The Joy of Cats

Sweetpea watching for introoders....

 
With all the sadness on CB this past week or more, it really makes Mom appreciate the time she has with us cats all the more.  We try to keep Mom and Pop amused with our silliness, loved and comforted with our companionship and they in turn take extra special care of each and every one of us.  No effort is too much in our care cuz  Mom tells us we bring joy into her life every single day!

Two Spot being his silly self....

A poem about cats that says it all... The Magician by Arlene Gay Levine

Then my best friend

on all the Earth

sits upon my lap 

not to be comforted

but to soothe.

Wizard of the heart,

my cat,

when the world fails

 or the day weighs,

with a wave of the tail

or soulful glance

makes the Universe

shine once more.

Darby looking cute and oh so cuddly...

Hug your dog or cat today...their time with us is so precious and short. We are joining Camera Critters and Photo Hunt - Joy today!  Do join too. Happy Weekend.

Beautiful Minnie is our Peacekeeper.

Third Annual Worldwide Moment for Furred, Finned and Feathered Friends

Thanks to Two Special Wires, the Third Annual Worldwide Moment will happen at 6 PM EST Monday Nov. 14.  It is a a moment to honor the animals we have known and loved in the past and to send out positive energies to those alive today the world over. We would like to share the story of Tarra and Bella.

Tarra and Bella

Tarra lives at the elephant sanctuary near Nashville TN.  Her best friend was Bella, a stray dog who wandered into the 2700 acre haven in 2003 and forged an unusual friendship with Tarra.  When Bella incurred a spinal injury a few years ago, Tarra stood vigil for 3 weeks just outside the office  where Bella rested and recuperated.



Recently, Bella was attacked and killed by coyotes.  From what the sanctuary administrators can gather,  Tarra found her body and carried her best friend back to her home.  Tarra has been grieving but the other elephants have been sharing their food and attention to help her through this.  Tarra and Bella's story teaches us huge lessons about love, friendship, loyalty, loss and grief..  Please take the time to read their story here.

Only meditation and sending our loving kindness to all beings.

"In their innocence and wisdom, in their connection to the earth and its most ancient rhythms, animals show us a way back to a home they have never left."  ~ Susan Chernak McElroy

We at Wildcat Woods are sending positive thoughts to Tarra and her elephant friends to help them through their loss and to comfort them and peace to all animals everywhere.   Thank you for joining us today in prayer, meditation, reflection or contemplation in this Worldwide Moment.

Darby sending purrayers for Tarra.

GOOD NEWS FLASH!
The two FIV kittens Mom posted about - Cobbie was one that Brian of Brian's Home asked for help to place and Mom took to a local no-kill shelter - both were adopted last week AND...they both retested negative for FIV!!!  How great is that?  Thanks for all your purrs, prayers and assistance with this!

Danica (aka Cobbie) has a new home.

Angelica was adopted with another kitten named Turtle!

More Snow!!

Snowball bird watching out the shelter window.

It is very cold and snowy outdoors but we are all snug in our shelter and house with our beans, napping and hogging the Monitor heater.

That's Ivy hanging off the heater!  She sleeps like that.

We got our generator ready and all the extension cords on hand in case the power goes off. Hope you all are safe, warm and napping through the storm.

Just Hanging on Wordless Wednesday

Please check out more Wordless Wednesday post here. Happy Tocktober! It is Derby's birthday today so go join the party!

Princess and the Pea??

When Mom takes the bed down at night she piles all the quilts, pillows and stuff on the chair next to it. Darby thinks this is the purrfect spot to nap. Sometimes you can't see her all hidden in the pile!



Doesn't she remind you of a fairy tale....which one is it...the Princess and the Pea? Go back to slepp Darby, sorry we woke you!



Happy Napping wherever your favorite spot is!

Photo Hunt - Spotted

Darby "spotted" the red spots on the wall and tried her hardest to catch one. How did the wall get so "spotted"?

Click for more Photo Hunt and for Camera Critters! Happy Caturday! P.S. Mom wants to thank Ann at Zoolatry for the wonderful new header!

Wordy Wednesday Darby's Thanks!

Wow I am pooped after the wild Gotcha Day party and St Pat's on top of that!!! Gonna rest up today but I want to thank you all for coming to the party and for all the gotcha day wishes. This was my first one on CB and it was real fun! Hope everyone had a good time. All my brothers and sisters loved meeting you all. They can't wait for their Gotcha Day parties!

Darby's Story Continued

Once I caught Darby, I secured her in a small room to begin taming her. I set her up with food, water and a litter box. I used a bathroom with a window with a view in our other house which was also a gift shop. Our rental house was too small for another cat. Minnie was living in the shop already and I thought Darby would be a good buddy for her. I made her a nest under a chair with towels draped over it to offer her a hiding spot but one we could get to her from.

She would not let us touch her but would swat at our hands with her paws, claws out. After many attempts to pet her we wore gloves to put her food near her etc. I sat in there on the floor and talked to her, played with her with feather toys ...anything to get her to interact with us. I finally contacted an animal behaviorist who told us to try to pet her through the towel. It seemed that Darby was afraid of our hands and when she saw them coming at her would swat them in defense.

We tried again, petting her through the towel when she was under the chair and with our gloves on when outside the chair. Both my husband and I took turns doing this several times a day. It took weeks but she finally relented to us touching her!!!!

Then we moved her to a bigger room, closing off all the hiding places like under the bed, to force her to interact with us. She did better and being in a bedroom was more able to move around and have us visit her easier.

Finally we let her interact with the other cat Minnie by putting a screen door up between the bedroom and the hall. Minnie and Darby could see and smell each other but no one would get hurt. The screen also enabled Darby to see what life inside was all about without having to be in it all the time.

We got her spayed at my neighborhood vet who had been working with me to get all the ferals done. We kept Darby inside with the other cat rather than release her to a yard she was not familiar with.

Darby was certainly one of the tougher ferals to tame but now she is a love bug, wanting to sit on my lap all the time. She gets very possessive of me and sleeps with me in the crook of my arm at night. Ferals do bond strongly with the one person who works with them most.

She likes to play with ribbons (supervised of course), tends to be a loner and not real friendly with the other cats, preferring me or my husband to them. She can be a bully, picking on the lesser cats in the group we have now. She is friendly with visitors and lets them pet her. As each year goes by she opens up more and more. She is a beautiful addition to our family and we love her dearly.

Introducing Darby....

I thought I would tell a bit about each of my cats and how we found each other.

Darby was living under our rental house as a kitten. Our neighbors at the time move to Florida for the winter so we have no idea where she came from. Only a few people live here year round. I noticed her going across the street to eat outside another house who has cats. I asked them if she was a new addition and they told me she came from under our house!

Darby was very wild and would not let me get near her. It was cold and snowy so I made a covered cage for her on the porch to protect her from the cold. She would go inside during the day but spent her nights under the house. It seems she had a roommate...a possum would come out at night and feed from the bird feeder in the yard and then go back to the crawlspace and Darby would come out during the day! I was worried the possum would hurt her but they seemed to get along, coming and going on their own hours.

Other cats would come by to steal her food but Darby would chase them off even as a tiny kitten. I thought she was a male for all her bravado.

I waited until Darby was using her cage which was a dog kennel cage and then I began to plot her capture. I moved the cage closer to the front door little by little until it was in front of the door. I had started to put her food inside the cage so she would be busy eating. I tied a string to the cage door and ran it through the door to the house making sure I could pull it and shut the cage door quickly and quietly. I have used this method many many times.

This was the day. My other three cats Chica, Yoko and Sweetpea were lined up inside the glass door of the house watching this all unfold. Darby went inside the cage and I pulled the string. Got her! She fought and wailed and put up a fuss. I picked up the cage and brought it inside. Now to tame her...a long time consuming challenge. To be continued.