Hershey passed inspection!

Hershey had his big adventure today, he got to go to the vet to get examined, poked and prodded!

He did great even though he was scared and didn't want to be there. While I was in the waiting room, he pleaded for help from anyone that would listen. No one came to his aide.

The spay/neuter clinic only tested him for FeLV (he was negative) and since I will be adopting him out soon, I wanted to get him tested for FIV as well. I'm thrilled that he tested negative for that too! He got his FVRCP booster shot and the other day I had him microchipped so now he's ready to go!

After the Thanksgiving holiday he will be available for adoption. I hope he finds his new home soon as he continues to terrorize the other cats. Yesterday, he had both Willow and Rose hiding behind the tub. When he's not pouncing on the other cats he's either super playful or snuggling in my lap.

Thank you everyone who offered your suggestions about how to curtail Hershey's obnoxious behaviors. Squirting him with water is not going to work because he's so lightening fast, there's no way I could react in time to get him before it's too late. He doesn't do the butt wiggle before pouncing, he just pounces! I've tried the play, play, play option and it just seems to get him wound up even more before he goes after the other cats. I will have to try the homeopathic remedies after the holiday, hopefully that will do the trick!

I can't tell if he's really trying to play with them or if he's asserting his dominance, but either way, it's not working for any of us. I was hoping Willow would set him straight as she doesn't usually tolerate any nonsense from any other cat, but after a surprise attack from Hershey, she retreated to her safe place. Maybe it would be better for him to get placed in a home as the only cat or with a cat who is as playful and assertive as him.

A Rosy Wordless Wednesday

even more Hershey

I haven't had much time to blog lately, not really sure why or where my time is going, but it's going! Yikes! I know some of the time goes to caretaking lots of cats!

Hershey has been getting more time in the general population lately. There have been moments where I have felt like his integration has been going quite well.

Hershey, Nahum and Theo keep watch together

During the daytime, Hershey is a lot more subdued and thus isn't trying to get the cats to play every moment. At night, all he wants to do is play, so it quickly gets crazy between him and the others.

When he settles, he becomes a pile of purring kitty-putty in my lap! So precious!

It might seem all is going well, but sadly, that's not true. As Hershey acclimates to the house, he is becoming a bully, in particular with Rose. Hershey has challenged each of the cats in his own seemingly playful way, which appears to be his way of gauging how they defend themselves. Rose tends to hiss but if challenged she runs. Hershey has taken to chasing after her which terrifies poor Rose. The other night, Hershey chased her upstairs and under the bed. I raced up after him to protect her and I found that he had scared the poop right out of her, literally. I was not happy. 

Since that moment, Hershey is strictly monitored when he is among the general population. Today he managed to chase Rose behind the clawfoot tub. This is not acceptable behavior. Rose is a treasured member of our family and any bullying will not be tolerated. So, now I keep a secured door between Rose and Hershey. 

It saddens me to have to keep Hershey locked up so much, I was really hoping he would settle in well with the indoor cats so he could have the freedom of the entire house, but so far that is not so. Tonight, I got some Feliway going in the house, maybe that will help, but I'm not overly optimistic. I still give Hershey some time in the full house when Rose is secured in the bedroom or front porch, but that is not easy to arrange since she will not let humans touch her.

If anyone has any tips or pointers on how to make Hershey not bully Rose, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

endless fleece!

We gots a package! And it was addressed to the kitties, wow!

Can you read what it says on the left edge? It says: "Because kitties need to be comfy"

Hmmm, what do you suppose is in this box??

Willow's in the box, but that's only after it's contents were emptied!

So, what was in the box? A huge piece of wicked soft thick fleece! I'm a terrible judge of quantity, but this has got to be at least 10,000 yards of fleece! Wowza!! Our dear friend, Lisa and her mom, gifted the kitties with such extravagance. It's destined to be made into a slip cover for the love seat. 

The piece of fleece that used to cover the love seat wasn't big enough to cover it all, which meant a stretched out kitty was only half resting on cloud-like softness - clearly unacceptable! The kitties have been complaining about these horrid conditions for years but to no avail. But now, finally their pleas have reached a caring ear.

Old love seat covering

New love seat covering

Now, we need to get the sewing elves working on getting it cut down to size and fitted properly. Wow!

Yes, Nahum, you have Bold Style

more Hershey

Some asked about how Hershey and Buddy are getting along. Well...

They are actually co-existing quite fine. Hershey is young and he's not a dominate personality, so he must come across as less of a threat than Oliver. The indoor boys are a little cautious around Hershey and the girls just hiss, which is how they treat any new kitty.

Hershey really, really wants to play!

Nahum sniffs Hershey

Theo watches safely from above

Hershey's been trying to get the other cats to play with him, but he hasn't had any luck. He attempts to initiate play by pouncing on the unsuspecting cat, which for some reason only freaks them out! He's not afraid of the cats at all and doesn't seem to understand why the other cats might be so cautious with him. 

Hershey's gonna make someone a great cat! If I had a huge house with unlimited funds and time he could join the gang, but since I don't have those things, it wouldn't be fair to the cats who already don't get enough of my time. Hershey will be placed in a good home where he can get all the spoils he deserves.

Hershey integration

The integration process has started with Hershey!

At first, he was a bit timid about coming out of his safe room, so I just left him be with the door open and the option to explore or not. After awhile his curiosity got the best of him and he started exploring!

He came right downstairs and started checking everything out.

Each of the indoor cats (with the exception of Rose) have met Hershey individually upstairs in his room and it generally went well. There has been some hissing and growling, but more sniffing. 

Before checking out more of the house, Hershey opted to try out the enclosed front porch first.

He looks big, but he's really small!

Hershey gets overcome with curiosity and goes exploring. He's not afraid of the other cats one bit even when they hiss and growl at him.

While exploring the porch Oliver came round, which got Buddy going so, the visiting was cut short and Hershey ran back up to his safe room. There'll be more time for exploring tomorrow, no need to rush!

And exploring gets in the way of kickerooing!

Hey you, with the flashy box...

stop writing about me and rub these tummys!

Now!

Well, I guess I'll cut this short, duty calls!

Oliver's Halloween

I can't believe it's November already! Seems like the year was just getting underway and here we are nearly at it's end. Crazy.

As I posted earlier, Halloween is one of those 'holidays' that causes me significant worry over the safety of Oliver and his family. Early on Halloween night, he and I had a long talk. I told him it was Halloween, a night when people are crazy stupid, and being a black cat out and about the neighborhood was not safe. I pleaded with him to be a good host and keep his family safe by having them hang out with him all night on his cozy back porch. I told him I would provide lots and lots of stinky wet food for him and his family to enjoy throughout the night. He just looked at me like I was crazy and rolled over in his heated bed to have his toasty warm belly rubbed.

This morning when I went out to replenish the wet food, I was greeted by Oliver and his two sons! I was thrilled to see them healthy and well! They were waiting for their daily special wet food breakfast and quickly scattered to outside the screened door as I filled the bowl. As soon as I turned my back to come back inside, they were eating!

Later in the evening, when I looked back through the pictures of the network camera on the back porch, I see that Oliver did exactly what I asked of him! He and his family hung out on the back porch all night! It's hard to tell who's who in these pictures, so I don't know if Oliver's little girl showed up too or not, I sure hope she did.

12:24 am

Pesky raccoons crashing the party, stealing all the snacks.                2:53 am

3:33 am

3:39 am

3:42 am

4:39 am

5:58 am

6:03 am

6:25 am

This makes me so very very happy! I just love seeing them all together, I wish all four had been there at once, but three is a delight too. I am very fond of Oliver and I just love how he looks after his family. I'm very thankful he choose my yard to hang out in, I feel it is an honor to get to care for him and to watch his beautiful family.