You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘visitors’ tag.
I left a note (last week) concerning the fate of the 2 “visitor cats”. After weeks of phone calls, e-mails and visits it was clear the cats didn’t have much of a future if they went back to the rescue center. At 3 years old, the chances of being adopted are not all that good. Unfortunately people like the kitties but don’t seem to be interested in them when they are older.
I asked the Oak Court Cats if they would accept the visitors as residents here on the Court. I’m not sure what they really felt but the 3 of them stared back at me as if they understood what I was talking about. I explained the problem and the alternatives the pair faced. The Court Cats continued to stare at me, as if they comprehended.
Finally I finished and waited.
I don’t how they really felt, we never figured out the whole human/cat language thing. The visitors, however, have a new home. We (the people on the Court) decided to take them in. They’ll learn the ways of the Court, learn how to go in and out the cat door, how to wake the old man up in the morning when there isn’t any crunchie-munchie mix in the bowl and, most importantly, they’ll learn not to chase the squirrels in the yard.
I’ll post a few pictures of the pride next week, trying to figure out how to get all of to sit still long enough for a group photo.
Later.
The Oak Court pride has 3 regular members: Missey, Precious the Predator and The Big Guy. For the summer, we’ll be hosting 2 kitties for a friend. Oh, the kitties, just short of their 2nd birthday, are brother and sister.
They were introduced to the regular residents over the weekend and, aside from some staring and the occasional hiss, things have been quiet. Missey wasn’t too pleased to see the vacationing couple come int he door with their luggage (cat food, litter box and toys). The Oak Court gang is used to the occasional visit from a stray (strays have no luggage and don’t stay more than a day). Missey is more concerned that they will like the place and want to spend a few months here.
Precious carefully moves through the house, looking for the visitors; she’s a little intimidated as the visitors are much larger than she (OK, they’re Maine Coons and are twice her size). She spends her days on top of cabinets, dressers and other high places. And Big Guy, also a big cat, isn’t sure what to make of them yet. He doesn’t get close to them, preferring to hang out on the dining room table where he can see their comings and goings.
We haven’t seen any swatting or smacking yet; the pride seems to have accepted the presence of the vacationers. As long as there is food in the bowls, water in the dish and clean litter in the pan, things will work out.
Nite
The weather improved today, while still cool (mid 60s) it was sunny. The Oak Court Cats were on the back steps this morning, warming themselves. Missey prefers to take a nap in the morning sun stretched out on my desk. today, she ventured out to take advantage of the sun’s warmth on the concrete steps.
They had been there for a half an hour when the first visitor came up the walk. The squirrels.
Missey was asleep and didn’t notice the gray squirrel that walked right by her and up the steps. The big cat, sitting in the old planter by the door just watched and the predator was more interested in a dragon fly than the squirrel.
The picture is a little blurry, I was at the other end of the house when I noticed the squirrel looking around the kitchen. They know the peanuts are in a special container (I keep them in an old Folgers plastic coffee can). She was looking for the can.
Sneaky Squirrel
We may have brought this on ourselves; the squirrels come by in the morning for a few peanuts. At first they’d approach the house slowly, wary of the cats. Now, however, they come up to door and beyond. It would seem the cats have figured out the gray furballs are no threat and and because they people feed them, they must be ok and are not to be attacked.
So they walk right by the cats.
I’ve seen other cats putting up with them; our first cat, a mellow Manx, was born in a house that had a squirrel in residence and he must have thought they were part of the pride. When Missey was much younger, she used to chase them from the yard; now, however, she only chases the other cats away from her nap spot.
We have a dozen furry visitors now, the oldest being a chubby female (the alpha from the way she acts) all the way down to 2 small young ones (who haven’t figured out the cats yet). There is an old guy, looks like he’s been through a few fights (torn ear, right foreleg looks like it was damaged and didn’t heal right). While most are California gray squirrels, there are a few brown and one who is almost black. A diverse group who make their homes in the trees just outside of the yard.
The cats have accepted the visitors, probably until one of them touches the cat food. Things could change then.
Nite.
Oak Court Cats' Blog 
Recent Comments