Durango and Jasper have become best buddies, and it constantly makes me smile to watch the two of them together. Both are coming out of their shells at lightning speed now, and there is very little, if any, diving under the bed if I enter the room unexpectedly.
Jasper worked out another big knot throughout the night and true to form, ran over to the mirror to check himself out after I snipped the last little part that was keeping it connected to him. I am totally going to have to try to catch a video of him doing this. It's utterly hilarious.
Durango has quite obviously adopted Jasper as his surrogate parent and comes to him frequently for affection and grooming. Even sweeter is that Jasper has just as obviously accepted this duty and takes very good care of him - though he does have a tendency to steal Durango's wet food if he is still eating by the time Jasper is done his. ;) Durango is still too shy to ask me for affection, but you can see him trying to work up the courage whenever Jasper comes over to be pet. It's so sweet to watch, it practically puts me in a diabetic coma. ;)
Monday, April 30, 2012
Updates galore!
Whew! What a busy day today was. Sorry for cramming everyone's updates into a single post, but I'm wiped.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Durango makes an appearance
Earlier this morning, while the brood and little Joni were having a snore-fest in the living room, I opened the door to Durango's temporary sanctuary to see if he had any interest in coming out to explore his new environment. He was quite keen on the idea as it turns out, and within minutes, I found him quietly exploring Jasper's haven.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Kitten season - Durango's arrival & a surprise visit from Joni
Kitten season has gotten an early start this year, thanks to the somewhat mild winter we experienced here in Montreal. Coincidentally, it's also the time of year that C4P loses many of it's available fosters since many of them are university students, and the school year is ending.
I believe this is the text book definition of 'stuck between a rock and a hard place'.
So when the call went out for a foster for a timid little semi-feral kitten, who was trying to make his way in the world, seemingly without the benefit of a mom or siblings, I responded. Luckily, the concerned citizen who had contacted C4P about him was able to trap him within a relatively short time, and he arrived at the home for wayward cats this evening after being vetted. Although the founder of C4P and I were both set on calling him Clover, the vet asked if he could be named Durango. And given how invaluable her help has been for C4P, it was a no-brainer to agree to her request.
As is to be expected, he is quite overwhelmed by his experiences over the last 24 hours, and is thus far reluctant to leave his kennel when I'm in the room. He did come out when I was not in the room however, as is evidenced by his use of the litterbox and empty food bowl. I also managed to convince him to eat a bit more later in the evening while I was in the room, although I had to place the dish in his kennel before he was comfortable enough to do so. Still, it's a step in the right direction - the fastest and surest way to their hearts is through their tummies.
He is currently sequestered, at least until he's gotten a chance to catch his bearings. The last thing I want to do is overstress either him or the brood. And when you consider that the brood is already a little confused by the unexpected (and very temporary) presence of little Joni Mitchell, well, it's a bit much for poor Durango to absorb at once.
Little Joni is a rather unexpected foster for me, and will only be staying with us until her vaccination immunity has reached its peak - approx 2 weeks. Her previous fosters are moving to Vancouver tomorrow, and everything was all arranged to move her to another foster this evening. But it was discovered last minute that Joni was a teeny bit overdue for her 2nd set of vaccinations. Under normal circumstances, this would not be a problem, but her new foster home previously had a case of FeLV, so of course it's extra vital that any new additions to that household are properly vaccinated, especially young kittens who are more susceptible than older cats.
Joni has settled in beautifully and is already fast friends with Mina. They spent most of the night playfighting, then curled up in my recliner, groomed each other and passed out in a cuddle-puddle of love and fur.
It's almost too bad that her stay here will be so temporary. She has fit in so well and so quickly, and she's such an adorable little girl. But considering that both Jasper and Durango require extra time and attention while we work through their trust issues, it's sadly just not feasible for me to foster her long term.
I believe this is the text book definition of 'stuck between a rock and a hard place'.
So when the call went out for a foster for a timid little semi-feral kitten, who was trying to make his way in the world, seemingly without the benefit of a mom or siblings, I responded. Luckily, the concerned citizen who had contacted C4P about him was able to trap him within a relatively short time, and he arrived at the home for wayward cats this evening after being vetted. Although the founder of C4P and I were both set on calling him Clover, the vet asked if he could be named Durango. And given how invaluable her help has been for C4P, it was a no-brainer to agree to her request.
He is an absolutely adorable, 4 month old golden tabby. Actual pic coming soon!
As is to be expected, he is quite overwhelmed by his experiences over the last 24 hours, and is thus far reluctant to leave his kennel when I'm in the room. He did come out when I was not in the room however, as is evidenced by his use of the litterbox and empty food bowl. I also managed to convince him to eat a bit more later in the evening while I was in the room, although I had to place the dish in his kennel before he was comfortable enough to do so. Still, it's a step in the right direction - the fastest and surest way to their hearts is through their tummies.
He is currently sequestered, at least until he's gotten a chance to catch his bearings. The last thing I want to do is overstress either him or the brood. And when you consider that the brood is already a little confused by the unexpected (and very temporary) presence of little Joni Mitchell, well, it's a bit much for poor Durango to absorb at once.
Little Joni is a rather unexpected foster for me, and will only be staying with us until her vaccination immunity has reached its peak - approx 2 weeks. Her previous fosters are moving to Vancouver tomorrow, and everything was all arranged to move her to another foster this evening. But it was discovered last minute that Joni was a teeny bit overdue for her 2nd set of vaccinations. Under normal circumstances, this would not be a problem, but her new foster home previously had a case of FeLV, so of course it's extra vital that any new additions to that household are properly vaccinated, especially young kittens who are more susceptible than older cats.
Joni has settled in beautifully and is already fast friends with Mina. They spent most of the night playfighting, then curled up in my recliner, groomed each other and passed out in a cuddle-puddle of love and fur.
Please ignore my ugly recliner. It's ugly as sin but incredibly comfortable, and all of the cats love it.
It's almost too bad that her stay here will be so temporary. She has fit in so well and so quickly, and she's such an adorable little girl. But considering that both Jasper and Durango require extra time and attention while we work through their trust issues, it's sadly just not feasible for me to foster her long term.
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If you sign up for the daily click email reminder, they'll even donate an extra 3 bowls of food as a thank you for your support! How awesome is that?!
The Animal Rescue Site
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Meeting the brood
Jasper has finally shown an interest in coming out of seclusion, and exploring the rest of the house. I wait until everyone is fed, and until the brood are a little sleepy, then open the door and let him go in and out at will. He's getting braver and braver with each excursion, and they're treating him very gently. They watch him closely, but allow him to wander about and quietly explore with no interference.
Sometimes, they turn the tables, and everyone will come into his room to explore, while he hangs out in his usual spot under the bed and watches. Everyone is well behaved during these times (even Mina!) and while they explore every other inch of the room, they respect his space under the bed and give it a wide berth.
There was a small incident yesterday where I hadn't realized he had come out and moved from one room to another, scaring the piss out of him in the process. He went barrelling down the hall to go back to his safe space. Kitty came running into the kitchen where I was, trying to determine what had happened, encountered Gypsy who had also run over from a different direction, and immediately assumed she was the cause. Thankfully I was right there to prevent it escalating into an actual fight, but tempers ran hot for several hours after that.
While it was a stressful experience for all involved, and it took some extraordinary efforts on my part to get everybody to unwind after the fact, it does give me hope oddly. It means that while Kitty may not precisely like Jasper, he has at least accepted him as part of the brood and is protective of him. This, of course, will bring it's own brand of issues that need to be untangled, but given his history of aggression with other males, this is a much more manageable outcome.
Jasper, otoh, thinks Kitty is the coolest thing since sliced bread and follows him around like a little puppy. He got a few warning hisses from Kitty for being too close when he first started doing this, but now maintains a respectful distance. He also adores Mina, and on the few occasions that she will hold still long enough, I have watched him tentatively begin to groom her. Gypsy alternates between being wary of him and being indifferent. But given that she is naturally aloof with other cats, this is to be expected.
Sometimes, they turn the tables, and everyone will come into his room to explore, while he hangs out in his usual spot under the bed and watches. Everyone is well behaved during these times (even Mina!) and while they explore every other inch of the room, they respect his space under the bed and give it a wide berth.
There was a small incident yesterday where I hadn't realized he had come out and moved from one room to another, scaring the piss out of him in the process. He went barrelling down the hall to go back to his safe space. Kitty came running into the kitchen where I was, trying to determine what had happened, encountered Gypsy who had also run over from a different direction, and immediately assumed she was the cause. Thankfully I was right there to prevent it escalating into an actual fight, but tempers ran hot for several hours after that.
While it was a stressful experience for all involved, and it took some extraordinary efforts on my part to get everybody to unwind after the fact, it does give me hope oddly. It means that while Kitty may not precisely like Jasper, he has at least accepted him as part of the brood and is protective of him. This, of course, will bring it's own brand of issues that need to be untangled, but given his history of aggression with other males, this is a much more manageable outcome.
Jasper, otoh, thinks Kitty is the coolest thing since sliced bread and follows him around like a little puppy. He got a few warning hisses from Kitty for being too close when he first started doing this, but now maintains a respectful distance. He also adores Mina, and on the few occasions that she will hold still long enough, I have watched him tentatively begin to groom her. Gypsy alternates between being wary of him and being indifferent. But given that she is naturally aloof with other cats, this is to be expected.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
My little lovebug
You'd never know from watching this video, that this is the same cat who hid under my bed for two months. Jasper is proving to be, without a doubt, the sweetest, most well mannered, gentlest cat I have ever had the pleasure of working with. It's no exaggeration to say he has completely stolen my heart. ♥
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Proud foster mommy
Fantastic grooming session with Jasper tonight. Our first real one (previous attempts were more akin to petting him with the brush to get him used to it).
I swear, you could see the little light bulb of understanding go off when I started trying to work out the first mat on his neck. He was quite patient with me from that point on, and even started purring as I was working. Considering that up until now, he would only let me pet him for a minute or two at a time before moving away, I was stunned that he let me work for almost 45mins uninterrupted.
Even now as I'm writing this, he's coming back over for more pettings. ;)
/proud foster-mommy
I swear, you could see the little light bulb of understanding go off when I started trying to work out the first mat on his neck. He was quite patient with me from that point on, and even started purring as I was working. Considering that up until now, he would only let me pet him for a minute or two at a time before moving away, I was stunned that he let me work for almost 45mins uninterrupted.
Even now as I'm writing this, he's coming back over for more pettings. ;)
/proud foster-mommy
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Everyday is a brave day
Now that Jasper has decided that he likes me and that I'm safe, he is showing much more consistent progress. Everyday is a brave day, and we often have several, small petting sessions throughout the night. He has even allowed me to start brushing him lightly, and he absolutely adores having his head brushed. He has also started coming over near me while I'm fixing his breakfast and dinner. In between these times, he likes to hang out in the box I put down for him near my computer (it's got windows so he can feel hidden, yet still see me at all times) or sleep on my bed.
He's still quite skittish at times, mostly revolving around me moving in a direction that he's not anticipating, or moving too quickly. But I can now go from seated on the floor, to standing, to walking around a few feet, as well as getting in and out of my computer chair without him running away in fear. Or if he does dart off a few feet, I can usually convince him to come back out again very quickly.
He is a very quick learner, and is responding well to both my verbal and hand signals. He knows that if I wiggle my fingers or gently click my tongue, I would like him to come over for pettings (not that he comes over every time mind you, but he at least knows what I'm asking of him), and he's learning that I always indicate the direction I'm about to move towards before walking. (I know this last bit seems like an odd thing to train him in, but it helps to make him feel more secure while he gets used to the idea of me walking around. Once he's had some time to realize that me walking does not equal potential danger for him, I can start weaning him off this training method again.)
It's been so lovely to see his sweet, fuzzy face more often and I love watching his happy paws when he comes over asking to be pet. Which he does frequently.
Turns out, Jasper is one affectionate cat, and he looooooooooves getting affection / attention. I have the feeling that, once he gains more confidence, we're going to discover that there was a lap cat hiding underneath all those knots and mats and fear. ;)
He's still quite skittish at times, mostly revolving around me moving in a direction that he's not anticipating, or moving too quickly. But I can now go from seated on the floor, to standing, to walking around a few feet, as well as getting in and out of my computer chair without him running away in fear. Or if he does dart off a few feet, I can usually convince him to come back out again very quickly.
He is a very quick learner, and is responding well to both my verbal and hand signals. He knows that if I wiggle my fingers or gently click my tongue, I would like him to come over for pettings (not that he comes over every time mind you, but he at least knows what I'm asking of him), and he's learning that I always indicate the direction I'm about to move towards before walking. (I know this last bit seems like an odd thing to train him in, but it helps to make him feel more secure while he gets used to the idea of me walking around. Once he's had some time to realize that me walking does not equal potential danger for him, I can start weaning him off this training method again.)
It's been so lovely to see his sweet, fuzzy face more often and I love watching his happy paws when he comes over asking to be pet. Which he does frequently.
Turns out, Jasper is one affectionate cat, and he looooooooooves getting affection / attention. I have the feeling that, once he gains more confidence, we're going to discover that there was a lap cat hiding underneath all those knots and mats and fear. ;)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Brave days and Shy days
Jasper has what I call 'brave days' and 'shy days'. On his brave days, he likes to come out and wander around the room while I'm at the computer, and on his shy days, he won't eat while I'm in the room unless I move the food dish well under the bed.
He had several shy days after my last update, but late last night he had a brave day, and I managed to get a video of it. This video is the result of several hours of coaxing, but it was well worth it, as you can see.
There are a couple of firsts in this video, namely that he came over for treats while I was at my computer, that he accepted treats from me while I was much higher than him (I'm usually on the same level as him) and there's a few times where he's definitely asking for pettings, but was too far away for me to reach him (the sound of the chair moving makes him nervous still, so I didn't want to press my luck my moving closer)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Leap of faith
I have big exciting news about Jasper today!
In an effort to start luring him out from under the bed while I'm in the room, I had slowly weaned him back onto a wet food / twice daily eating routine. Last night, for the first time, I managed to persuade him to eat near the bottom of the bed (but still under it) while I sat at the computer - about 7-8 ft away. He has no issues eating in front of me anymore, but, until last night, would still refuse to unless I was laying flat on my tummy near him. Anything that involved me being in a seated or standing position still terrified him.
But the incredible leap of faith he made later that night blew my mind. I was laying on my tummy, talking to him and giving him the occasional treat for encouragement, when he decided to come out from under the bed and go use his scratch post. He's done this on rare occasions before..... but last night, when he was done, he hopped up on my bed which he has Never done in my presence, while I was still laying on the floor beside it.
Since I had the treats on hand, I slowly sat up, and when I was able to extend my hand to him, I gave him a treat. Since he accepted that, I tried sitting up a bit more and rewarded him with another treat when he didn't try to run away. And so it went, step by tiny step until I was actually lying on the bed with him about 2 ft away. He stayed with me for about 10mins, gave himself a good grooming, then hopped back down and went under the bed again for a nap.
I can't even tell you how ecstatic I was that he finally felt brave enough to finally come out from hiding while I was around, although I'm sure you have had similar experiences, and can relate. The next big hurdle will be getting him comfortable enough to do this regularly. But I am so so So proud of him right now. That was a very big leap of faith for him to make - especially considering how long he has felt the need hide. I thought for sure there would be many more baby steps before he was comfortable enough for that.
Although he still will not allow me to touch him really, he has been naturally shedding many of the mats in his fur. And now that I've finally had the chance to really look at him while he was sitting up - wow! He's a big, handsome boy! I thought he was much smaller than he actually is since he spent so much time curled up into the smallest ball possible under the bed.
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