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A cat adopted me. |
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Being kind to the animals is part of the culture in this area of the country. There are always a few feral cats hanging around the apartment complex where I live. Up the bike trail about 10 minutes is feline alley where there are usually a dozen or so. They are taken care of with food and plastic crate shelters. It's very nice part of the trail between two ponds, with Palm trees and thick foliage on the ground. Soon after I moved here I started leaving water out. It's hot. A couple cats would have a drink during the day and a possum would drain the bowl at night. Last summer a pregnant cat starting sleeping on the lawn chair on my patio. I bought food for her and the couple who lived upstairs put a box out for her to sleep in. Most are happy to be fed but not much on human contact. Amazing to me was that the cats and the ducks get along. More than once I've seen ducks and ducklings hanging with the feral cats in feline alley. I've never been a 'cat person' but now I have a new guest that I'm increasingly fond of. I'm sure that Goose, the cat that has started to share my apartment sometimes, is more likely an abandoned house cat than feral. After 4 years and maybe a dozen or two cats, she is the only one that seeks attention. After a few days being fed on the patio while I sat nearby, she jumped on my lap. That was last week and we've been friends since. I started letting her stay inside in the afternoon and a few times overnight. Goose has found her spots under the bed and on the couch and is absolutely not in a hurry to leave. She slept lightly the first couple times inside then a few days ago she came in, ate and was out like a light for hours. I'm glad to see her comfortable. I call her Goose because once when I was feeding her outside one of the local ducks came by with her ducklings. I was throwing bread for the ducks while Goose the cat was eating from the bowl. It reminded me of a grade school game called, you guessed it, 'Duck, Duck, Goose', hence Goose the cat. I'm not sure she understands as she likely came from an Hispanic home and I don't speak Spanish cat. The trouble is I live in an apartment complex where pets are not allowed but then, neither is feeding the ducks.  I have to decide what to do. Goose has made herself at home and I like her around. The trouble is they'll charge me a penalty and I'll have to get rid of her if I'm caught. Since they come in and spray for bugs once a month, it's likely Goose will be discovered sooner or later. If anyone reading this has advice or thoughts please pass them along. I'm thinking of putting an ad on Craigslist for a good home. |
| Yesterday in the late morning Goose came inside. She ate and slept and cleaned herself all day and didn't bother to come out to say hi. Just ate then back to her spot under the bed next to a carpet runner that needs to be cleaned. Late in the evening I looked in on her again. She immediately came out, loud purrs and nuzzling against my hand. Apparently she's not mad at me anymore. A couple mornings ago I put her out early when she didn't really want to go. As I shut the door she kept her back to me. She wasn't happy with that. Goose's coat is looking better. I started feeding her canned food along with the dry as she needs to gain some weight. She's a pretty cat, all grey with a white spot on her chest. When I open the canned food Goose starts talking, loudly. I can't be sure if she's saying, "Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!" or "Faster! Faster! Faster!". Late in the evening, after being inside all day, I told her I thought she needed to go out. Two big meals and snacks... can't have messes in the house! She seemed to understand and after standing on the threshold for a few minutes, she moseyed out. We are starting to communicate even though I don't speak Spanish cat. A few hours later I woke up and checked. There she was waiting at the door in the middle of the night. She followed me into the bedroom and after some nuzzling went back to her spot under the bed. This morning she was sleeping at my feet. When I stir she starts walking around my head, purring and pushing her head into my hand, looking for a little attention. Nice way to wake up. Still don't know what I'm going to do long term. It would be best if I could find a good home, maybe with kids. |
| The best solution is to find Goose a good long term home. I know there is one but I think finding it is going to be more difficult than I thought. Last night a put an ad on Craigslist. If you're not familiar with it, Craigslist is an online free ad site that's been around for a long time. I've used it in the past for furniture and computers and had good results. The first ad posted said, "Free to good home" under the pet classification. It was quickly banned for violating Craigslist's terms. The objection is that free pets can be taken by brokers who sell them for research or other nefarious uses. If you use the term 're-home' and ask a nominal fee then it's OK. I did that and it was accepted. No interest yet. Yesterday Goose spent the afternoon and evening indoors with me. I thought it best to start separating ourselves and wanted her to stay out for the night. I fixed a bowl and put it outside. She just stood at the threshold, looked around and walked back in. "I think I'll just stay inside, thanks." I didn't like doing it but I picked her up, went outside and closed the door. A feral cat that has been around lately came by, they don't fight but aren't friendly either. Twice now I've seen them get face to face, check each other out for a few seconds then other cat hisses. Goose doesn't react and the feral cat backs off - some kind of conversation but I don't speak Spanish cat. Maybe there's a Babbel for that. Of course the other cat wanted Goose's food so I stayed out, love the warm nights, and Goose ate in peace. Goose never finishes a bowl so I'm sure the feral cat ate later. Goose stayed out all night. This morning she was at the door, came in while I fixed her bowl and ran to the door as carried it out. Goose was perfectly happy to go back outside. If she's happy with this arrangement we can keep it up as long as it lasts. My fear is that one of these times Goose won't be there and I'll never know what happened. |
| I kept to the 'outside only' discipline yesterday. Goose was in a couple times but followed her food out the door. Late last night she slept on the chair on the patio for at least a few hours. I put some food in her bowl, she jumped off the chair, circled the apartment and went back out. I haven't seen her yet today. Hopefully she'll be back around dusk. No response from the ad. |
| Yesterday I was gone from early morning until dinner time (beach day). Goose was sleeping in the chair when I walked up and for the next few minutes she either complained loudly or was saying how much she loved and appreciated me. I have to learn Spanish cat. She ate outside. I make a point of filling the bowl before bed. Last night she was waiting and spent a few minutes inside. Poor Goose is showing signs of fleas - biting and licking instead of the usual casual grooming. Since she hadn't done that before it makes me think that when Goose and I first met she must have been recently abandoned. Some things learned in an hour so of internet search: Flea collars are no longer recommended. The may cause irritation and are a hazard for outdoor animals. Hartz doesn't have the reputation they used to have. Recommended home remedies can cost $100 to get started. Recommended remedies are drops are on the back of the neck, pills with food or vet shots. There is a no-kill shelter nearby. 'No-kill' means they TRY not to euthanize. To be certified a 90% adoption rate is required. The city has a program that traps, neuters/spays, vaccinates and then releases where they were trapped. Fleas lead to worms. One of the animal services is open in a couple hours. I'll call for advice. |
| There was a response from the craigslist ad! I texted and am waiting to hear back. I would hate to see Goose get into a situation that isn't better than what she has now so we'll talk if they respond to the text. Goose was part of a catch/spay/release program! I learned yesterday that they clip an ear to mark them and Goose's left ear is clipped! That blows my theory she was abandoned and not feral but, in my theory's defense, I suppose she could be both.  After calling a few organizations I have a better idea of the local situation. A charity animal group that works with dogs gave good marks to the Humane Society and said that his organization was full as were all the animal shelters, "We're all in the same situation right now.". The Humane Society really does do their best not to euthanize which was backed up when they responded to an email asking for advice or help in re-homing saying they couldn't help right now, they are at max and didn't know when that would change. If they did euthanize, the response likely would have been different. Also they hold clinics every few months and the people I talked to verified that the city runs catch/spay-neuter/vaccinate/release programs that Goose was a beneficiary of. Yesterday Goose was only around once, late evening, she ate outside and wasn't there when I checked before bed. This morning she was at the door early, I kept her in after breakfast and she's been sleeping soundly for the last few hours. |
| No response from the person who emailed me regarding Goose. I should have known better than to text back, Craigslist is good site but they have scammers who troll for info or attempt to scam. Always use their email relay until you're sure who you're working with. I broke my rules yesterday and let Goose stay inside. In the evening I put her food on the porch, she just looked at it and lied down inside. Later at night she wanted to out and this morning she was waiting for breakfast, I haven't seen her since. I think this is going to go on a while. She's going to be an outdoor cat. She's gentle and affectionate but since now I know that it's likely she was once feral, I'm thinking she can handle herself or maybe that's where she wants to be. Goose can count on me for food and I'll continue to try and re-home her. We'll see what develops. |
| I didn't see Goose for a full day until tonight. She was at the door earlier in the evening and ran in, she seemed almost manic and was very vocal while I fixed her bowl. I'm feeding her only outside from now on. I don't know where this is going but Goose knows where to come for food. Tonight she ran back inside after eating, I asked her to come back outside and she sat about a foot inside the door looked at me and said "Nuh uh". She purrs now when I pick her up which makes it harder to leave her out. I carried her out and set her down she just sat with her back to me clearly showing some attitude. She's really a very sweet cat and needs a home. I looked at prices on Amazon for flea and worm treatment, the local Walmart and grocery store didn't have much. The prices are affordable and the treatments each have 50k good mostly good reviews, I'll likely be ordering them soon. All of the cats in feline alley are gone just in the last few days. I assume the city picked them up so maybe they'll be back, it will be interesting to see if they come back with an ear clipped. Someone spent a lot of time and effort setting up little shelters for them there, one set of boxes is on a pallet that keeps it off the wet ground. The city where I live is giving away free cat and dog food Saturday morning. I won't be there but thought it worth a mention. |
| Goose and I are settling into a routine. She stays outside nearly all the time. Some days I feed her in the morning and then don't see her at all until the next morning. The last few days she has stayed close, sleeping in the lawn chair most of the day. Yesterday it was much cooler in the afternoon, I think it was below 80 for an hour or so just after the rain! I put dry food out and left the door open, Goose ate some and came inside. In a few minutes the ducks were there and Goose and I watched the ducks eat her food. Goose just sat inside the door and stared. The word is out around the neighborhood! Free food! Worm and Flea treatments are on the way. I'll have them in a couple of days and give them to her. I figure it's a safe precaution. No progress on re-homing. The cat's in feline alley aren't back like I hoped. There were a couple new ones but I couldn't see clipped ears so not part of the catch and release Humane Society program. |
| Hi, this is Goose. I see the human has been updating you on my progress. As you can see, it's been difficult training him, some days he is absolutely clueless, it's not that I expect a lot from humans but this guy is a tough nut to crack! Basic Training 101 worked on him, it took a while but it worked, he's not real quick on the uptake. Training 101 starts with a little friendliness then just the right amount of standoffish attitude. It has to be just the right amount or else you have to start all over from the beginning, either that or find a less clueless human. He didn't get it at first, so I had to repeat, then repeat again. He finally started to put food out, so I increased the friendliness and reduced the standoffish routine. I'm so good at this! After a meal or two I could see Clueless didn't know the difference between OK food and GOOD food. I don't know what he eats but no self respecting cat can live on kibbles for long. I had to decide if he was worth my 'A' game, so I went inside to check his apartment. It isn't fancy but comfortable and reasonably clean, at least I didn't smell any other cats. The clueless human had the requirements, a couch and some comfy, just for cats sleeping places so I decided to give him a little more time. I could see myself moving in. After a week or two this guy still wasn't bringing the good chow. It was time for Basic Training 201 where, when the human puts the food down you say, "Bring out the good food." and stare at him, then the bowl. If you've done things right the human will feel bad that you aren't eating and put out better food. Never let them see you enjoy second rate food. Now he brings out the good food for breakfast and dinner and puts out kibble during the day. I eat some of the kibble and invite the ducks over to finish it up. They like it better than I do. Next it was time for Basic Training 301. I walked in, sat next to the door and scratched myself, looked at him and scratched again, "Hey Clueless! Time for some of that magic stuff for itching!". I had to wait a long time but he finally had some and put it on me. He also slipped something in my food, since this was the good food I just pretended not to notice and ate it all. That was a few days ago and I feel great. Clueless needs some advanced training and I'm working on it. He needs to learn that when I'm inside, I want to go out whenever I want, no more of waiting on his clueless, lazy butt to open the door whenever he gets around to it. Same when I'm outside, I'm mean really!! Who does he think he is?? I stay outside most of the time. When I stay inside and sleep on his bed Clueless doesn't understand that he disturbs me when he rolls over or moves his legs, it wakes me up and that just won't do! I've started Sleep Training which goes like this; When Clueless interrupts my sleep I push my face into his until I'm sure he's paying attention, then I turn around and show him my butt. It works, he say's something which I'm pretty sure isn't "I'm sorry." and rolls over and goes to sleep so then I can too. |
| Didn't think Clueless can read? Guess who's eating kibble for a while!! |
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