead and I was stood there with him half up a tree and I looked like some one flying a kite .... My hubby said just that to me .....He would not make a good guide cat for the blind would he ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Just to proof he is awake some times and I dont drug him into staying ......My King of the jungle ....[IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z22/pads_03/IMG_5949.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Love the story Pads.We 'rescued' two kittens earlier this year, a brother and sister. Now they are two indepent people, we know now their father is also their brother! He has a lazy eye that 'sticks' every now and then, causing him to squint badly and he doesn't seem to see very well - put food under his nose and he has to sniff to find it - even if it's a lump of the stuff. She is very skittish, but don't know why, we are a calm family but I know from when they were very young they had a bit of a tough time.At the present they don't go out except with us, as we have a lot of trucks suddenly using the small road in front of us - think it's to do with sat nav's (Mairie investigating).Having had loads of cats in the past, their behaviour is strange - they don't like cuddles, he shrinks sometimes rather than have a fuss made. Othertimes he wraps himself around your legs for attention. She will come for attention but will not sit on your lap - just for acknowledgement. They both have attached themselves to a throw on the sofa, she just nuzzles it and purrs, he literally holds it in his mouth pulling at it. Obviously both with 'mother' needs, but won't come to us.Still, time will tell, they know we are there, we feed them ,sort out the litter tray and generally pander to their needs - they have us well trained already! Would love the occasional cuddle though, but I know we have to wait for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Pads, he is BEAUTIFUL!I really love marmalade cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 I must admit Im very proud of him and how far he has come in the last year and a half , he now has one of the many pockets in my heart along with all my other friends present and past ...He thinks he is more dog than cat and I have some great pic's of him on my phone of him out walking with us ..sadley I dont know how to move them from phone to computer But here is one of the 2 waiting to go out for a walk[IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z22/pads_03/IMG_5988.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Keni have you also taught yours to walk on the lead ? I think when there is 2 together they tend to rely on each other for what they need and are more independant of us than a single cat I wish I could talk cat and know what they were thinking ... There have been moments through my life when I have been so sure an animal has spoken to me maybe not in words but in a way I can feel what they want ...But some animlas like people are closed books and you just cant reachthem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC65 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 [quote user="Pads"] ..sadley I dont know how to move them from phone to computer [/quote]Have you got Bluetooth on phone and computer? That'll do the job.CBC65 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pads Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Um......um...... dunno ..I think I maydo on my phone but not sure about my laptop ....Im afraid I just survie on tecnollogy leaving any thing complicated till when hubby comes home once every 4 months ....I meant to ask him to do it over christmas but so much other stuff was going on it totally went out of my mind .He's gone again now till March so I wont see them till then.But thanks for the thought .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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