September update

The days are flying by too fast. I can't believe I haven't posted an update since July!

Punky is doing fine. She no longer needs the backscratcher to come to me. She has bonded with my hubby without him even trying. Everytime he goes on the patio, she is right behind him.

Sydney still ambushes her so she has her guard up. Sydney gets along with everyone except Punky. Not sure why Punky is her target. Fortunately for Punky, Syd likes to sleep in my room so Punky has full roam of the house at night without worrying about being stalked or ambushed.

I had my doubts about every taming her enough for her to be happy here, but she definitely has a forever home with me.

I will be starting a blog about all of the resident cats, which total 10 now. Punky was a challenge. I have to thank Andrea again for her advice and getting us to our happy place.

((((Andrea))))

4th of July

Punkydoodle gets along so well with the other cats. She is a very quiet Siamese. Her best friends are Jazz, our big long haired black cat, and Whitney. She doesn't get into things like the rest of the gang......yet.

She still prefers I have the back scratcher in my hand for her to come to me, then I can use my hand to pet her.

We are sad to hear about a friend's kitty, Bob, who went to the Bridge. Bob was so accepting of a cat (Ellie), who was much like Punky at one time. Ellie's mom, Andrea, used a back scratcher to help tame her and that's where I got the idea from. We will miss hearing about Bob.

I will always wonder if Lilly was ever a house cat or not. She could have been at one time, but been abused. Or, she was born in the wild and was feral.

Late last night, she was batting a toy around for a good 15 minutes. She was all over the place with it. I got the treat bag out, shook it and they all came running. Lilly wouldn't have any of that chicken flavor. It's Dairy flavored Tempations or nothing. So I got those out and she got her share and curled up on the back of the sofa for a nap.

I love her :-)

Back from vacation

Tim and I returned from our 9 day vacation to Ohio. My friend came by the house daily to check on the cats....feed them and play a little.

They seemed just fine when we got home. I could smell urine though so I assume they were rearranging their pecking order.

Punky seemed a bit skittish last night so I didn't force myself on her. Today she has been lounging in the sun out on the patio. Just now, she came in and I reached out to her with the good ole back scratcher and she immediately came to it, sniffed it and rolled on the floor so I could rub her with it.

So I am satisfied that she did not regress and all is well.

I received a couple of inquiries about her on Petfinder but I don't feel she is near ready to go to a new home. After all, she has a safe, loving one right here with us :-)

Punkydoodle made her way into our home and is now in our hearts. I only meant to socialize her and then find a good home for her. She has done so well that decided our home is her home.

She has had free roam of the house all week with no fur flying from any of the cats. She romps and plays with Jazz, our big long-haired black male cat. She comes to me for treats and pets and eats out of my hand.

Today, she met my friend, who is also my petsitter for the next week while we go on vacation. She did not bounce off the walls like I thought she would. She didn't go right up to my friend, but she didn't run either.

So all in all, things are going well for her. Oh me of little faith :-)

Punky is making remarkable progress. She spends her days out on the enclosed porch with several other cats. I found 3 of them napping on the same cat tree. Punkydoodle, Bella (who is usually the house bully) and Sydney. Then it started raining and everyone bailed except for Punky. I guess she is used to all types of weather and probably think the others are real wimps for running.

Now she is on the top perch of the cat tree, as though she has not a care in the world.

I am surprised it is going so well, so soon. We did not get off to a good start and I was not very hopeful.

I don't think I will ever be able thank Andrea enough for sharing her clever idea to use the back scratcher. That is how she started taming her little feral, Ellie.....who is now her heart kitty :-)
Viva La' Felines!!

Yesterday, I left the guest room door open in case Punky wanted to explore at some point. In less than a minute, she came out in the hall and started exploring every nook and cranny in the house. I did shut the doors to the other bedrooms and laundry room, just so she couldn't hide there.

The other cats did not pay her any mind. No hissing or fighting. I was on guard and prepared to intervene, but I didn't have to. Sydney, who has been hanging out with Punky in her room, was the only cat to chase her. Punky would just lay down in submission. Sydney pawed at her, but did not make contact..nor did she hurt her at all.

Punky was near the front door, examining it very closely. I have a feeling she would bolt and run for the hills if she got out right now. I herded her back into the guest room after a while and shut the door. When I went in later, with Sydney and treats, she came right to us.

Hubby will be gone most of the day today, so I will leave her door open in case she wants to venture out again.

I was gone most of the day yesterday, so it was late night when I was able to go in Punky's room to play. I took Sydney and treats with me. They ate them, nose to nose with not one hiss.

This morning, I went in alone, sat on the floor and she came out of hiding. She is more confident each day. Today, I mainly petted her with my hand. She lays on her back for belly rubs! When I start to pull my hand away, she will place her paw on my hand to keep it there. This is huge for us. I am sure I heard her purr ever so quietly, but won't count it til it gets a bit louder.

It's going good. I love her :-)

Believe it or not, I do other things besides tame cats......lol. I keep this blog to fall back on one day when another feral comes into my life and I panic, thinking NO WAY can I tame THIS one!!

I let Punkydoodle out this morning, in the guest room. It is now evening. I have been in there off and on all day. A few minutes ago, I let Sydney go in with me. She is my friendliest, most easy going cat, about a year old. She is mostly Siamese mixed with Tabby.

Anyhoo, as soon as Punkydoodle saw Sydney, she came right to her and leaned her head in towards Sydney for a head bunt, grooming, kiss or something. She did not retreat back under the chair but stayed out. I fed her and Syd treats so they can get used to eating together. It is absolutely amazing and precious how Punky *lights up* when she sees other cats.

Until Sydney meows to come out of the room, I'm going to leave her in there to keep Punky company. I'll try to get a picture of them.

I decided Punkydoodle needs to come out of the crate to be able to exercise. I rolled her crate into the guest room, opened it up so she could come out to explore. I left the room for a while, returning with Tempation treats. The treats and back scratcher seem to be her favorite things so far.

She is not running from me like before, but is obviously still *on guard*. She let me pet her with scratcher and my hand. She ate treats out of my hand. Then I made a short trail with the treats to see if she would follow them and come closer to me. She did. She had to think about it though.

Tim and I are going on vacation in a couple of weeks so I want her to be comfortable in the guest room and used to my friend who will be petsitting.

Last night we reached another small but exciting milestone. Punkydoodle ate treats out of my hand. She no longer has that *deer caught in the headlights* look about her. She is obviously more relaxed.

However, if I make a sudden move she is not used to, she will tense up. Last night, Sydney, the friendliest cat of the group, went into Punky's crate, checked out all levels and there was no hissing from either of them. I think sometime this week, I will let Punkydoodle roam free in the bedroom and put Sydney in there with her.

A week and two days have passed since the last update. The last couple of days have been eventful ones for Lily, aka Punkydoodle and me. I have been using the backscratcher to make body contact with her. She has been enjoying that and even rolling around so I can get to hard to reach areas.....lol.

At one point yesterday, I put the scratcher down and used my hand to rub her head and massage ner neck. She did not seem to mind....did not flinch or try to bolt. Now, each visit, I use the back scratcher first and then my hand to pet her.

Today, I decided to take it a step further. I have moved her crate into the living room so she can get used to the other cats and likewise. Every time a cat passes, she makes a meowing sound I have never heard from her. (She has never made a peep or noise of any kind). She lays on her side and back when ever a cat walks up to the crate. She obviously wants to be friends with them.

Jazz, my huge long haired black house feral who I have had for two years, must remind her of a past cat. When he passes, she starts kneading and meowing. One of her four kittens was solid black, long hair so maybe Jazz reminds her of him.

Right now, Hannah is sniffing her through the crate and Lilly is on her back, rolling around.

I have to take this nice and slow. For the first time since I've had her, I actually have no doubt she can be socialized. She may never be a lapcat or want to be held, but I'm not discounting that either :-)

Five weeks and 3 days have passed since Lilly came to live with us. I have now moved her from the garage annex to the guest room. She is back in the condo crate. The first two days I left her alone except for feeding and scooping.

Today, I used a back scratcher (thanks for the advice, Andrea) to pet her. She backed off at first, but seemed to actually enjoy it. Especially when I scratched her head. I went in 3 different times today to do this. She would jump to another level, but once I started scratching her with the back scratcher, she remained still......even laying down once. She would shut her eyes when I did her head. I think she'd still bolt if the opportunity was there.

I turned the tv on by her crate. It's on the Animal Planet channel. She heard birds and stared at it a good while. I left it on for her pleasure tonight.

Baby steps. One day at a time. I really want to earn her trust.

Lilly

Lilly is a very scared cat, maybe feral, that I have had for about 6 weeks. She was found in a dangerous traffic area by a lady who took her home. Several days later, Lilly gave birth to a litter of 4 kittens.

By the time I got her, the kittens were already skittish from being raised by a scared/feral Mom. The kittens were already eating dry food on their own so I separated Mom from kittens in hope of socializing them. It was a good decision. All kittens have found great homes.

Lilly however, is not *coming around.* She freaks when I enter her private quarters. She has access to an outdoor enclosed patio, where she can watch nature in progress.

This week I am trying a different method with her. I realize I am the enemy to her so I have to win her trust. I removed her bowl of food, which she was free feeding. Now, I knock on her door softly, then go in with enough food for that meal. I try not to make eye contact with her as this is a sign of aggression to her. I scoop, talking to her all the while but not looking at her. I leave catnip or a toy and leave.

I've been doing this for several days. She still freaks when I go in and will climb door jams or even the wall to get away from me. I don't know how in the world she hangs on for so long with just her claws.

She has already been spayed and vetted. I can't give up on her.