Take a Chance...

[Avalon]

Snake
Yay! Glad to hear the tide has turned.
I came home from my trip to find my house thoroughly trashed, all of my animals alive and well, and my has. having a better understanding of what I do in addtion to my paying job.

In my absence, my hsb. cares for the animals the same way he does kids...as long as there isn't any screaming or blood, it's all good. Seems he allowed Chance to run amok all weekend; now the baby is mightily pissed at me for not following suit. He'll get over it. lol

He still charges the camera, dammit. But atleast you can see the huge "M" on his face in this one. He is growing in leaps and bounds and has become a litter box champion

[Avalon]

The kitten has been given his permanent name.

My hsb. constucted a cage unit for the kitten to play in, but remain unharmed by our Ark. He spends his time sticking his legs out and yelling to everyone and every animal who passes. As a joke, I started chanting "Attica! Attica!". My hsb. turned and said..that is fitting; he was a prisoner for 3 days..I like it. I convinced him to name him "Atticus Finch" as a compromise. Now we are both happy and Atticus has a permanent name. ( as well as a permanent home )

[brightpearl]

I lobbied hard to name my son Atticus, at least the middle name, but it was vetoed.

[Tunesmith]

Congratulations, Avalon! Atticus is very cute.

That "M" reminds me of Mathieu Chedid (known as M to the music world).

[Jack Flanders]

I knew you were going to keep it!!!!!

[l'azizza]

Mad, Thanks for sharing the email. It sounds like you've got some compassionate (and thorough) friends.

Yeah Jack, did you notice Avalon's fretting over finding it a home was never mentioned after she met him?

Avalon, I wanted to give you kudos a couple of weeks ago when you started this thread, because if you don't keep track of their little accomplishments, you'll forget when they happened. I'm glad you've got the baby pictures up. I LOVES tabbies w/ white.

So I've got to ask, when did he first purr?

What should that M stand for? Monsieur? Monster?

[Avalon]

Jack...yeah, I know. lol I swore it wasn't going to happen ever again.

l'azizza..you must ESP; I was going to pm you today.

As much as he has grown, he is still tiny. He is an eating/pooping machine, but sleeps through the night for the most part. ( Unless he hears on of us up and about..then it is 10 minutes of pleading to be released )

He purred the second day we had him! It was why I considered Evinrude as a name..his motor goes continually. But I do like Atticus and it seems a good fit.


You can't take him into the kitchen without him having a spasm...that is where he eats. He grows 4 extra legs and gets a big cat voice; once he eats..he becomes my hsb. in a cat outfit: needs. nap. now. lol Ten minutes later he is good to go and yammering to be allowed to run.



The "M"? On this boy I think it must stand for Magic; he slipped right into my life before I could blink. I will take a couple of new pictures this week

[l'azizza]

Mrs Avalon,

I was, indeed, wearing my ESP hat today. It was a good day.

If you feel your hand along his back how much can you feel of his spine? Is he getting some muscle on there? (sry had to ask rescue question).

This is the amazing part of your rescue to me: what was little Majik Evin Ride Monster Chedid Addiy Finch's past? Did the momma cat "stray from her home?" What is the definition of a "stray?" Why would a cat stray? Was she a feral cat? If so, how many generations? I heard once that in four generations, a feral kitten is untameable, but I haven't checked up on this. It seems to me that the mother cat had this litter in a secluded place, and that the first human contact your little boy had was when your husband fished him from that hole, at 5-6 weeks old. Your little boy loved you from the start, trusted you. I think that this gives a strong argument for nature vs. nurture.

I am beginning to sleep like a cat.

[Avalon]

I had this huge post..and it disappeared!
tomorrow..tomorrow..

[Avalon]

'K
Twice I have written a novel..twice I have somehow managed to lose it. pfft. lol

Atticus is well muscled on his back and everywhere else; he runs amok, swings from the playcage top like a tiny guerrilla fighter in training. He makes me laugh with his sidewinder routine..I had forgotten how kittens do that particular move.

As for strays..I feel many are neglected pets. People are, for the most part, asshles; they like tiny baby animals, but when they grow up..not so much. They don't bother to spay or neuter them, then when they breed..out they are tossed. Then the cycle of feral cats starts when the litter is old enough to breed. We have been on a small, private crusade for years to spay and neuter animals that come our way; problem with that is..we always end up keeping them. *sigh*

Whether Atticus's mom was a stray or a tossed pet will always remain a mystery' as will whether he fell into the hole before she moved the siblings, or if she moved them because she lost him.



We have several "resident strays". IE cats that have no intention/interest in becoming house cats, but that allow me to cater their meals, fret over them, and tend to their every need. I am commanded to so by a solemn stare through the full view storm door.
In the summer, they sleep in what used to be expensive flower pots; they winter in igloos lined with plastic, straw..then layer after layer of blankets. When the weather turns exceptionally frigid, a heating pad is put into service. They also have a heated water dish. The oldest of the residents is Mama; we have had her for 13 years and I have only touched her twice..she didn't like it either time. She is the bio mom to 4 of my kittens that I hand raised and still have. She shares her igloo with another resident named Romeo..a much younger man who wooed her after the death of her long time mate 3 years ago. I love to watch them lean into each other and bump heads; she was so used to company, I was afraid she would mourn and fade away til Romeo showed up. Jack Black is the one rescue that loves being and in and out cat. I hate letting him out, but he is about 3 yrs old and it is ingrained in his nature. He comes in and out about 100 times a day..just to prove he can do it. lol He sleeps in a kennel at night, eats breakfast in the house, then starts his routine: out the side door..in the front. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

I could bore you eternally with stories from the Ark. Instead, I will take pics of the little kid in the next day or so. My elderly dogs are not doing well and I have been kept busy with their care when I am not tending to Mr. Finch, so please bear with me if I am a bit scattered these days. Speaking of Mr. Finch, it is about time for a 15 minute cuddle session.

[T.I.P.]

It is so great that you do all that ! I grew up with lots of cats but it has been two years since I haven't had one...I could use a few right now. They know how to boost you when you're having an energy/motivational dip. And they act as natural tranquilizers too. Nothing more soothing than a purring cat

[Dorkahontas]

I could use some advice in this realm if y'all don't mind. About a year and a half ago, my husband and I adopted two cats from the shelter; one adult and one kitten. They're both very sweet, but Bwian, the adult cat, has a huge behavioral problem and I'm at the end of my rope. Most of the time he urinates in the box, but he has frequent "accidents", and they're becoming more and more frequent. He's gone in the closet, in the corner of our bedroom, in baskets of laundry, on the bathmat, in a suitcase, and one time even just backed up to the wall and went there. Twice in the last two weeks he's gone on the sofa, and not just on the side. I mean IN the sofa, on the cushions, between the cushions--it's a wonder the cushions weren't floating the second time. He managed to get each and every one of them. He's been to our vet many times as well as one we went to for a second opinion and neither could find anything physically wrong with him. He is fixed and has been since we adopted him. I've used that enzyme neutralizer stuff, kitty-stay-away-from-here spray, that cat attractant litter (also some additives for regular litter that's supposed to draw them to the box), stray cat repellent around the outside of the house b/c someone told me he might be seeing cats outside and is trying to mark his territory. We have two boxes and we keep them clean. I've tried every kind of litter I can find. I've purchased 6 different litter boxes thinking maybe he doesn't like the covered kind, or the kind with a flap, or the automatic kind, or round ones or rectangular ones. We found a cat behaviorist who kept him for two weeks and said she'd almost guarantee she could figure it out. She gave him back to us and said all she can tell is that he has some deep-seated behavioral issues. Duh. The day after Bwian came home, he peed on my husband's amp. Otherwise he is wonderful and I love him dearly. I do not want to have to get rid of him, but I also cannot live in a house of peepee. I bet I've spent close two grand trying to figure this out (including the mega superduper steam cleaner I bought to clean up after him) and my husband has lost all patience. Help me.

[l'azizza]

^ Declawed?

[Frieda]

is he a so-called angry pisser? something that keeps making him upset maybe?

[T.I.P.]

^^^ he looks furious on that picture