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The curious story of Mickey
Mickey is one my my nearest neighbor's cats - he's about 13 years old,
and the neighborhood champion mouser ... or he used to be. I have eleven, most of whom don't particularly like Mickey; two of whom get in fights with him from time to time. Last fall, Mickey moved in with me and my cats. He looked and acted older than his years: his coat was dull and he didn't walk very well. I thought it was like the other times: the grandchildren were visiting at his home, but six months later, there are no grandchildren - never were, and he is still living with me and my often hostile cats. At his own home, he is the alpha cat. However, he is now walking well; his coat is shiny; and he looks more his age. Recent informal portrait: http://gearbox.maem.umr.edu/tdavis/cats/2005/mickey_classic.jpg What's different about my place? Shelter: 24/7 catflap vs. 24/7 barn + indoor on demand food: cheap Special Kitty dry vs. Meow Mix treats: half&half (milk/cream) vs. unknown or none petting: some vs. on demand flea control: Frontline vs mostly nothing (if he drops by when I'm pasing out Frontline, I give him a dose too, so even when he wasn't living with me, he was still getting the good stuff almost often enough) attitude: not wanted vs. loved and much wanted It should be mentioned that of the 12 cats at my house, he is the only one who begs, in a subdued feline way, for half&half - if a couple of days go by without any, he hangs around the place where I put the bowl, comes to me and walks back to the bowl place, meows at the bowl place, etc. If anyone has any suggestions for getting him to go home and stay there, both I and his humans would gladly consider them. We would like to bring the curious case of Mickey to closure in a way that satisfies everybody. I'm beginning to think it might be a nutritional issue. -- T.E.D. ) SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. |
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"Ted Davis" wrote in message
... Mickey is one my my nearest neighbor's cats - he's about 13 years old, and the neighborhood champion mouser ... or he used to be. I have eleven, most of whom don't particularly like Mickey; two of whom get in fights with him from time to time. Last fall, Mickey moved in with me and my cats. He looked and acted older than his years: his coat was dull and he didn't walk very well. I thought it was like the other times: the grandchildren were visiting at his home, but six months later, there are no grandchildren - never were, and he is still living with me and my often hostile cats. At his own home, he is the alpha cat. However, he is now walking well; his coat is shiny; and he looks more his age. Recent informal portrait: http://gearbox.maem.umr.edu/tdavis/cats/2005/mickey_classic.jpg What's different about my place? Shelter: 24/7 catflap vs. 24/7 barn + indoor on demand food: cheap Special Kitty dry vs. Meow Mix treats: half&half (milk/cream) vs. unknown or none petting: some vs. on demand flea control: Frontline vs mostly nothing (if he drops by when I'm pasing out Frontline, I give him a dose too, so even when he wasn't living with me, he was still getting the good stuff almost often enough) attitude: not wanted vs. loved and much wanted It should be mentioned that of the 12 cats at my house, he is the only one who begs, in a subdued feline way, for half&half - if a couple of days go by without any, he hangs around the place where I put the bowl, comes to me and walks back to the bowl place, meows at the bowl place, etc. If anyone has any suggestions for getting him to go home and stay there, both I and his humans would gladly consider them. We would like to bring the curious case of Mickey to closure in a way that satisfies everybody. I'm beginning to think it might be a nutritional issue. We have a neighbor's cat who eats only what I put out for the ferals and strays (Science Diet dry and canned) because she likes that better than what her own people feed her. We really don't talk much to the neighbors (DH and I are pretty much shy computer geeks who don't get out much), so I don't know her name - we call her "Socks". Here's a picture of "Socks" looking in at my indoor only kitties: http://www.possibleplaces.com/catnipped/Four_Sisters/. I Mickey decides that he likes it better at your house, then I don't think you're going to change his mind! ; Hugs, CatNipped -- T.E.D. ) SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. |
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On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 09:57:13 -0500, "CatNipped"
wrote: We have a neighbor's cat who eats only what I put out for the ferals and strays (Science Diet dry and canned) because she likes that better than what her own people feed her. We really don't talk much to the neighbors (DH and I are pretty much shy computer geeks who don't get out much), so I don't know her name - we call her "Socks". Here's a picture of "Socks" looking in at my indoor only kitties: http://www.possibleplaces.com/catnipped/Four_Sisters/. I Mickey decides that he likes it better at your house, then I don't think you're going to change his mind! ; He's already out stubborned me. Initially, he was living in the house, but after an event in which his presence caused me to be badly bitten by my alpha cat, I started chasing him out ... and he kept coming back. Then I decided to compromise with him: I fixed him up with a padded shelf in the mud room - not as warm as the house, but weather proof and far above freezing. He stayed there for a couple of months, then decided he really wanted to come inside. Now he uses the shelf as his watch tower (my mud room is one of the very few with a picture window), sleeps indoors, and sometimes even sleeps partially on top of me in the bed. He's also taken to jumping into my lap when I'm at the computer - not too often, but that's too much like the situation in which Fleagor bit me for me to be comfortable with it. -- T.E.D. ) |
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It should be mentioned that of the 12 cats at my house, he is the only one who begs, in a subdued feline way, for half&half - if a couple of days go by without any, he hangs around the place where I put the bowl, comes to me and walks back to the bowl place, meows at the bowl place, etc. Maybe you could get Mickey's people to feed him the way you feed him. It seems as though he is healthier and feels better when he is in your house, so that's where he wants to stay. If his people fed him the way you feed him, and showered him with attention, maybe he would want to go home again. --Fil |
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