Herd your cats here

[mamselle]

Is she OK?

If she just suddenly appeared out of nowhere this AM, I suppose you could say, "Morning becomes Electra."

Sorry.

M.

[FishProf]

She's fine and very clingy.  MrsFishProf heard mewing, but couldn't place it.  I went outside and kneeled by the latticework under the porch and out zoomed a wet and dirty, but very relieved, kitty.

She atypically parked herself on my hip all night.

[OneMoreYear]

FishProf, glad she is OK. Hopefully she will engage one-trial learning, and will stay inside!

Ninja loves to go out and sun herself on the porch. However she clearly does not understand the concept of "weather" as she will sit by the door and cry pitifully when we are in the midst of a torrential downpour.

[Larimar]

Also glad to hear Elektra is okay.

[mamselle]

OK. I knew it was something like this:

Cats domesticated humans to get our mice, archaeologists prove:

   https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium-cats-domesticated-humans-to-get-our-mice-archaeologists-prove-1.8856783

They're herding us. We just think we're herding them.

M.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

We've amassed a large quantity of pet store boxes from cat food orders. So, we decided to create a game to amuse humans and feed cats. I'm working on creating a 3x3 grid of boxes (right now, I have six). We're thinking of cat tic-tac-toe or maybe just a points game (maybe like skee-ball with smaller boxes being worth more points than larger boxes).

Rules so far:

Human can 'call' a box and then throw a piece of kibble into it. If a cat jumps into the right box, then you get the box (points, or 'x' or 'o' if playing tic-tac-toe). There have been issues with multiple cats jumping into the same box at once, which are highly entertaining.

[statsgeek]

Our local shelter had a power outage and called in the emergency fosters.  We just brought home our sweet, beautiful houseguest.  I'm worried this might be the fastest foster fail in history. 

[OneMoreYear]

Our local shelter had a power outage and called in the emergency fosters.  We just brought home our sweet, beautiful houseguest.  I'm worried this might be the fastest foster fail in history. 

I always wonder about the term "foster fail." We can't participate in fostering b/c Ricochet is too squirrelly and we are concerned she'd end up back hiding in the closet full-time.  But, if you foster a cat and they get along with your household and you decide to adopt them, is this not a good thing for you and the cat? Does it prevent you from being a foster family in the future? What is the downside here as long as the foster family are responsible pet owners?  Obviously if you adopted every cat you fostered, your house may be overrun (and hopefully TPIC would stop letting you foster), but as long as it's not foster-failing run amok, is it just considered adoption?

statsgeek, you were looking for a kitty anyway, right? Perhaps it is fate?

[statsgeek]

I think it's called a foster fail because, in a typical situation, if people who cared for these guys short term until they were ready to be adopted kept all of them, the system would break down.  You're right, though.  In this situation where we were a week away from being ready to adopt anyway, it's probably more fate than fail. 

So, assuming the paperwork goes through ok, our little house guest is staying.  By pure coincidence, she looks a lot like our beloved LittleGirl (of blessed memory), but she's already showing herself to be her own kitty in personality.  Now we just have to figure out the logistics of getting the work done on the house with a kitty already here.  And we'll probably still go to the adoption event in a couple weeks, as planned, to find her a companion. 

[AmLitHist]

We have been adopted.

I was working in the yard last week when a scrawny little orange tabby boy showed up.  He came right up to me and helped me pull weeds and trim off the dead peony blooms.  I told ALHS, who came out to see and was smitten. 

With the two older girls in the house, one of whom would eat a kitten alive and the other wouldn't ever come out from under the bed again, if this one stays, he'll have to be an outside cat--not particularly difficult in our neighborhood, as there are several who've lived outdoors for years. 

He's been named Jake and has gotten a food dish and water dish and the old cat taxi, complete with a soft cushy towel.  We hope he hangs around.  He's very people-friendly and brave, and he entertains himself by watching squirrels in the tree and the occasional car going by in our quiet old neighborhood.  We'll call the vet this week to get him in for a check-up, shots, and neutering. It's hard to tell, but I'd say Jake is maybe 3-4 months old; he's still getting his teeth in.  And he has the prettiest light brown/dark butterscotch-colored eyes!

(A woman a few blocks away is a haven for local cats:  she takes them to the vet, then feeds and cares for them.  She has an unused garage where she leaves the door partially open, and the kitties live there; she puts out new bales of straw every winter for them, and they're very loyal and tame. They just need a place to stay and somebody to watch out for them. )

[mamselle]

Aww..two new fora kitties to welcome!

Scritches to the little one you already have from me...

M.

[the_geneticist]

Sir Puck has had several misadventures in the last few weeks.  First, he launched himself after a squirrel, ended up flopped on the fence, and fell into the neighbor's yard.  Thankfully he stayed by the fence until we could wiggle a board away to make a big enough gap for him to come back through.   He spent the rest of the morning hiding under the bed.
Then he got stuck on top of the kitchen cabinets.  No idea HOW he made the jump since it's nearly vertical and the gap on top is too short for him to stand up in.  Cue another rescue and hiding under the bed.
Latest was a giant leap to the the of the bookshelves and getting too scared to jump back down.

The "look before you leap" lesson hasn't quite sunk in yet.

[waterboy]

Having a hard time being "productive" whilst holding a cat in one arm

[Larimar]

Had a Zoom meeting with a friend this morning. HerMajesty kept walking across the computer keyboard and through the camera range. I told her it wasn't necessary; we already know that she has the most exquisite furry tail ever. She didn't believe me.

[mamselle]

One of my student's two kitties was sitting next to him while we worked on his homework this AM.

The screen shifted, and suddenly the cat and I were looking at each other.

Each was startled, but glad to see the other, I think.

M.