New Cat

[BarbieH]

Ever since the loss of our dear cat Neko, we've been invaded by an outdoor cat named Jack -- Black Jack is his full name. He was adopted by the neighborhood for a while, but the weather now is such that he needs an indoor home.

His temperament is very different from Neko's, so we find ourselves being much more aware of where he is, especially in regards to the birds. His living outdoors for a while did not help, but he seems to learn quickly with the water bottle training method. And the birds have gotten used to him walking around and occasionally making faces at them. When they first saw him, they screamed. :omg:

So, our little flock once again is mixed. This boy must have come from a home somewhere, he used to have a flea collar. He has other bad manners, like jumping up on kitchen surfaces. And he doesn't like eating dry food from his bowl; prefers it on the floor. What's up with that??

But we do our best to keep him out of trouble and keep the birds safe. For now, that means Jack sleeps in the basement at night, and he's never left unattended with the birds if we go out. There must be a tightly shut door in between them, one way or another. As Linda says, "Best defense, no be there!"

[linda040899]

Barb,
Glad to hear that Black Jack has found himself a wonderful new home! I knew the minute you said that you and Tim let Jack spend a night indoors that it was all over! Jack would have a home and would not have to worry about safety and where his next meal was coming from! :)

Way to go, Jack!!!

[Bubblelady]

Congratulations! I'm glad Jack has a home again. Every critter needs a loving home. My sister has a cat who insists on knocking her dry food out of the bowl & eating it off the floor, too. Often feel crunchies under your feet at her house. :rofl:

[FuzzyAga]

Life goes on; and Black Jack has decided to make you his new family. I've always said that animals should adopt the human and Jack is the poster boy for that. :)

With a cat in the house, you'll be busy and not totally relaxed, for sure.

I had two cats, and both of them adopted us--separately moved right in--and stayed. They died of old age about 12-years ago and I still miss them.

Cats can be trained to stay off the counter--pick him up and set him down on the floor, say a cue word, maybe, "Off!" Repeat and repeat! I trained mine.

Maybe you can find a flat-ish bowl/plate to put his food in. I think this floor preference might be temporary.

I'd suggest a vet visit to rule out nasties, like feline leukemia; lumps and bumps; get some immunization shots; fleas; tapeworm; and other stuff. Being an outdoor cat puts some demands on his body so it's best to have it taken care of before he stays permanently--I know you know this--just completing my thoughts. :)

Good luck, and if you can't keep him, you could take him to a shelter, or another neighbor, or something as winter is no time for an outdoor cat.

[michael]

Best wishes for Black Jack! .... Although i'm sure the warmth was a big attraction, feeding a stray cat "once" usually does the trick too.......:rotfl......Depending on his age, i'll bet you've just added an extra 5 or more years onto his lifespan. Wonder if that counts towards his initial 9 lives?

The only time my cats ever stayed off counters was when they knew I was nearby. It was the telltale thump that always gave them away.............:)

[BarbieH]

Thanks all! Jack still likes to go outside a few times a day, but we want to make that happen less and less. It's not a good time of year for black cats to be outside.

I know, we've been meaning to take him to the vet's to get his shots updated, etc. He also has some kind of problem with his mouth, teeth, throat, or something. Shortly after he eats something a little crunchy, he "barks" and shakes his head. A vet visit is definitely in order, a vet in between the one in town (good for simple things) and the specialist. I know just who to use.

[FuzzyAga]

"It was the telltale thump that always gave them away." Hmm, sounds like the start to a good mystery novel.

That is true. :) But you've trained them--almost--so you've got a 50% success rate!

[Bubblelady]

My father trained our 23 pound, meowless cat. Dad decided to keep the cat off the kitchen counter by throwing him out the back door every time he jumped up. Only took Kinky a couple of days to learn how to get my dad to open back door. Jump on one end of the counter, run the full length of the counter, then hop down & wait at the door for my dad! For the rest of his life, this is how he asked out. :)

[Janie]

Congratulations, Barb! Glad to hear that Jack has found a new home. Hopefully he'll stay inside more and more..... a very good thing for the outside birdies. :)

[LovelySydney]

Congrats on black jack! Its wonderful to hear you gave him a safe home, even if you will be a little nervous for awhile! It sounds like the training is going well so I hope he learns quickly that being near the birds is a no no. Pics soon? = )

[FuzzyAga]

Bubblelady, what a hoot of a story! :rofl:

So who had the last laught? Huh, huh? What a smart kitty! :rofl: