Photos: Walter
I’ve been getting some time with the elusive Walter lately. He loves Fancy Feast, and he recently figured out we give Sneaky and Junior Fancy Feast in the morning, so about a week ago, Walter began making regular appearances at Fancy Feast time on the heat pump ductwork. So, we obliged him with his own serving of Fancy Feast. He was remarkably easy to pet during this time, and he seems to like the attention. Here are a series of photos of Walter as I worked with him last Wednesday morning after the food was gone. I have to watch out for claws and teeth, because he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of the etiquette of interacting with people yet.
He really does want the attention. But look at those claws! Surprisingly, he seems to want attention as much as he wants Fancy Feast. He still has to learn not to use claws when trying to pull the human toward him, and I’m still a little leery or those jaws, although he’s been gentle with them so far. I’ve been able to lure him off the ductwork for eating and sometimes just for petting. I picked him up and put him on my lap, where he stayed briefly.
This move surprised me. He’s out of reach of me, but still, this is a surprising position for him to assume at this point (but I think it’s a very positive sign).
Or is he trying to lure me in for the attack? Nah. He’s a lover not a fighter.
Our cat, whose age we do not know, lives outdoors. She took up with us, probably after being abandoned by the previous tenants of the house we rented at that time, but she didn’t know how serious are the allergies that run in my family. Sigh. She’s friendly, for brief periods, and we do take care of her shots–and her vet work after injuries. We make sure she is safely closed in the garage at night, where she has a bed–which she ignores, preferring to rest on an old wheelchair seat–and a heated “rock” in the cold weather.
We don’t clip her claws, figuring she needs them for climbing and for defense. Once in a while she comes into the house (when I open the door for her), tours the place for up to an hour, then asks to leave again. We don’t have a dog/cat access door. Sadly, she is most attracted to the kid with the worst allergies. She must have been a house cat at some time, because she has never offered to bother the upholstery. She feels okay about scratching at the carpet, and I don’t scold her.
I would love for her to be a house cat, but the dogs are terrified of her (with good reason–she got her bluff in when they were puppies) and there’s the whole allergy thing.
I’m glad your cats are allowed indoors, even when their manners are not the best. They are lucky kitties indeed. (Where’s that series?)
That series is on hold while I figure some things out.
It sounds like you’ve created a good situation for your kitty. She’s very fortunate.