The Scooter Update

I am allegic to him but it really isn't bad. If I'm petting him and
have him in my lap then my eyes do feel a bit irritated and my nose
gets a bit stuffed. But mostly what I had with him was just a cold.
I'm still taking the Claritin though so maybe it's actually worse.

However, he is not really integrated into the household. Nipsy and
Espy still hiss and growl when he is around. Marlo does the same but
is also scared ****less of him. I have never seen such a reaction to a
new cat. She stares at him like he's some giant predator. It's getting
better though; sometimes they're all in the same room and there are no
inicdents.

The really odd part of the whole Scooter situation is that he spends
much of the time outside. He wants it that way and I'm not willing to
force him to stay inside - he clearly wants to be out there. We don't
exactly have a dangerous neighborhood for a cat and he clearly knows
how to survive out there. And, of course, his girl (Jet) and babies
are out there and he is often with them. Yesterday I was wondering
where he was and he was walking past the backyard with Jet. It's so
cute. And he does have the tracking device on his collar so I can
likely find him if I need to.

When he stands by the front door and looks at me I know he wants to go
out. And as soon as I open the door he bolts. I've never had a cat
that I felt would be able to survive outside but he's been out for a
least a year (we're guessing he's five) and has no problem with the
cold - certainly not since I built him that heated box.

I'm not sure that it would even be healthier for him inside. Right
now, he's a pretty large cat but he is also solid muscle. Because of
the way he eats, I'm worried that if I took him inside permanently
that I'd either have to starve him or he'd end up fat like Marlo.

Part of the reason that he's unpopular among the other feline members
of the household is the reason I named him Scooter. As soon as any
food is put down anywhere he wants it, even if it's for another cat.
He scoots over to eat it.

I've altered my rules for the fenced in backyard. I've always had the
fence set up so when cats aren't back there, I leave a big hole so
other critters can come and go. Pretty Girl is often back there in the
early mornings. When my cats are back there I set the fence so Scooter
can actually force his way in, but it's much tougher to get out.

I came home in the early afternoon yesterday and Scooter was in the
backyard and wanted to come in. So, in he came and spent most of the
afternoon in my lap. When I went to feed the outdoor cats, Scooter
went out with them and didn't want to come back in. He spent last
night in his heated box with Jet and one of his babies. They were
there this morning as I fed them and went off to work.

That's the current state of the Scooter.

"dgk" wrote in message
...
I am allegic to him but it really isn't bad. If I'm petting him and
have him in my lap then my eyes do feel a bit irritated and my nose
gets a bit stuffed. But mostly what I had with him was just a cold.
I'm still taking the Claritin though so maybe it's actually worse.

However, he is not really integrated into the household. Nipsy and
Espy still hiss and growl when he is around. Marlo does the same but
is also scared ****less of him. I have never seen such a reaction to a
new cat. She stares at him like he's some giant predator. It's getting
better though; sometimes they're all in the same room and there are no
inicdents.

Patience is key. Slowwww down. My girls have finally reached a kind of
"detente" after being introduced Nov. 25th. But it took lots of skrimishing,
loud complaining, snarling, and girlyslaps. It's a bit different because
Bella is a baby, for sure. But they have to work out dominance, it is their
nature. Gracie started out hissing and running away, then complaining to me
(hilarious whiny meows I have never heard her use, translated "WHYYYY did
you bring this pest in herrrrrrre) then scared us by standing her ground and
screaming and slapping, but as of this weekend she stood her ground with a
firm slap or hiss, then stayed there and ignored the kitten. The kitten has
gotten the message not to stalk her 24/7. At the end of all of this
yesterday, they were both at my feet under my desk, Gracie on the modem at
my right foot and Bella on the rug at my left.

On Jan 11, 8:44*am, dgk wrote:
I am allegic to him but it really isn't bad. If I'm petting him and
have him in my lap then my eyes do feel a bit irritated and my nose
gets a bit stuffed. But mostly what I had with him was just a cold.
I'm still taking the Claritin though so maybe it's actually worse.

However, he is not really integrated into the household. Nipsy and
Espy still hiss and growl when he is around. Marlo does the same but
is also scared ****less of him. I have never seen such a reaction to a
new cat. She stares at him like he's some giant predator. It's getting
better though; sometimes they're all in the same room and there are no
inicdents.

The really odd part of the whole Scooter situation is that he spends
much of the time outside. He wants it that way and I'm not willing to
force him to stay inside - he clearly wants to be out there. We don't
exactly have a dangerous neighborhood for a cat and he clearly knows
how to survive out there. And, of course, his girl (Jet) and babies
are out there and he is often with them. Yesterday I was wondering
where he was and he was walking past the backyard with Jet. It's so
cute. And he does have the tracking device on his collar so I can
likely find him if I need to.

When he stands by the front door and looks at me I know he wants to go
out. And as soon as I open the door he bolts. I've never had a cat
that I felt would be able to survive outside but he's been out for a
least a year (we're guessing he's five) and has no problem with the
cold - certainly not since I built him that heated box.

I'm not sure that it would even be healthier for him inside. Right
now, he's a pretty large cat but he is also solid muscle. Because of
the way he eats, I'm worried that if I took him inside permanently
that I'd either have to starve him or he'd end up fat like Marlo.

Part of the reason that he's unpopular among the other feline members
of the household is the reason I named him Scooter. As soon as any
food is put down anywhere he wants it, even if it's for another cat.
He scoots over to eat it.

I've altered my rules for the fenced in backyard. I've always had the
fence set up so when cats aren't back there, I leave a big hole so
other critters can come and go. Pretty Girl is often back there in the
early mornings. When my cats are back there I set the fence so Scooter
can actually force his way in, but it's much tougher to get out.

I came home in the early afternoon yesterday and Scooter was in the
backyard and wanted to come in. So, in he came and spent most of the
afternoon in my lap. When I went to feed the outdoor cats, Scooter
went out with them and didn't want to come back in. He spent last
night in his heated box with Jet and one of his babies. They were
there this morning as I fed them and went off to work.

That's the current state of the Scooter.

That's good. I'm glad Skooter is doing well...


TNMM

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:59:42 -0500, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote in message
.. .
I am allegic to him but it really isn't bad. If I'm petting him and
have him in my lap then my eyes do feel a bit irritated and my nose
gets a bit stuffed. But mostly what I had with him was just a cold.
I'm still taking the Claritin though so maybe it's actually worse.

However, he is not really integrated into the household. Nipsy and
Espy still hiss and growl when he is around. Marlo does the same but
is also scared ****less of him. I have never seen such a reaction to a
new cat. She stares at him like he's some giant predator. It's getting
better though; sometimes they're all in the same room and there are no
inicdents.

Patience is key. Slowwww down. My girls have finally reached a kind of
"detente" after being introduced Nov. 25th. But it took lots of skrimishing,
loud complaining, snarling, and girlyslaps. It's a bit different because
Bella is a baby, for sure. But they have to work out dominance, it is their
nature. Gracie started out hissing and running away, then complaining to me
(hilarious whiny meows I have never heard her use, translated "WHYYYY did
you bring this pest in herrrrrrre) then scared us by standing her ground and
screaming and slapping, but as of this weekend she stood her ground with a
firm slap or hiss, then stayed there and ignored the kitten. The kitten has
gotten the message not to stalk her 24/7. At the end of all of this
yesterday, they were both at my feet under my desk, Gracie on the modem at
my right foot and Bella on the rug at my left.


I pulled into the driveway yesterday and the kitten ran out of the
box, then Scooter and Jet stuck their heads out of the doorway,
Scooter right above Jet. All I could see was the two heads floating in
the doorway. It was so cute and I couldn't even get the phone to take
a picture in time.

I understand that the indoor part will work out, though Scooter is
such a pig that it won't be easy. But I just don't see how I can keep
Scooter inside when he clearly wants to be with Jet. And Jet is far
too feral to come inside even if I could take in yet another cat. I
feed her every day now and I still can't touch her. I can play with
the kitten though. I don't know where the other kitten is.

And it's still so cold out but the three of them in the heated box are
doing fine. The cats all lost a big supporter when one of my
neighbors went to Florida last week. Many of them hung out around
their backyard and even came into their house. They do have another
neighbor who promised to pick up some of the slack but I'm still
running through four or five cans a day - I'm using Trader Joe cat
food because it isn't too expensive (around $.60) and isn't total
garbage.

There are just too many cats though. Over the weekend I saw two more
that I haven't seen before, a big grey one and a calico. I have to
find someone to neuter this batch but it's totally out of hand.

"dgk" wrote
There are just too many cats though. Over the weekend I saw two more
that I haven't seen before, a big grey one and a calico. I have to
find someone to neuter this batch but it's totally out of hand.

I think we have asked this before, but is there not a group of like-minded
people where you are who might support a trap/neuter/release program and
help foot the bill?

"dgk" wrote in

I pulled into the driveway yesterday and the kitten ran out of the
box, then Scooter and Jet stuck their heads out of the doorway,
Scooter right above Jet. All I could see was the two heads floating in
the doorway. It was so cute and I couldn't even get the phone to take
a picture in time.

I understand that the indoor part will work out, though Scooter is
such a pig that it won't be easy. But I just don't see how I can keep
Scooter inside when he clearly wants to be with Jet. And Jet is far
too feral to come inside even if I could take in yet another cat. I
feed her every day now and I still can't touch her. I can play with
the kitten though. I don't know where the other kitten is.

And it's still so cold out but the three of them in the heated box are
doing fine.

You're doing a good thing, and the best you can, obviously. The whole colony
needs neutering for this to be the best possible, though, and that is really
an awful lot to ask one person to fund, so I hope you can find some help.
And a couple of extra cat boxes.

On Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:31:57 -0500, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote in

I pulled into the driveway yesterday and the kitten ran out of the
box, then Scooter and Jet stuck their heads out of the doorway,
Scooter right above Jet. All I could see was the two heads floating in
the doorway. It was so cute and I couldn't even get the phone to take
a picture in time.

I understand that the indoor part will work out, though Scooter is
such a pig that it won't be easy. But I just don't see how I can keep
Scooter inside when he clearly wants to be with Jet. And Jet is far
too feral to come inside even if I could take in yet another cat. I
feed her every day now and I still can't touch her. I can play with
the kitten though. I don't know where the other kitten is.

And it's still so cold out but the three of them in the heated box are
doing fine.

You're doing a good thing, and the best you can, obviously. The whole colony
needs neutering for this to be the best possible, though, and that is really
an awful lot to ask one person to fund, so I hope you can find some help.
And a couple of extra cat boxes.

I asked at Petco last week (they have the folks there trying to adopt
out some fine looking cats) and they could only suggest checking with
the ASPCA. I'll try harder. We do have someone supposed to do it for
two more cats but she apparently had some trouble at home involving a
runaway virus that killed some of her cats. I'll ask the neighbor who
knows her what the story is. Another neighbor called me last night to
ask if I think that Jet is pregnant again. It could be but we're all
feeding them so much food they're hardly getting smaller.

It isn't really paying for it that's the big problem; I can pay $100
or so for each cat although I certainly don't want to. Scooter cost a
bunch more because I figured that he might end up inside so I had him
tested and vaccinated.

Most I don't know how to trap them. Scooter was easy; he just climbed
into my lap so I put him in the carrier and off we went. But if I
extend a hand towards Jet she's off the stoop. And I think the kitten
(notice I won't give him/her a name) is still too young. The other
cats don't come too near me at all.

"dgk" wrote
I asked at Petco last week (they have the folks there trying to adopt
out some fine looking cats) and they could only suggest checking with
the ASPCA. I'll try harder. We do have someone supposed to do it for
two more cats but she apparently had some trouble at home involving a
runaway virus that killed some of her cats. I'll ask the neighbor who
knows her what the story is. Another neighbor called me last night to
ask if I think that Jet is pregnant again. It could be but we're all
feeding them so much food they're hardly getting smaller.

I wonder if you might not get some like-minded people together outside your
specific neighborhood, if there is not already a TNR group?


It isn't really paying for it that's the big problem; I can pay $100
or so for each cat although I certainly don't want to. Scooter cost a
bunch more because I figured that he might end up inside so I had him
tested and vaccinated.


It's generous and kind of you to do this. I bet others would not mind
chipping in. Might make them feel good to.

Most I don't know how to trap them. Scooter was easy; he just climbed
into my lap so I put him in the carrier and off we went. But if I
extend a hand towards Jet she's off the stoop. And I think the kitten
(notice I won't give him/her a name) is still too young. The other
cats don't come too near me at all.

Might be some great things for you here--check it out. This is Phil's site.

http://maxshouse.com/

On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:50:05 -0500, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote
I asked at Petco last week (they have the folks there trying to adopt
out some fine looking cats) and they could only suggest checking with
the ASPCA. I'll try harder. We do have someone supposed to do it for
two more cats but she apparently had some trouble at home involving a
runaway virus that killed some of her cats. I'll ask the neighbor who
knows her what the story is. Another neighbor called me last night to
ask if I think that Jet is pregnant again. It could be but we're all
feeding them so much food they're hardly getting smaller.

I wonder if you might not get some like-minded people together outside your
specific neighborhood, if there is not already a TNR group?


It isn't really paying for it that's the big problem; I can pay $100
or so for each cat although I certainly don't want to. Scooter cost a
bunch more because I figured that he might end up inside so I had him
tested and vaccinated.


It's generous and kind of you to do this. I bet others would not mind
chipping in. Might make them feel good to.

Most I don't know how to trap them. Scooter was easy; he just climbed
into my lap so I put him in the carrier and off we went. But if I
extend a hand towards Jet she's off the stoop. And I think the kitten
(notice I won't give him/her a name) is still too young. The other
cats don't come too near me at all.

Might be some great things for you here--check it out. This is Phil's site.

http://maxshouse.com/


It seems I hurried the introduction between Scooter and the rest a
bit. I did do the scent thing but for the rest I think I went too
fast. It will work out though.

"dgk" wrote

It seems I hurried the introduction between Scooter and the rest a
bit. I did do the scent thing but for the rest I think I went too
fast. It will work out though.

I was thinking about trapping, there is some information there about that.
Since you said you were worried about catching Jet. (I hurried the intro
between Gracie and Bella too.)