S l o w l y coming out for kibbles:
A rousing shake of the head to begin the day:
As you may know, we have been trying to get this friendly but elusive cat into the house for months. We named him Dexter and he knows his name. He always came by for food and would play and "talk" to us. He would follow me around the garden. But he was ever so cautious and wary. He did not want to be touched. Five months and no pats. Frustrating!
A live animal trap did not work. He was not fooled. However, a different stray cat was caught.
Well, anyway, good things happen to those who wait ....
Good news: Dexter, this shy, stray cat, was, finally, thanks to my wife singing Cole Porter tunes to him (Dexter loves Cole Porter tunes -- and treats), lured into the house and down the stairs to the basement. He is safe and sound, and out of the cold weather and away from wolves, fisher cats and hunters.
He now has his own space inside. He purrs and LOVES to receive pats on his large orange head. Yes, even though he was SO afraid of getting pats when he was outside, he is now an official pat-hog. Our guess: he WAS someone else's kitty and now that he's inside, he's decided getting pats is just fine, thank you very much. He even leans into pats.
Although it's early days yet (it's only been 18 hours since his arrival), I am hoping he'll make a wonderful addition -- as soon as I can lure him into the cat carrier and to the vet's for the full check-up.
And I can clear away the cat hay house before neighborhood property values drop ....
My thanks to everyone I asked for advice about trying to catch him. Many treats and Cole Porter tunes to all of you!
Update: the tunes are not by Cole Porter. My mistake. The songs were written by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Comden & Greene. The most sung tune is "A Little Bit in Love" from the Broadway show Wonderful Town. Mea culpa.
Mike, I feel your victory. Stacy has been sharing your story on my blog, and I've looked forward to each report. Orange tabbies seem to have easier temperaments even if they're feral, so his genetics may have upped your chances of befriending him.
ReplyDeleteI loved your idea of the straw cubby hole for him. Enjoy the taming process.
Vicki Holt
www.AnimalsReign.com/blog
Both of our cats started out feral and are now (after 11 years and 5 years) happy to be petted inside the house.
ReplyDeleteOutside the house, however, we are still Demons of the Night and they flee as soon as they see us coming.
Don't know how they feel about Cole Porter, though...
Great story, Mike. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteJeff P.
Thanks for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteWe already have 3 cats in the house -- all of them rescues (one was tied to a railing in Red Hook; another found in a field in Flatbush; the third was abandoned at the local milk farm). They are all great guys and get along very well.
Dexter will be a swell addition!
I'm sorry to say that Kim at the local Voices for Animals chapter here in Milton,NH, and Steve Sprell of the NHASPCA, never returned my phone messages asking for advice. I was polite and told them that I wanted to do the right thing and adopt the abandoned kitty.
It was unprofessional of both of them to be unresponsive. I hope they reconsider, at least, their behavior -- and, at best, their choice of careers.
This a wonderful story with a very happy ending! You and Stacy deserve a medal as cat lovers of the year! Hooray for you guys! Can't wait to meet Dexter!
ReplyDeleteSteph
I'm a big fan of cats, and Cole Porter. Imagine if Dexter could sing...
ReplyDeleteIt's the wrong house,
And the wrong place
Though your place is charming
It's the wrong place
It's not THEIR place...
but it's such a charming place
That it's all right with me.
It's the wrong head-pat
In the wrong style
Though your style is lovely
It's the wrong style
It's not THEIR style
but it's such a lovely style
That pat's all right with me.
Oh, you can't know how happy I am that we met
I'm strangely attracted to food
See, there's somebody I'm trying so hard to forget...
Don't you want get me some more food?
It's the wrong game
With the wrong toys
Though your toys are tempting
They're the wrong toys
They're not THEIR toys
But they're such tempting toys
That it's all right with me...