I decided to make this entry as part of blogmas 2022. The challenge is for day 8 and it consists of some gift ideas. There are many ways of making a person happy, but not many think of making animals happy. I wish this would change.
Last year in the summer, my partner decided to take a walk in Carol Park. I wrote about it in this entry, if you're curious. So, we go in the park, on a certain side path. As we walk, we see a white and orange kitty. As we approach, we see the kitty has more brothers. They also had some food and water container that other people filled. We also ran to the store and bought some kitten food. which they ate.
The white and orange kitty had a white/black brother, a 3 colored sister, an all-orange and stripy sister (we first thought it was a boy), and 3 all-black brothers. We first saw just 1 of the black cats. Then, we saw the 2nd one after some time. And yet, after some more weeks, a 3rd fully-black cat cam. We only realized this because all of them were present at the same time.
In these 2 pictures, we can only see 3 of the cat brothers, eating well. They were hungry even though they had quite a bit of food. brought to them by other people.
In some ways, they were lucky because several people were passing by daily to feed them and to give them water.
The first cat that got a family
The first cat that wanted and found a family is the one that appeared in front of us, the white and orange one. he's not seen in the pics above, but below.
The image is blurry, sadly. I believe this is an iPhone 4 picture. He was maybe 2 or 3 months old at the time, and a bit on the skinny side.
When we saw him that evening when he got home, he appeared not to feel very well. Clearly, thinking he was sick, we decided we take him home, regardless of the fact that we had no bag or cat carrier on us.
It didn't matter, because he acted sick all the way to home. Once we 'quarantined' him, he sprang back to life. He was eating, and drinking, and i think he even used the litter box right away.
We didn't think we can keep him, and personally, i didn't feel much attachment towards him. :( We knew someone who wanted a cat for some time, and we also wanted to rescue as many of his brothers as possible. So, Whuay went to another home where there were no other cats to compete for human attention.
He did spend some time with us, getting used to life indoors which seemed to be all he ever wanted. I say this because once at home, he started exploring the "quarantine" room right awaya and wanting to make friends with our older cats, Whiskey and Mickey.
As far as we know, he's doing fine, he's loved, and this is what matters. I do miss him now that i looked at the pics i have of him.
The 2nd cat getting a family
The second cat finding a family is the white and black one seen in the first image. This is because we still went every other day to give the kitties water and food. That summer was brutal, with very high temperatures.
His current name is Churro, but when we first saw him, we called him Oreo because of his color combination.
I have basically 2 memories of this kitty in the park, though we saw him more often than that. One time, when we went to feed them, he was up on the tree, trying to sharpen his claws. We knew he is a very playful fella right then and there. He was absolutely adorable.
The other memory i have of him from the park is from one evening when 2 young girls came to feed the kitties. However, this is not all they did: they also left with this kitty but said they'd bring him back.
Why did they take him, you ask? it's because they wanted to play with him in a safer environment. They couldn't keep him though, as it was their parents who had the last word on the matter.
We got quite mad with the girls because they gave Churro, at the time Oreo, fake hopes of a home. :( One of the next times we went to feed the kitties, only Churro/Oreo was there, all alone. He looked sad and lonely. We didn't think twice about it, we just grabbed him and went home with him, after leaving food for his brothers.
Look how handsome he is! Sadly, the red bow didn't last for long, but it sure fitted him. However, the surprized face expression persists, and he's just amazing!
The 3rd cat coming home with us
The 3rd cat that came home with us is probably the black one in the first image. Why do i say probably? Because they were a total of 3 black cat brothers! proof below! The black cat we first saw got named Shadow, and then all the black kitties received the same name because we couldn't tell them apart.
There are 2 things i need to mention:
we didn't know there are 3 black cats from the start
the 3rd cat didn't come home last year like his brothers, but this year
I forgot how many of the kitties we saw the very first time we went. I do remember that we were surprised to see a completely black cat among the others. Then, one evening, we saw a 2nd completely black cat. Again, we were surprised and felt as if someone played a trick on us.
But, then! a 3RD FULLY BLACK kitty appeared from nowhere! They were there all 3 at once, as seen in the pic above, and all of them were boys. One of them was more scared of us than the others, and another one more friendly.
Another memory i have regarding these black brothers is that one time, one evening, just 1 of them was there out of all the remaining brothers. Not only this but the one that came to eat was one of the friendlier black brothers. So, i managed to touch him and cuddle him.
I believe that was the evening he followed us through the park, almost close to the entry point we use. He was also crying/meowing and looking sad. T_T We were certain he wanted to come home with us. We ... just ... thought we couldn't deal with so many cats. We felt really bad and sorry we didn't take him with us that day.
Almost a year passed by. During these months we continued to take food to the kitties. however, sometime in spring, they disappeared. The area where they were being fed was demolished further - it used to be a restaurant type of location that caught fire at some point.
This led the kitties to scatter, we think, or perhaps someone took 2 of the remaining cats, leaving the 3 black brothers. Then, not even they came to being fed anymore. So, we stopped going seeing that there were no more cats to feed.
But life is twisted and at the beginning of September '22 we went again just on a whim. And we found Shadow! He recognized us by our voices and came to eat and drink. The next day we went with the cat cage in tow, hoping to find and catch him. And we were lucky! he was very easy to "catch" and now he has a furreverr home and he adapted VERY well to his new environment.
In the middle, is Scotch the dog that i haven't introduced yet. We currently have 4 cats, a dog, and a crow. Life is stressful with so many pets, but we are very happy to have rescued 3 kitties out of maybe a total of 7 brothers.
You might already know I own 2 cats, but I will talk about the younger one for he likes me a little more than the older one. You want to know a secret? You can also make your cat like you more than the rest of the family [if you have a cat, that is].
DISCLAIMER: this method is not 100% foolproof, and is more successful on kittens. It is still worth giving a try - hopefully your cat is not a the spawn of the devil and can be [gently] handled. i credit expert cat owners with the discovery of the method.
I hope everyone planning on getting a new cat or kitten will find this short entry a bit useful. If you dislike cats, I hope you will change your mind about them a bit.
So this is Mikey, the younger cat - he turns 6 years old on July 4th. I cannot tell you how attached to me he is.
in january 2016
To put it into perspective, he knows when I arrive home, he doesn't let his older brother come to me, he makes sure to leave his scent on me whenever he can [even when I'm in the bathroom], and he cried a lot last year when I would be gone to my 9-5 jobs. That's not all, he also gained a lot of weight last weight: it seems he ate his feelings [and i feel bad for it].
One of the ways he showed his affection was by 'cleaning' me while i slept - my face, hands, arms, hair, whatever he could. His older brother never did it. He also loves sleeping next to or on top of me.
November-December 2015
So, how come he prefers me?
You must know I got him when he was a kitten, and I basically stole him from his family and mother. I don't think he was fully weaned, but he was eating cat food.
When I got him, I had to act like cat-mom, and make him relieve himself. This is easily done by holding the cat over the litter and gently rub her behind with a damp towel - it should have the same texture as a cat's tongue. Your cat will believe it's her mother taking care of stuff, and in a way will think you're said mother - your scent is all around after all, and her mother's scent is not. It's almost natural that you'll be replacing her mom at this point.
There is one more important step you should not ignore, when going through this process: "burying the gifts" AKA the cat pee and poop. Gently grab one of the cat's front paws [or hands if you prefer] and move it from the front towards the back, while touching the sand [or litter bed. we use a special type of sand.. bentonite, clay? I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I recommend silica type because it disappears, so you throw away less stuff.] The movement should imitate the one the cat does when she covers her waste.
cat sand we can find in Romania
This paw movement should be done right after wiping her behind with the damp towel, even if she doesn't relieve herself. This is one of the best methods to teach a cat where 'the toilet' is, no matter the age. It is especially useful when changing houses and getting a new cat.
If for some reason you consider changing the type of litter, make sure to do it gradually, so that the cat will get used to the new type slowly - or better said so she won't realize. if you change it all of a sudden [because you couldn't find the one you usually get] try this method I described above.
Cats can be and are just as loving as dogs, perhaps even more so. This is why an older cat will take some time to get used to new humans, if re-homed. She might act distant with her first humans, but maybe she's generally more distant. Remember that not all cats are the same, just like not all dogs are the same.
This is not a sad story, but rather one that might make your blood boil to the point where you want to smash something. But let's start with the beginning.
Back in November I was coming back from buying some groceries. As I was opening the door to the apartment building where I live, this little [mostly black] cat dashed right in with me. I have no idea where it came from, but it sure wasn't shy. This little fellow simply followed me home. So I took her in... Lucky that my two 7 and 6 year old male cats didn't try to kill her, but she wasn't happy with their presence either.
In the end, it all worked out just fine. see below:
This black furry thing wasn't shy nor scared of being touched or even handled. I quickly discovered this was a female cat. "Sweet! I never had a female cat before" I thought to myself. Of course, I talked to my friend about it, and we decided to keep her for a while, until we find a more suitable furrever home. The little cat went in heat in about 2 - 3 weeks after finding her. Her screaming sounded as if someone was torturing her to death. I waited till it passed, and then got her spayed. Quietness returned.
sleepy Milky <3
There are more reasons I need a new home for Milky - this is what I named her. Ironic given her color, right? but it's mostly because she likes to nurse on tshirts and pants of a certain texture. She also LOVES milk, so now the name seems more fitting.. The most important reason is that we will be leaving the country this year [hopefully soon], and there is no way to accommodate 3 cat at the new place [with some relatives until we find a job, and a place of our own].
So we posted a few "up for adoption ads" for Milky. A few nights ago I received this phone call from an older lady showing interest in Milky [the female cat]. We decided to meet the next day, with me bringing the cat to her place. Said and done.
I wrapped the cat in a blanket as there was no need for a cat carrier, and off we went to meet the lady. Luckily, she lived some 3 bus stops away, and this means easily reachable by foot as well. As soon as the lady saw the cat, she melted -"a good sign" I thought to myself.
She led us to her place - some 5 minutes by foot away from the bus stop, on a quiet street. When we entered, I was requested to take off my shoes. She had a good point for it: that place was SO clean and everything nicely arranged. [I will most likely address etiquette rules regarding wearing shoes indoors, in the next post. Let's just say it is not really polite to ask your quests to remove them.]
I told the lady everything she needed to know about the cat, I showed the cat where the litter was, and I was ready to leave. Right before leaving, the lady informed me it is customary to give a little something in exchange for the cat, so she had prepared some bananas and a box of chocolates. I took that, my blanket, and I returned home.
Later in the evening, she called however I couldn't pick up the phone. I called her back the next morning... The lady informed me she wanted to return the cat! Yes, you read that right - to return the cat after she promised she would take good care of her and all! She complained that Milky cried, that she went on the opened window, and that the cat wanted to suck her pajamas at night. Apparently she couldn't sleep because of all these! Other than the clothes sucking, all the cats go on open windows and cry in a new house!
1. if you're going to adopt a cat, expect her to cry at least the first night if she's sociable, or to hide if she's less sociable. dogs and puppies also cry the first night or two.
2. your new cat or dog is an ALIVE CREATURE! it is definitely NOT a toy, piece of clothing or some other thing you can just return the next day because you changed your mind!
3. having a pet is NEARLY identical to having a human baby! it requires your attention and it needs you!
Do expect your new companion to give you some headaches, but seriously, children are no different.
Milky literally LOVES knocking things over because they stand in her way... or in what he thinks is HER place.
There are 5 typpes of people out there: cat people, dog people, bird people, people who love all animals equally, and people who do not. Honestly I will never understand those who don't love animals or not have pets. (Unless they have allergies, that's different.)
The orange cat is Whiskey, the gray cat is Mickey. The tuxedo one is the foster cat we had, Milky.
I am a cat person. Just look at the above fluffiness, how can you not like cats?
People say that cats are evil, unloving, unfaithful, and many other bad things. They say dogs are man's best friend, faithful, loving, and so on. But is it true?
It many be true to some degree, however if you're not a cat person, you can't really understand why does the cat act the way he does.
The first thing we need to understand about cats is that they are choosing a favorite human. It is usually the one who cares about them the most, but of course many exceptions do exist.
The cats purr, dogs can't. Enough said.
somebody's dog.
Have you ever been in the situation where you had to re-home your pet? Or do you know somebody who took in an abandoned animal? Have you noticed that a dog adapts quickly to his new family, whereas the cat not so much? Sure, the cats are more sensitive to changes than dogs are, but there is more than this to it. The cat would not eat nor use the litter for a couple of days in a new home with people he doesn't know. The dog, on the other hand, might cry endlessly at night.
A cat is better at hiding his or her illness than a dog is. On the other hand, the dog can help us spot an illness, and especially cancer in our bodies, early on. Animals can alert us if there is some gas leak, if someone is at the door, they show us what being needed is like. Many of us complain about how our partners don't make us feel special, loved, or needed. We are important in our pets' life because they depend on us for food and a clean potty place. [gosh, I hate the word 'potty']
It's good to raise a pet, especially a dog if you have an active lifestyle. If you're more laid back, a kitty is a better match for you. If you can't have pets at home, maybe you can volunteer at an animal shelter.
I'm also a bird person.. or crow person.
You have no idea how better life is with an animal. Seeing its silly reactions to various stuff they find weird, or simply screaming at you for food, it's priceless. I would never exchange my current life for anything. For the next 10 years I am bound to these animals that fulfill my life. I can't see myself without them.
Life is a journey. Or so I have been told. ObscureJourney is a blog about My life, the things I experience and learn. I hope I can learn from my mistakes. The blog used to known as "TheOwnerTravelsTo" and i had a separate blog called "CookingMyExperience".
The purpose of obscurejourney blog is to share positive ideas and experiences -hopefully- while showing you that you don't need a lot to be happy.
Not all failures mean the end of the world. They mean that whatever you were trying out wasn't meant to happen:
it wasn't your life's journey. We all have a particular life journey, even if we don't discover it from the start. But remember:
You will discover your path! Do you think I discovered mine? Perhaps I did, but I have yet to fully walk it. I know writing is part of it.
Credits?
All content is created by me, with my silly mobile phone and its camera. Unless otherwise stated, the following applies:
All blog entries are written by me, Charly Cross -this is a pen name, unless mentioned otherwise.
Pictures are mine - especially if I signed them with a (c) and my blog's name (or former name of the blog).
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