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Duffy and Holly (new photos)



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 6th 03, 11:25 AM
MaryL
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Posts: n/a
Default Duffy and Holly (new photos)

This is a duplicate of the message I posted yesterday in the health+behav
newsgroup. I don't normally duplicate messages and seldom cross-post (except
in responses), but someone suggested that I do this because I post
frequently in the anecdotes group and often mention my two furbabies.

Some of you have followed the story of Holly and Duffy. Holly is my black
cat, the one we used to call "the black tornado" because she was so
aggressive toward any other cat. Duffy is my blind cat (gray with white
markings), adopted several months ago and integrated into an environment
with one thoroughly spoiled cat. The two now get along beautifully, and I
usually find them in close proximity with each other. When I wake up in the
morning, I often find one cat sleeping on one side of me and the other cat
on the other side. Duffy is constantly aware of Holly and follows her
throughout the house.

Duffy is truly remarkable. Some people have watched him play for several
minutes without ever realizing that he is blind. That is particularly true
when he is climbing, and that is one of the great joys of his life. He is
like a little acrobat and can do maneuvers that would make Mary Lou Retton
envious. You can see some new photos of him going through some of his
"advanced moves" if you scroll down to the bottom of this site:
http://tinyurl.com/8y56. First scroll toward the bottom (4th picture from
the end), where you can see Duffy relaxing on top of the computer hutch.
Some time ago, I found that he would easily climb up the "windows" of the
hutch to the top. That part was easy for him, but he couldn't see to make
his way back down and I was concerned that he might miss his footing. So I
had a carpeted pole added to the side of the hutch, similar to one of the
poles on his cat tree. He loves it, and he seems to be part cat-part
squirrel-part bear as he descends. He will start at the top of the pole and
start down head-first like a squirrel (shown in the photo called "Wow! The
Amazing Duffy"), then he spins his body around (shown immediately above that
photo on a pole at the cat tree, in a picture called "Go Duffy") and backs
the rest of the way down like a bear. His claws go "scritch, scritch,
scritch" all the way down as he backs and quickly releases his grip, then
grabs again, then releases again, etc. until he reaches the floor.

More recently, I noticed Duffy sometimes hanging down from the top of the
hutch with only his hips and hind legs on the hutch and sometimes walking
right on the very edge of the hutch. It is smooth wood, and I was afraid he
would slip and fall (especially when in the "hanging-down" position) because
he wouldn't have anything to grip. There are some sharp corners on the
computer that he could hit if he fell, so we installed a carpeted 2" x 4"
board along the front edge of the hutch to serve as a "safety rail." He
checked out the new safety device almost as soon as it was in place. And
what did he do?? -- well, he proceeded to walk right on top of it, sort of
like a kid who "just has" to walk on a tree that has fallen over a river. So
now he's still walking right on the edge but a few inches higher! However, I
feel that it is much safer because now it's carpeted and Duffy can use those
nice sharp claws to grip the carpet. The "safety rail" has become Duffy's
balance beam. As I said, he's truly remarkable; and he's a delight to
watch - a little gymnast.

Now, let's not forget about Holly! She has made a wonderful adjustment from
being "an only child" (a very spoiled and pampered only child) to sharing
her space with Duffy - and enjoying it. Scroll up a couple of photos and you
will see a picture of Holly on the mantle (posing nicely in front of one of
my own paintings). She is solid black with a glorious, glossy fur coat and
gorgeous golden/orange eyes. I hear her making a "moaning" noise every
evening, and I will look up to see her bringing a little red leather mouse
to me as a gift. This has been going on for several months, and it is always
the same little red leather mouse - which is now showing definite signs of
wear. Her favorite pastime is walking in front of the computer monitor or
sitting on the computer mouse. In fact, she seems to be convinced that her
biggest function in life is to position herself right in front of the
monitor, with a "close second" job being her skills at dumping my papers
onto the floor, one-by-one.

--
MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Holly and Duffy:
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")



  #2  
Old October 6th 03, 02:46 PM
Nan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 05:25:33 -0500, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

This is a duplicate of the message I posted yesterday in the health+behav
newsgroup. I don't normally duplicate messages and seldom cross-post (except
in responses), but someone suggested that I do this because I post
frequently in the anecdotes group and often mention my two furbabies.

Some of you have followed the story of Holly and Duffy. Holly is my black
cat, the one we used to call "the black tornado" because she was so
aggressive toward any other cat. Duffy is my blind cat (gray with white
markings), adopted several months ago and integrated into an environment
with one thoroughly spoiled cat. The two now get along beautifully, and I
usually find them in close proximity with each other. When I wake up in the
morning, I often find one cat sleeping on one side of me and the other cat
on the other side. Duffy is constantly aware of Holly and follows her
throughout the house.

Duffy is truly remarkable. Some people have watched him play for several
minutes without ever realizing that he is blind. That is particularly true
when he is climbing, and that is one of the great joys of his life. He is
like a little acrobat and can do maneuvers that would make Mary Lou Retton
envious. You can see some new photos of him going through some of his
"advanced moves" if you scroll down to the bottom of this site:
http://tinyurl.com/8y56. First scroll toward the bottom (4th picture from
the end), where you can see Duffy relaxing on top of the computer hutch.
Some time ago, I found that he would easily climb up the "windows" of the
hutch to the top. That part was easy for him, but he couldn't see to make
his way back down and I was concerned that he might miss his footing. So I
had a carpeted pole added to the side of the hutch, similar to one of the
poles on his cat tree. He loves it, and he seems to be part cat-part
squirrel-part bear as he descends. He will start at the top of the pole and
start down head-first like a squirrel (shown in the photo called "Wow! The
Amazing Duffy"), then he spins his body around (shown immediately above that
photo on a pole at the cat tree, in a picture called "Go Duffy") and backs
the rest of the way down like a bear. His claws go "scritch, scritch,
scritch" all the way down as he backs and quickly releases his grip, then
grabs again, then releases again, etc. until he reaches the floor.

More recently, I noticed Duffy sometimes hanging down from the top of the
hutch with only his hips and hind legs on the hutch and sometimes walking
right on the very edge of the hutch. It is smooth wood, and I was afraid he
would slip and fall (especially when in the "hanging-down" position) because
he wouldn't have anything to grip. There are some sharp corners on the
computer that he could hit if he fell, so we installed a carpeted 2" x 4"
board along the front edge of the hutch to serve as a "safety rail." He
checked out the new safety device almost as soon as it was in place. And
what did he do?? -- well, he proceeded to walk right on top of it, sort of
like a kid who "just has" to walk on a tree that has fallen over a river. So
now he's still walking right on the edge but a few inches higher! However, I
feel that it is much safer because now it's carpeted and Duffy can use those
nice sharp claws to grip the carpet. The "safety rail" has become Duffy's
balance beam. As I said, he's truly remarkable; and he's a delight to
watch - a little gymnast.

Now, let's not forget about Holly! She has made a wonderful adjustment from
being "an only child" (a very spoiled and pampered only child) to sharing
her space with Duffy - and enjoying it. Scroll up a couple of photos and you
will see a picture of Holly on the mantle (posing nicely in front of one of
my own paintings). She is solid black with a glorious, glossy fur coat and
gorgeous golden/orange eyes. I hear her making a "moaning" noise every
evening, and I will look up to see her bringing a little red leather mouse
to me as a gift. This has been going on for several months, and it is always
the same little red leather mouse - which is now showing definite signs of
wear. Her favorite pastime is walking in front of the computer monitor or
sitting on the computer mouse. In fact, she seems to be convinced that her
biggest function in life is to position herself right in front of the
monitor, with a "close second" job being her skills at dumping my papers
onto the floor, one-by-one.


Duffy is one amazing kitty. To look at those pictures you would never
know that he is blind. Holly is beautiful.

Nan
  #3  
Old October 6th 03, 04:01 PM
Marina
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote

As I said, he's truly remarkable; and he's a delight to
watch - a little gymnast.


It is quite amazing - you would never believe he is blind from the climbing
pictures, except when he is "looking" towards the camera you can see there
is something strange about his eyes.

Now, let's not forget about Holly!


Let's not! She is truly beautiful. So glad to hear how she and Duffy have
bonded.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi

  #4  
Old October 6th 03, 11:06 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

MaryL -out-the-litter wrote:

Some of you have followed the story of Holly and Duffy. Holly is my black
cat, the one we used to call "the black tornado" because she was so
aggressive toward any other cat. Duffy is my blind cat (gray with white
markings), adopted several months ago and integrated into an environment
with one thoroughly spoiled cat.


Duffy looks so much like my cat Smudge!! He's gorgeous. They're both
beautiful. And it's great to see how much Duffy can enjoy himself and get
around. Also, I'm glad that Holly has mellowed and that the two of them
get along so well!

Here's Smudge (with my other cat, Roxy), so you can see their similarity:

http://home.sonic.net/~jwermont/cats/smudgerox3.jpg

Joyce
  #5  
Old October 6th 03, 11:59 PM
MaryL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


wrote in message
...
MaryL -out-the-litter wrote:

Some of you have followed the story of Holly and Duffy. Holly is my

black
cat, the one we used to call "the black tornado" because she was so
aggressive toward any other cat. Duffy is my blind cat (gray with white
markings), adopted several months ago and integrated into an

environment
with one thoroughly spoiled cat.


Duffy looks so much like my cat Smudge!! He's gorgeous. They're both
beautiful. And it's great to see how much Duffy can enjoy himself and get
around. Also, I'm glad that Holly has mellowed and that the two of them
get along so well!

Here's Smudge (with my other cat, Roxy), so you can see their similarity:

http://home.sonic.net/~jwermont/cats/smudgerox3.jpg

Joyce


You're right ... there is a definite resemblance. Of course, you understand
that "in my eyes" there are no other cats as beautiful as Duffy and Holly!!
;o) But yours are certainly beautiful.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)


  #7  
Old October 7th 03, 01:23 AM
Steve Touchstone
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 05:25:33 -0500, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

snip

Duffy is truly remarkable. Some people have watched him play for several
minutes without ever realizing that he is blind. That is particularly true
when he is climbing, and that is one of the great joys of his life. He is
like a little acrobat and can do maneuvers that would make Mary Lou Retton
envious. You can see some new photos of him going through some of his
"advanced moves" if you scroll down to the bottom of this site:
http://tinyurl.com/8y56. First scroll toward the bottom (4th picture from

snip

computer that he could hit if he fell, so we installed a carpeted 2" x 4"
board along the front edge of the hutch to serve as a "safety rail." He
checked out the new safety device almost as soon as it was in place. And
what did he do?? -- well, he proceeded to walk right on top of it, sort of
like a kid who "just has" to walk on a tree that has fallen over a river. So


LOL Isn't that just like a cat ;-)

snip
Now, let's not forget about Holly! She has made a wonderful adjustment from
being "an only child" (a very spoiled and pampered only child) to sharing
her space with Duffy - and enjoying it. Scroll up a couple of photos and you


snip

Very pretty girl, and glad to hear that she's decided Duffy can stay

Great pix - I bookmarked them and will go back later to look at the
rest - but that is truly some amazing pix of the "handicapped" Duffy.

  #8  
Old October 7th 03, 02:55 AM
MaryL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Steve Touchstone" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 05:25:33 -0500, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

snip

Great pix - I bookmarked them and will go back later to look at the
rest - but that is truly some amazing pix of the "handicapped" Duffy.


Shhhhh. I don't think he knows he's supposed to be "handicapped."


But, thanks!!

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)


  #9  
Old October 7th 03, 03:55 AM
Stacey
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Hi Mary!

I was thinking about Duffy the other day, (although I couldn't remember his
name, I was thinking about the blind cat), so great to see the update! He is
quite amazing, isn't he? That one where his two front legs are hanging
over... I wonder, is that how he gets down, sort of drops his front legs
till he hits something? And also, when he and Holly play, does Duffy still
do that lay-the-ears-back while staring at each other move?

Thanks for the piccies!

Stacey

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...
This is a duplicate of the message I posted yesterday in the health+behav
newsgroup. I don't normally duplicate messages and seldom cross-post

(except
in responses), but someone suggested that I do this because I post
frequently in the anecdotes group and often mention my two furbabies.

Some of you have followed the story of Holly and Duffy. Holly is my black
cat, the one we used to call "the black tornado" because she was so
aggressive toward any other cat. Duffy is my blind cat (gray with white
markings), adopted several months ago and integrated into an environment
with one thoroughly spoiled cat. The two now get along beautifully, and I
usually find them in close proximity with each other. When I wake up in

the
morning, I often find one cat sleeping on one side of me and the other cat
on the other side. Duffy is constantly aware of Holly and follows her
throughout the house.

Duffy is truly remarkable. Some people have watched him play for several
minutes without ever realizing that he is blind. That is particularly true
when he is climbing, and that is one of the great joys of his life. He is
like a little acrobat and can do maneuvers that would make Mary Lou Retton
envious. You can see some new photos of him going through some of his
"advanced moves" if you scroll down to the bottom of this site:
http://tinyurl.com/8y56. First scroll toward the bottom (4th picture from
the end), where you can see Duffy relaxing on top of the computer hutch.
Some time ago, I found that he would easily climb up the "windows" of the
hutch to the top. That part was easy for him, but he couldn't see to make
his way back down and I was concerned that he might miss his footing. So I
had a carpeted pole added to the side of the hutch, similar to one of the
poles on his cat tree. He loves it, and he seems to be part cat-part
squirrel-part bear as he descends. He will start at the top of the pole

and
start down head-first like a squirrel (shown in the photo called "Wow! The
Amazing Duffy"), then he spins his body around (shown immediately above

that
photo on a pole at the cat tree, in a picture called "Go Duffy") and backs
the rest of the way down like a bear. His claws go "scritch, scritch,
scritch" all the way down as he backs and quickly releases his grip, then
grabs again, then releases again, etc. until he reaches the floor.

More recently, I noticed Duffy sometimes hanging down from the top of the
hutch with only his hips and hind legs on the hutch and sometimes walking
right on the very edge of the hutch. It is smooth wood, and I was afraid

he
would slip and fall (especially when in the "hanging-down" position)

because
he wouldn't have anything to grip. There are some sharp corners on the
computer that he could hit if he fell, so we installed a carpeted 2" x 4"
board along the front edge of the hutch to serve as a "safety rail." He
checked out the new safety device almost as soon as it was in place. And
what did he do?? -- well, he proceeded to walk right on top of it, sort of
like a kid who "just has" to walk on a tree that has fallen over a river.

So
now he's still walking right on the edge but a few inches higher! However,

I
feel that it is much safer because now it's carpeted and Duffy can use

those
nice sharp claws to grip the carpet. The "safety rail" has become Duffy's
balance beam. As I said, he's truly remarkable; and he's a delight to
watch - a little gymnast.

Now, let's not forget about Holly! She has made a wonderful adjustment

from
being "an only child" (a very spoiled and pampered only child) to sharing
her space with Duffy - and enjoying it. Scroll up a couple of photos and

you
will see a picture of Holly on the mantle (posing nicely in front of one

of
my own paintings). She is solid black with a glorious, glossy fur coat and
gorgeous golden/orange eyes. I hear her making a "moaning" noise every
evening, and I will look up to see her bringing a little red leather mouse
to me as a gift. This has been going on for several months, and it is

always
the same little red leather mouse - which is now showing definite signs of
wear. Her favorite pastime is walking in front of the computer monitor or
sitting on the computer mouse. In fact, she seems to be convinced that her
biggest function in life is to position herself right in front of the
monitor, with a "close second" job being her skills at dumping my papers
onto the floor, one-by-one.

--
MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Holly and Duffy:
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")





  #10  
Old October 7th 03, 04:15 AM
MaryL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Stacey" wrote in message
...
Hi Mary!

I was thinking about Duffy the other day, (although I couldn't remember

his
name, I was thinking about the blind cat), so great to see the update! He

is
quite amazing, isn't he? That one where his two front legs are hanging
over... I wonder, is that how he gets down, sort of drops his front legs
till he hits something? And also, when he and Holly play, does Duffy still
do that lay-the-ears-back while staring at each other move?

Thanks for the piccies!

Stacey


Hi Stacey,

Thanks for the message. Duffy does a variation of the legs-hanging-down
when he wants to get down. He will often do that and feel around with one
of his legs until it touches something. However, he also does it just to
play -- and then will sometimes twist himself onto his back, shift his body
up onto the flat part of the surface, and kick his legs up into the air
while twisting back and forth. He makes these cute little "myop-myo" sounds
while he plays. When he uses a pole to get down, he always starts down
head-first, then swings his body around and backs down (as you can see in a
couple of the photos toward the end of the new group).

Holly and Duffy do sometimes "stare" each other down. Very often, though, I
will see Duffy head his body toward Holly even when she isn't paying
attention to him, shift his hips back and forth (and I will know he is about
to pounce), then jump on her. Depending on how Holly feels about it at the
moment, they may play or may briefly tussle or Holly may just extricate
herself and take off. Duffy will often scramble after her. He always seems
to be completely aware of where she is. One rather endearing type of
playtime is that they will sometimes lie on the floor facing each other and
play a game with their paws going in circles around each other, sort of like
the children's game of "patty-cake." I have some of it on video tape, and
it's really charming.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)


 




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