Stray kitten in my backyard

[koshki]

Last week we had quite an adventure. On Monday, a stray black cat appeared in my backyard. He was quick, so I couldn't get a good look at him, but he kept coming around, and he didn't seem like he was on a "walkabout". So we put out some food, and the poor little guy ate for 10 minutes straight.

Each day he became a bit more comfortable with me, as I put food nearer the house. He would sit on the step to my sunroom while I talked to him as I was inspecting each and every one of my outdoor orchids.

Finally on Friday, he let my daughter pick him up. It was then we realized just how little and young he was. We took him to the vet that day. She said all two pounds of him was 9 or 10 weeks old. We fell in love. My daughter named him Javier.

We brought him indoors and kept him isolated in my sunroom, which is the winter home of my orchids. Yesterday we decided it was just too difficult to keep him isolated from our other two cats, so we took him back to the vet to get an FLV test...thankfully negative. So now we have one happy family of three male cats!

For reference, this bowl is 2.5 inches deep. He's little!



Watching my birds.

Look closely...I think this is why my garden has been disturbed!



Once he let us touch him, he totally gave in to our care, and now is part of our family!

 

[cnycharles]

cute! .. I think your birds are in trouble, by the way

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

What a cutie! :smitten: I wish you a long and happy life together.

 

[Ernie]

Bob Barker says "please spay or neuter your pet!"

 

[NYEric]

I agree. Cool to have pet, congrats!

 

[Lanmark]

How sweet! Happy endings are the best! Congrats on your new family member!

 

[Wendelin]

He did a great job by sneaking into your heart! :clap:

 

[Shiva]

He has adopted you as much as you have adopted him. That's the beginning of a good friendship.

 

[Wendy]

He's such a cutie! Thank you for giving him a home. :clap:

 

[Evergreen]

Sweet! I'm glad he found a good home :clap:

 

[Heather]

Me too, he's cute. Love the photo of him in the pot.

 

[SlipperFan]

Good for you, Katherine. That kitty doesn't know how good he has it now!

 

[koshki]

Thanks everyone! I didn't get a notice of responses, so I am so surprised to see so many nice comments!

Javier is now fully ensconced in our home. When he gets to be the appropriate age, he will become a eunich, just like his two new brothers. And he will also be an indoor cat, so the birds will just have to fear him through the window.

After being so skittish and shy, he is now full of piss and vinegar, just like a kitten should be. My oldest cat, Otis, welcomed him immediately when we let them all get together. Rolled over on his back and said, "Go ahead! Pounce on me!" Ziggy, who is only 1.5 years old, had been more skeptical, although he is starting to realize that he's now got a buddy to wrassle with (Otis is a bit too staid to do that anymore.)

My biggest worry right now is that he is very, very quick, and doesn't realize the danger of running around close to my wheelchair. It's a power chair, and with me in it is quite heavy. (Ask Ziggy's tail about that!) Plus being black, he is dang hard to see!

Although it is a bit crazy now having three cats in the house, I am glad we decided to take him in. And you're right, he definitely adopted us!

 

[koshki]

Good for you, Katherine. That kitty doesn't know how good he has it now!

Dot, the funny thing is, the day we brought him into the house, I was holding him in my arms and he looked up at me, and I swear it looked just like he was saying, "Thank you for rescuing me, mommy. I was so scared and hungry!"

Melt. I mean, total complete melt!

 

[SlipperFan]

Dot, the funny thing is, the day we brought him into the house, I was holding him in my arms and he looked up at me, and I swear it looked just like he was saying, "Thank you for rescuing me, mommy. I was so scared and hungry!"

Melt. I mean, total complete melt!

Ok -- he knows!

 

[Hera]

What a lovely ending. You have to read the book Dewey about the library cat. He was a rescue cat too and it will melt you. Good luck with the new baby.

 

[Shiva]

There's a fun show making the rounds on TV called You Must Love Cats. Check it out if you haven't.
There was a stray cat lurking around my house a few years back. All skinny but indomitable. I took to feeding him and he always came back for more. He would eventually stretch on the porch in sunlight but would flee everytime I came anywhere near him. In winter, he would find a place in a shed somewhere and spend the night there even by 30 below. If I could find where he was, i would put old pillows where he could snuggle deep into. He never came to feed on the balcony when it was raining. He would simply wait it out. Eventually, he began to trust me a little and I would have the chance to stroke it for a while. I never gave him a name. I felt he was much too proud and I let him be anonymous. After two or three years, he came no more.
Such is the life of a straycat in my little corner of the world.

 

[goldenrose]

Lucky, smart kitty!

 

[SlipperFan]

There's a fun show making the rounds on TV called You Must Love Cats. Check it out if you haven't.
There was a stray cat lurking around my house a few years back. All skinny but indomitable. I took to feeding him and he always came back for more. He would eventually stretch on the porch in sunlight but would flee everytime I came anywhere near him. In winter, he would find a place in a shed somewhere and spend the night there even by 30 below. If I could find where he was, i would put old pillows where he could snuggle deep into. He never came to feed on the balcony when it was raining. He would simply wait it out. Eventually, he began to trust me a little and I would have the chance to stroke it for a while. I never gave him a name. I felt he was much too proud and I let him be anonymous. After two or three years, he came no more.
Such is the life of a straycat in my little corner of the world.

Lucky kitty, if only for awhile.