h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

#92, Lua in a sunbeam is wonderful Thank-you.

pheloxi,

No, Sunny isn't looking suspicious - just sleepy! He and Azar are best mates.


hi Roadkill,

Glad you liked that. I think I like #91 best (of Lua in sunbeams). Not sure if I should maybe remove #93, showing her massive pink belly, but her face looks so happy in that one.

az

It does, it's nice seeing that expression on animals. I think keep it up there, if only for that reason.

Mr. Fluffy-pants, or "he who does not like to be cuddled", was actually (until my arm fell asleep) lying fast asleep draped over my shoulder. Miracles will never cease!

Lua looks well and happy.

We had a lovely with friends last night, they have 3 s, two of which are adorable kittens. The neighbour's came to join us for a tummy rub or four as well. Cassie was not entirely impressed to find that I had been stroking strange s.

If I am out of the house for longer than Benjamin deems a "reasonable amount of time", he won't let me pet him without his having a good sniff to see that I haven't been consorting with other kitty kats.

If I have brought something new into the house, I always make sure I let him examine the new "sniffs". "Look, Benjamin. I brought you some "sniffs"!"

Hmmm . . . mine don't seem to care about that. Even when I come home from my class at Agustín's house, having spent most of the time with their little yorkie/maltese on my lap.

az

Hannah always interested in people smells,
Henry food being main motivation, amazeing the crumbs he finds!

Well, mine do like having a sniff at my fingers, though in Lua's case I think it's because she is hoping I will be holding a treat for her (a bit of chicken or ham). When she finds out there is no treat she turns her back in a huff. Azar likes to sniff and then 'mark' me by rubbing his cheeks against my fingers.

But Sunny actually had a *thing* about having a hand held in front of his face - he really doesn't like it. In fact, I can only pet him from behind the head and along his back - if I approach him face first he cringes! And he totally hates kisses on the head - the other two love it. I think this is a kitten-hood trauma stemming from when a friend once 'playfully' hit him with a pen on his nose! Idiot! Hence, Sunny also has a fear of pens. But of course, Sunny is a 'dog' and takes things to heart too much.

az

Henry still bolts or tries to the moment he realises i am going to pick him up, but has very good manners when eating from fingers, delicatly takeing a single rice grain, on some ocasions half a rice grain, gravy sometimes presents a problem ,he forgets for instent it's my finger coated in gravy.

Why does Henry bolt? He is a rescue cat, no?

az

Yes found between or liveing in pile of pallets,10 years or so about size of 13 week kitten but could have been as old as six months, terrible ear mites ,spent all his time hideing under fridge, in the foster home he was at, i brought him home he bonded with hannah to a point, but as grew into adult very very territorial, attack first cat wise, human wise run and hide mentalitie.

Yet settled to a point, will walk on harness, did do open days (shops fund raiseing)but diabolical in car, he is loud,long,mournfal,crestfallen,pathetic Mews.

Yet on the other hand as soft as butter,likes head butting wipeing whole of torso along face to the tip of tail, tap him on whiskas with
pen does flinch, often play touch whiska he uses paw fend of attact.

can throw punch to head no flinch,as hand makes contact when i follow through softly that is i heard the gasp from here, he pushes back.

When I took Azar in he was a totally wild street cat (I trapped him by placing some cat food at the back of a cat cage and he fell for it!) I put him in my studio room for a day so I could wipe him down with a damp cloth (no chance of bathing him properly) and I also applied some flea spray. In fact, he didn't have fleas, but he did have worms! And also ticks in his ears. While he was a 'prisoner' in my studio he let me hold him and even pull out the ear ticks. But after he was cleaned up and I let him out of the studio into the flat he wouldn't let me touch him again for three months!

I was only allowed to feed and water him (and somehow got him to eat the de-worming pill in his food). But he would not let me touch him! It was so bizarre. Eventually I developed a plan of walking by him and holding out my arm with one finger exetended - just the one finger. He ignored it for ages. Then he got curious. Then he would extend his neck a bit towards my extended finger. Then he would finally allow me to get close enough so he could sniff the finger. We are talking *every day* for three months. I went through this slow routine. Finally one day he let me stroke his head. After that he was totally mine!

Now he loves it when I pick him up and cuddle him and even when I play quite rough with him and tickle his belly. But STILL sometimes he looks at me a bit strange, like he is scared. So then I just extend my arm and the 'friendly finger' and that totally relaxes him. Strange, huh? I think his 'nervous moments' are due to perhaps a too fast movement on my part or whatever is going on in his little cat head at the time. Something that reminds him of past dangers. But sometimes he does get a look on his face like he is totally terrified. And when I hold out my one finger he immediately relaxes, as he recognises this as being friendly and safe.

Out of all my three cats I make a point of picking him up the most and giving him quite rough playful massages because he seems to need the physical reassurance more. I also very softly cuddle him but I think they playful stuff is good because it doesn't feel so tentative so that makes him feel more secure. And he also really loves it.

Okay, having just written all that I realise that I am totally a weirdo cat slave!

Well, there are worse things to be . . .

az

No not really ,thats ferral cats for you, even five week old ferral kittens, take a long time to redomestecate, Henry likes it rough(not that hes had any neutered soon after found)
Next time you need to trap or pick up wary cat ,when approaching watch cat out of corner of eye, a couple of yawns would not go amiss either ,that way your intended victim does not consider you a threat.

Henry love it when you rub hand along back when reaching tail grasp firmly pick back legs of floor,slightly release tail, he then turn round for you to do other side,

Benjamin came to us at about 6 weeks. For the first two weeks or so, we put him in the bathroom at night and while we were at work. We tried leaving him to run loose at night, but he was all over us, scratching us playfully, crying, etc.

So I put a catbed in the bathroom with a hotwaterbottle on top of the kitchen clock. Over that, I draped the flannel baby sheet that had been with him and his brothers when they were abandonned in our store. Most of the time, he fussed for a few minutes and I would go in and cuddle him and then put him back to bed. If he cried again, it was usually only for a couple of minutes.

One night, I had gone in once and he kept on crying. I let him cry for a bit longer and then went to go and cuddle him again. My ex said that I should just leave him. I waited another minute or so, but finally went in. Poor wee thin had jumped up and grabbedhold of the towel haning on the back of the bathroom door and caught one claw in it. There he was, hanging by one toe from the towel. I felt terrible. But he also learned from that and for the next while settled down very quickly.

Soon enough, he figured out that when we were in bed with the lights off it was because we wanted to sleep and he would come up, climb around on me for a few minutes but would settle down and spend most of the night lying on me.

Now, he makes a few perfunctory turns around on top of me and then settles down on the end of the bed. Sometimes he wanders in well after I have settled in, climbs around, and then goes elsewhere to sleep.

hi Mudhooks,

Your story of Benjamin as a kitten reminds me of Sunny. Though of course he was born practically into my hands and I have been holding and cuddling him since his first hour. But he used to wander all over me at night and ALSO eat my clothing! I was constantly waking up to discover new holes in my pj's. Very dog-like behaviour since the beginning!

When I took Azar in he was five months old and had managed to survive in the street (even when someone tried ripping his front leg off) by being crafty and FAST. Which no doubt explains the problems I had getting him to let me touch him.

Strangely or otherwise, he is now the most sensual of all my cats. He adores being massaged and will often come up to me when I am reading on the sofa, lie down, and thrust his back paws in my direction for a foot massage! Bless him.

Just had another look at Lua's tumour. She puts up with this now because she knows she always gets a treat afterwards. It is definitely bigger than when I first discovered it, though it looks less inflamed now. Phew! And she still shows no signs of actually being ill. So everyday I count my blessings for that.

az

Same as henry ,that webed space is so soft and silky, all the better to hide those tallons , front paws definately more finger like, than back.

I don't think Cassie could have been handled all that much by her previous owners, but she slowly allows us to get away with more as time goes past. I can now stroke her paws gently and she likes to fall asleep holding 'hands' when she is on my lap.

hi Caerwynn,

I had either forgotten or didn't know that Cassie was adopted. Just like Lua (and boy, do *those* previous owners ever have a lot to answer for!). The only physical affection Lua will accept from me are kisses on the head and light shoulder massages. She actually hates being stroked (as in, along the length of her body, which most cats adore). As for touching her paws - forget it!

Sadly funny story though. When I took Lua in for the ultra-sound we first had her in the regular consulting room and then the vet said we had to take her upstairs to the ultra-sound room. And he said I should stick her back in the cage. Instead (because I was already crying at this point) I just picked her up in my arms and Lua snuggled up against me. And like - never ever does she let me pick her up like this! But this time she let me carry her up the stairs in my arms, half sobbing into her neck and kissing her on the head.

Has Cassie been catching any more mice these days?

az