and so it begins...

I had an opportunity to take some Smudge poo to the vet today and a
few hours later learned that she has no intestinal parasites. Good
news that means she can now leave the confines of her kennel. So we
got home this evening and fed everyone which gave us an opportunity to
close all doors leading to bedrooms and hiding spots in closets and
under beds. Rusty opened the door to the kennel and I wasn't in the
room at the time but apparently coaxed Smudge near enough to get her
out of the kennel and hold and pet her. She was happy as long as he
was petting her but when he put her on the floor she immediately ran
back into the kennel. OK, we know she knows where her safe place is
located. Rusty tried to coax her back out. She pressed herself
against the sides of the kennel and wanted me to pet her but she
didn't want to come out. Spagola found the open door to the kennel
and immediately went in and ate the food that he's been unable to
reach. Spagola is so laid back that Smudge didn't mind him coming in
at all and they even sniffed each other. We played with the mousie
with Smudge but still she wouldn't come out. So we got sneaky....we
brought out the red dot Of course the red dot toy brings all the
cats in to play. Smudge watched as everyone chased the red dot and
when Rusty moved it into the kennel Smudge chased it around. Then she
followed it outside the kennel and chased it in circles for awhile.
She even chased it near the other cats then realized where she was and
went back into the kennel. So we decided to see what would happen if
we just sat back and left the door of the kennel open. After a few
minutes she ventured out and first explored the dining room and
kitchen then came back into the family room and wandered around.
Barnabus is the only one who has hissed at her. The others just seem
to shrug and think "here we go again". Apparently she got frightened
when she went behind the couch (the cat trees are between the couch
and the windows) and she went under the couch so Rusty had to get her
out and he petted her and put her back down. Then she wandered down
the hallway. As I mentioned, all of the doors were closed and when
she got the end of the hallway she must have felt cornered because she
began crying loudly, in what sounded panicked. I quickly went down
the hall and she was alone but had gone under a chest of drawers that
we have at the end of the hallway. I got down on her level and
reached under the furniture and pet her then pulled her out and
cradled her in my arms. The good news is that she trusts both of us
and will let us hold her and pet her and calm her when she is
frightened. We don't have to restrain her at all, she will just stay
in our arms. So I petted her and cuddled her and cooed sweet nothings
in her ear and then Rusty took her from me and went back to the family
room with her. He held her and petted her for awhile and then we
decided it would probably be a good idea for her to go back to her
kennel.

The kennel condo has the large kennel up front and the medium sized
kennel is on the back side and the litterbox is in the back corner.
We keep that part covered completely so she has a place to go to get
away from everyone. Her food bowls are in the back kennel and a towel
so she can sleep back there. When we put her back into the kennel
condo she went all the way back and climbed into her litterbox. She
lay in her litterbox for almost an hour. We couldn't coax her to come
up front and get pettins. She is, afterall, a feral cat and although
she doesn't often behave like a feral, new surroundings can be very
frightening for a little cat, without a tail, thrust into new
surroundings without the littermates and step-littermates that she's
lived with over the last year.

Overall, though, I think we all did very well tonight and she will
eventually feel safe....oh, I just heard a little meow? from the
kennel. Apparently she would now like for someone to come pet her. I
think I'll oblige her. I'll keep you updated.

Julie

On Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:58:44 -0800 (PST), Julie_Snowshoe
wrote:

I had an opportunity to take some Smudge poo to the vet today and a
few hours later learned that she has no intestinal parasites. Good
news that means she can now leave the confines of her kennel. So we
got home this evening and fed everyone which gave us an opportunity to
close all doors leading to bedrooms and hiding spots in closets and
under beds. Rusty opened the door to the kennel and I wasn't in the
room at the time but apparently coaxed Smudge near enough to get her
out of the kennel and hold and pet her. She was happy as long as he
was petting her but when he put her on the floor she immediately ran
back into the kennel. OK, we know she knows where her safe place is
located. Rusty tried to coax her back out. She pressed herself
against the sides of the kennel and wanted me to pet her but she
didn't want to come out. Spagola found the open door to the kennel
and immediately went in and ate the food that he's been unable to
reach. Spagola is so laid back that Smudge didn't mind him coming in
at all and they even sniffed each other. We played with the mousie
with Smudge but still she wouldn't come out. So we got sneaky....we
brought out the red dot Of course the red dot toy brings all the
cats in to play. Smudge watched as everyone chased the red dot and
when Rusty moved it into the kennel Smudge chased it around. Then she
followed it outside the kennel and chased it in circles for awhile.
She even chased it near the other cats then realized where she was and
went back into the kennel. So we decided to see what would happen if
we just sat back and left the door of the kennel open. After a few
minutes she ventured out and first explored the dining room and
kitchen then came back into the family room and wandered around.
Barnabus is the only one who has hissed at her. The others just seem
to shrug and think "here we go again". Apparently she got frightened
when she went behind the couch (the cat trees are between the couch
and the windows) and she went under the couch so Rusty had to get her
out and he petted her and put her back down. Then she wandered down
the hallway. As I mentioned, all of the doors were closed and when
she got the end of the hallway she must have felt cornered because she
began crying loudly, in what sounded panicked. I quickly went down
the hall and she was alone but had gone under a chest of drawers that
we have at the end of the hallway. I got down on her level and
reached under the furniture and pet her then pulled her out and
cradled her in my arms. The good news is that she trusts both of us
and will let us hold her and pet her and calm her when she is
frightened. We don't have to restrain her at all, she will just stay
in our arms. So I petted her and cuddled her and cooed sweet nothings
in her ear and then Rusty took her from me and went back to the family
room with her. He held her and petted her for awhile and then we
decided it would probably be a good idea for her to go back to her
kennel.

The kennel condo has the large kennel up front and the medium sized
kennel is on the back side and the litterbox is in the back corner.
We keep that part covered completely so she has a place to go to get
away from everyone. Her food bowls are in the back kennel and a towel
so she can sleep back there. When we put her back into the kennel
condo she went all the way back and climbed into her litterbox. She
lay in her litterbox for almost an hour. We couldn't coax her to come
up front and get pettins. She is, afterall, a feral cat and although
she doesn't often behave like a feral, new surroundings can be very
frightening for a little cat, without a tail, thrust into new
surroundings without the littermates and step-littermates that she's
lived with over the last year.

Overall, though, I think we all did very well tonight and she will
eventually feel safe....oh, I just heard a little meow? from the
kennel. Apparently she would now like for someone to come pet her. I
think I'll oblige her. I'll keep you updated.

Julie

I would say that things went VERY well!

Poor Smudge must be feeling overwhelmed....but she has done as much
exploring in an hour, as my Lorelei has done in more than 2 months,
here.

And I don't have any other cats here.

I think you should be VERY happy indeed with Smudge's progress....and
that your other cats aren't going nits to her presence, either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ ^..^

"Life without cats would be only marginally worth living."
-TC, in loving memory of the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico
kitty, Kenzie.

Every day was a treasure with Kenzie; I tried to treat them that way.
There would only be so many, and now, there will never, ever, be any
more

How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven.
- Robert Heinlein

Julie_Snowshoe wrote:
I had an opportunity to take some Smudge poo to the vet today and a
few hours later learned that she has no intestinal parasites. Good
news that means she can now leave the confines of her kennel. So we
got home this evening and fed everyone which gave us an opportunity to
close all doors leading to bedrooms and hiding spots in closets and
under beds. Rusty opened the door to the kennel and I wasn't in the
room at the time but apparently coaxed Smudge near enough to get her
out of the kennel and hold and pet her. She was happy as long as he
was petting her but when he put her on the floor she immediately ran
back into the kennel. OK, we know she knows where her safe place is
located. Rusty tried to coax her back out. She pressed herself
against the sides of the kennel and wanted me to pet her but she
didn't want to come out. Spagola found the open door to the kennel
and immediately went in and ate the food that he's been unable to
reach. Spagola is so laid back that Smudge didn't mind him coming in
at all and they even sniffed each other. We played with the mousie
with Smudge but still she wouldn't come out. So we got sneaky....we
brought out the red dot Of course the red dot toy brings all the
cats in to play. Smudge watched as everyone chased the red dot and
when Rusty moved it into the kennel Smudge chased it around. Then she
followed it outside the kennel and chased it in circles for awhile.
She even chased it near the other cats then realized where she was and
went back into the kennel. So we decided to see what would happen if
we just sat back and left the door of the kennel open. After a few
minutes she ventured out and first explored the dining room and
kitchen then came back into the family room and wandered around.
Barnabus is the only one who has hissed at her. The others just seem
to shrug and think "here we go again". Apparently she got frightened
when she went behind the couch (the cat trees are between the couch
and the windows) and she went under the couch so Rusty had to get her
out and he petted her and put her back down. Then she wandered down
the hallway. As I mentioned, all of the doors were closed and when
she got the end of the hallway she must have felt cornered because she
began crying loudly, in what sounded panicked. I quickly went down
the hall and she was alone but had gone under a chest of drawers that
we have at the end of the hallway. I got down on her level and
reached under the furniture and pet her then pulled her out and
cradled her in my arms. The good news is that she trusts both of us
and will let us hold her and pet her and calm her when she is
frightened. We don't have to restrain her at all, she will just stay
in our arms. So I petted her and cuddled her and cooed sweet nothings
in her ear and then Rusty took her from me and went back to the family
room with her. He held her and petted her for awhile and then we
decided it would probably be a good idea for her to go back to her
kennel.

The kennel condo has the large kennel up front and the medium sized
kennel is on the back side and the litterbox is in the back corner.
We keep that part covered completely so she has a place to go to get
away from everyone. Her food bowls are in the back kennel and a towel
so she can sleep back there. When we put her back into the kennel
condo she went all the way back and climbed into her litterbox. She
lay in her litterbox for almost an hour. We couldn't coax her to come
up front and get pettins. She is, afterall, a feral cat and although
she doesn't often behave like a feral, new surroundings can be very
frightening for a little cat, without a tail, thrust into new
surroundings without the littermates and step-littermates that she's
lived with over the last year.

Overall, though, I think we all did very well tonight and she will
eventually feel safe....oh, I just heard a little meow? from the
kennel. Apparently she would now like for someone to come pet her. I
think I'll oblige her. I'll keep you updated.

Julie


A great beginning! Best wishes. MLB

I would say that things went VERY well!

Poor Smudge must be feeling overwhelmed....but she has done as much
exploring in an hour, as my Lorelei has done in more than 2 months,
here.

And I don't have any other cats here.

I have the advantage of being able to limit Smudge's world to the
kitty condo, which you didn't have the option to do. I thought of
Lorelei when I closed off the bedroom doors. Smudge could have...and
probably would have....disappeared under one of the beds for the next
several months if I didn't have door to block her way. Unfortunately,
you weren't able to block the basement so Lorelei was able to
disappear until she began to feel comfortable. I think that Smudge
will adjust quicker by having a smaller world than Lorelei did, but in
the end, it seems that Lorelei is progressing very nicely.

I think you should be VERY happy indeed with Smudge's progress....and
that your other cats aren't going nits to her presence, either.

I am happy with Smudge's progress and again, having the kennel makes
it easier to integrate her with the other cats because they can see
her and smell her and she can see them without having to feel
threatened.

Julie

~~~~~~~~~~~~ *^..^ * *

On Jan 19, 11:28*pm, MLB wrote:
Julie_Snowshoe wrote:

Overall, though, I think we all did very well tonight and she will
eventually feel safe....oh, I just heard a little meow? from the
kennel. *Apparently she would now like for someone to come pet her. I
think I'll oblige her. *I'll keep you updated.

Julie

A great beginning! *Best wishes. *MLB

Thanks!
Julie

On 20/01/2011 05:58, Julie_Snowshoe wrote:


Overall, though, I think we all did very well tonight and she will
eventually feel safe....oh, I just heard a little meow? from the
kennel. Apparently she would now like for someone to come pet her. I
think I'll oblige her. I'll keep you updated.

Awww, it sounds like it went very well indeed, for a first encounter.
Purrs for continued smooth sailing. And give her a scritch from me. She
sounds like a little sweetheart. She's so lucky to have found you.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

Julie_Snowshoe wrote:
I am happy with Smudge's progress and again, having the kennel makes
it easier to integrate her with the other cats because they can see
her and smell her and she can see them without having to feel
threatened.

She's so cute. If she loves to be held, and the other cats don't mind
her, I think she's going to have a nice integration into the
household. It reminds me of when I sequestered Buster - he also cried
a lot, and he loved resting in his carrier.

"Julie_Snowshoe" wrote in message
...
I had an opportunity to take some Smudge poo to the vet today and a
few hours later learned that she has no intestinal parasites. Good
news that means she can now leave the confines of her kennel. So we
got home this evening and fed everyone which gave us an opportunity to
close all doors leading to bedrooms and hiding spots in closets and
under beds. Rusty opened the door to the kennel and I wasn't in the
room at the time but apparently coaxed Smudge near enough to get her
out of the kennel and hold and pet her. She was happy as long as he
was petting her but when he put her on the floor she immediately ran
back into the kennel. OK, we know she knows where her safe place is
located. Rusty tried to coax her back out. She pressed herself
against the sides of the kennel and wanted me to pet her but she
didn't want to come out. Spagola found the open door to the kennel
and immediately went in and ate the food that he's been unable to
reach. Spagola is so laid back that Smudge didn't mind him coming in
at all and they even sniffed each other. We played with the mousie
with Smudge but still she wouldn't come out. So we got sneaky....we
brought out the red dot Of course the red dot toy brings all the
cats in to play. Smudge watched as everyone chased the red dot and
when Rusty moved it into the kennel Smudge chased it around. Then she
followed it outside the kennel and chased it in circles for awhile.
She even chased it near the other cats then realized where she was and
went back into the kennel. So we decided to see what would happen if
we just sat back and left the door of the kennel open. After a few
minutes she ventured out and first explored the dining room and
kitchen then came back into the family room and wandered around.
Barnabus is the only one who has hissed at her. The others just seem
to shrug and think "here we go again". Apparently she got frightened
when she went behind the couch (the cat trees are between the couch
and the windows) and she went under the couch so Rusty had to get her
out and he petted her and put her back down. Then she wandered down
the hallway. As I mentioned, all of the doors were closed and when
she got the end of the hallway she must have felt cornered because she
began crying loudly, in what sounded panicked. I quickly went down
the hall and she was alone but had gone under a chest of drawers that
we have at the end of the hallway. I got down on her level and
reached under the furniture and pet her then pulled her out and
cradled her in my arms. The good news is that she trusts both of us
and will let us hold her and pet her and calm her when she is
frightened. We don't have to restrain her at all, she will just stay
in our arms. So I petted her and cuddled her and cooed sweet nothings
in her ear and then Rusty took her from me and went back to the family
room with her. He held her and petted her for awhile and then we
decided it would probably be a good idea for her to go back to her
kennel.

The kennel condo has the large kennel up front and the medium sized
kennel is on the back side and the litterbox is in the back corner.
We keep that part covered completely so she has a place to go to get
away from everyone. Her food bowls are in the back kennel and a towel
so she can sleep back there. When we put her back into the kennel
condo she went all the way back and climbed into her litterbox. She
lay in her litterbox for almost an hour. We couldn't coax her to come
up front and get pettins. She is, afterall, a feral cat and although
she doesn't often behave like a feral, new surroundings can be very
frightening for a little cat, without a tail, thrust into new
surroundings without the littermates and step-littermates that she's
lived with over the last year.

Overall, though, I think we all did very well tonight and she will
eventually feel safe....oh, I just heard a little meow? from the
kennel. Apparently she would now like for someone to come pet her. I
think I'll oblige her. I'll keep you updated.

Julie

It sounds like a great beginning!

Joy