Cat Report, July 2021

The kitten is turning into a cat.

He now does a pirouette on command (for a treat).

We are working on reintroduction -- getting close.

Our cat rehabilitation coach is pleased.

And boy kitten has moments of sweetness, like this.

Getting there.

4th of July -- 2021

I celebrated the 4th by sitting on the sofa, looking at the view, and wondering what the fireworks would look like with our new view.

Our next-door neighbors already had this view. But this is the year of tree removal, the year of the melody of chainsaws, the year of tree death. Yep. Our nest was once cloaked in beautiful pine trees, and now we can see six counties from our deck.

But let me back up. When the white man first came to our neighborhood, I'm guessing there were trees. Perhaps the Coast Live Oak trees that randomly sprout in my garden. Later came tree clearing, and ranching (hey, grass!) and eventually houses. People like trees with their houses, and a neighborhood guy planted a line of trees behind us that eventually stood between our houses and the view. We really liked the trees, the interplay of the trees and the fog, and the daily commute of the crows from their daytime locations to those trees.

Tree Planter Dude was not smart about trees. He planted trees that get huge quickly and die at 50. Over the past five years they've started crumping en masse. We'd hear what the neighbor's sister called "peckerwoods" (wood peckers) and when the peckerwoods come for you...your time is coming. You have bugs and are officially dead. Storms toppled trees onto houses. And then it was pandemic time and the saws came. The soundtrack of the pandemic has been saws and chippers.

And...this is the fireworks display at my house.

Same as it ever was!

3rd of July

Twas a happy thing to be reunited with Cack and Blick. I could have hung with them for hours, but as it was I was so exhausted afterward that I took a three hour nap.

It was so fun to decorate a table and see friends and make food and catch up. Mrguy really got into it, and can be seen in the background of this image, soaping the windows. It was such a beautiful day that he couldn't resist, and C&B usually come to visit in the evening.

A good time was had by all!

July 2021 Updates -- The Boy

First, the boy.

For a month or so we've been feeding the cats on either side of a screen door. This is part of the incremental cat reintroduction plan that will hopefully lead to peace *and togetherness* in the kingdom. We met with our cat guru again on zoom so he could talk us through next steps for our boy. He watched us feed them, and offered advice. A few things became clear -- we need to use clicker training, and our own state of mind factors into how the cats behave. As they say in Pidgin, "Cool head main t'ing".

The thing about our cats is that they're all a little wiggy to start with. The little girl is both flirty and fraidy. The big boy is glamorous and fragile. Plus, we're adjusting to their new personalities. The cat guru said that we needed to be feeding the big cats at the same time of the day as the kitten, and the result of feeding three times a day is that the little girl started coming out of her shell. Surprising us all, she sometimes even taunts the wee beastie from the other side of the screen.

On Tuesday we had our last phone call with the guru. My goal was for him to tell us the next three steps for the boy. After our consultation, which made us feel like a million bucks, we had a number of options available to us, but he helped us realize that a) we're doing a good job, b) the steps are our choice, c) if it doesn't work out, just try it again at the next meal. We've been building trust among the cats and one bad day is one bad day.

We had initially hoped to put the beastie in his cat harness with the leash on it, and then try feeding them with the screen door open (we were afraid he'd lunge at the other cats). But the harness makes him miserable. And we have seen him be a good boy without the harness. So we tried without. Worked really well. On our side of the screen door I was prepped with a bowl of smelly cat treats and a clicker. Any time he stared at the other cats I would give a command and lure him away with the treat and a clicker. It worked for a few minutes. We are extending the time every day.

Wiggy little girl is afraid of the sound of the screen door opening (really?! yes) so mrguy got a large piece of cardboard that he uses as a barrier, and then moves out of the way after she's started eating. But before he figured that one out, we had a meal where she ran away, and the beastie walked into the dining room and ate her bowl side-by-side with glamor boy. I didn't stop him (cool head) and they ate in peace. When big brother finished his bowl, he went behind his little brother, sniffed his butt, and hissed. Little boy did not even flinch. We are on a roll, people. Today we got up to 6 minutes of peaceful eating, and they really ignore one another. The beastie loves his treats now (a tip of the hat to Bravo! brand Mariner's Medley. Super stenchy in a way that cats like) and when he's not eating the bowl he is begging for treats or trading tricks for them. We're 4 days in.

He does look really handsome in his harness, but he is unmotivated to move while wearing it.