I may be able to harmonize on stage with a woman’s barbershop group, write a magazine article, bake a to-die-for homemade apple pie. I may be able to paint a picture of my cats, scrimshaw an ivory-handled pistol grip and mow five acres of pasture, but when it comes to outsmarting Chappy- I fall short.
Chappy is semi-feral. He has lived with us for years and it took months for me to take this little tuxedo kitten who was abandoned at a campground that had been closed down and work on his trust issues.
But finally, that golden moment occurred when he came out of hiding and head-bumped my leg and demanded I pet him. I felt like I had won the golden ticket! He is one of those cats who demands you rub harder and faster on him- he has elevator butt down in style and if you quit to early, he will gently nip your hand as if to say- “What are you nuts? Keep going!”
He comes out at night, usually after nine and for months he will sit with me and demand his rubs.
But now, he has hairballs and I have to give him some medicine to soothe his belly and pass the hair easier. So I very carefully laid the medicine on the table near the couch where Chappy visits and he suddenly decides that visits aren’t on the agenda right now. I didn’t see him for days. (Or is it nights?)
How do they know?
Last night, he came out and I carefully uncapped the medicine and reached down to the floor to pick him up and he fled! I gave him no indication that anything new was coming, no eye contact, just a casual gesture to scratch him and pick him up and he flew the coop.
So for now, I will have to deal with the hairballs he so very lovingly leaves in my fuzzy slippers and try to come up with a way to medicate this kitty without turning on his alarm bells.
Keeps me humble~
An obvious question: is it something you could hide in his food or treats?
Have you tried a spoonful of canned pumpkin in his food? A lot of cats really like pumpkin – it needs to be canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
He doesn’t eat the type of food that you can hide this in. Only dry food and he only eats late at night away from all the others. If I confine him in a room and feed him he goes on a hunger strike. He is a very complex kitty! LOL I did manage to get some meds in him last night and he is now a very miffed complex kitty!
I just sent you a question about feline hyperesthesia. But now I want to compliment you on your wonderful blogs, which could belong in a book. Ever read Chicken Soup for Cat Lovers? There are several editions, but the most recent hit me right in the soul. Re your semi-feral, cats are absolute experts at reading body language. It’s a complete give-away if you are carrying a tube or holding something in your hand or uncapping a tube, regardless how careful you are. Recently my black haired male grew terrified as he lay on a chair in the livingroom because I came down in the morning fully dressed one day instead of in my pjs. Knew something was up–like going to the vet? Yup. Part of a cat’s nine-lives is being able to “read” situatons. And they have a great Sixth sense too. Mine see Spirits in the house all the time. When a cat goes bug-eyed and stares at something in the air it’s because he/she sees “something.” They embody a higher vibrational energy than we do–that’s what their purring is–they are vibrating. Cool. And cats are 90% dignity, if you didn’t already know that, which is easily offended, if you didn’t know that too. Which is why your feral is miffed. Anyway, I really enjoy your blogs, and will come back to read more. Why don’t you make an e-book and sell it on Amazon?