Cat Chat Feline Forum

Helen I have emailed you x

Aww he is truly gorgeous and he so reminds me of my old ginger Finn!

(Sorry haven't been around for a few days - one thing and another.)

I'm glad he's settling in so well; as you'll know, these old lads do. It's all very well leading a swashbuckling rover's life in their youth but once they start getting on and losing their fights, they seem to crave their home comforts and a lot of tlc...Finny wouldn't LOOK at me on the street, but once he changed his mind, that was that!

Aww Jilly, when I saw him, I wanted him too - that is so cool, him turning up here and getting two offers of homes. But one day your prince will come

Everything OK Lilith? We missed you.

My old lad, Thomas, showed a spark of his old life today. We have a couple of strays that turn up form time to time, both black and white. One, Felix, is quite bossy and Tom avoids him. The other, we call him Moonshadow or Shadow for short (long story, but think Cat Stevens) is a bit of an unknown quantity. He turned up today, frightening the life out of Willow who was sunning herself on the window ledge. Tommy was on the car bonnet (again). He yawned, stretched, jumped down, Shadow saw him and took on that stiff-legged stance, head down, back up. Dear old Tom was having none of it. He walked towards him doing his John Wayne walk (teamed with the Clint Eastwood 'go ahead make my day'). Shadow reversed then turned tail and ran. I'm sure I heard Tom say 'pha! Kids!'
God I love that old cat!

I imagine Paddington being just the same, especially if he decides that you are all HIS family.

Awwww Helen

I have just caught up with this thread!!

Well done - lucky Paddington!!

He reminds me is some ways of Mr G, our former farm boy!

Xx

Hi there Bobbys girl - yes, thanks, and thanks for the kind words, just all part of life's rich tapestry lol

Love the name Moonshadow - I once registered a Siamese kitten as 'Maya Moonshadow'.

Lol, good old Thomas - I remember Finn (before the garden was secured) used to hark back to his old courting days (I think he was more of a lover than a fighter) and go granny-grabbing round the corner. She was older than he was, a pretty little tortoiseshell called, appropriately, Venus - and she'd give him what for! As soon as I heard a squawk I knew what was going on; I'd run round and yell 'Oi!' and whistle, and return with old lover-boy trotting at my heels...'Who, me? Wouldn't lay a paw on her!'

Tomcats eh?

Gotta love 'em! He is sitting by the side of me purring in my ear as I type.

It's no secret that I have a huge soft spot for these old soldiers.

I'm probably tempting fate here, but Paddington seems to be settling in here just fine. I'm a great believer in playing things by ear, and as nobody seems to be making much of a fuss I'm already letting Paddington loose with the rest of the gang in the evenings. He must have particularly non-aggressive body language or something, there's a bit of hissing but normally my lot give newbies a wide berth at first and they seem happy to be in the same room as him, as long as he doesn't get too close. Even Basil, who usually runs screaming from the room and sits, swearing and wailing under the sideboard for the first week at the very sight of the intruder with most cats, is happy to stay in his spot on the sofa as long as Paddington keeps a reasonable distance (I've got used to Basil's slightly hysterical reactions - I remember he even took exception to dinky, purry, cute little Peaches (RIP) at first - he gets over it!).

The only cat Paddington's hissed at is Daz, who is the only one to try to approach him directly - Daz and I know that Daz only wants to be friends, but I can't expect Paddington to suss that straightaway, and the poor old chap has had a lot to take on board over the last few days.

All of this makes me think, and hope, that Paddington is of much the same sort as the rest of the gang - just wants a quiet life and won't start trouble if nobody else does. I will, however, keep locking him aaway at night and when I'm not around for a while yet. It may be peaceful, but it's a slightly uneasy peace and I think they all appreciate some time where the pressure's off.

All paws crossed that things carry on like this!

that all sounds very promising. I do think though that some cats just are 'cat cats' if that makes sense - my Harry is one of them. He'd happily be friends with everyone and just have a good life.

My Lou Lou is like that, she is happy to be friends with any cat. If only they were all like that. Fusses to Paddington. What an exciting time he is having!

All sounds good so far Helen, I hope they all continue to behave themselves. Dear old Paddington, he sounds a real sweetie!

He is a good boy, I keep waiting for him to find his confidence and start beating the others up (as has happened to me before with another cat that seemed to be settling in well at first) but he really does seem to be a chilled out, friendly little soul.

He's found his spot on the sofa, which luckily was Pugwash's favourite spot and so had no current resident.

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Awww what a gorgeous chap!

I've never seen a tabby with that particular colouration; he's almost auburn. He looks so handsome and contented!

The nearest I've seen to his colouring is my original cat family (RIP) - both matriarch Giddy (calico) and her daughter Pushkin were torties with gingery tabby (her son Rottie was the ginger).
He is a very handsome boy, and such a sweetheart. Part of me feels a bit guilty as I've not connected with him the way I did with Greebo, but it's all a bit raw still and very early days yet. I'm sure a bond will come, and in the meantime he's well fed, warm and above all, safe.

Aww! They're all so gorgeous (and as you may have gathered I've a soft spot for gingers!)

I think sometimes bonding takes time. You know in your heart that it's the right thing to take on this cat; they need you, but you don't always feel that instant 'grab' (can't express it any other way.) I do know that a couple of years back, if anyone had said to me, 'I'll take Molly' I would have said, 'oh yes please!' but now I'd say 'over my dead body!' (We NEED each other, even if she is such a horrible little git!)

I'm certain you've done the right thing, taking on Paddington, and your relationship will grow gently and surely x

Oh, he's beautiful, Helen. I do hope things continue well with integration. So precious.

Ah Helen, lovely photo's. OH and I would like to know how out Tommy's brother made his way to you? He really is (apart from the white on his face) a dead ringer for Tom. Even the kitty kisses are the same!

The photo's of your oldies is a really lovely memory. Do you have it on display? We have a collage, in the hall, of our cats, past and present. A collection of cute and silly photo's that always makes me smile.

Aw!,Helen Paddington looks beautiful and extremely chilled and comfy, wee darling.
Love photos of your other cats too!

He does have the same 'teddy bear' face as Tommy!

I don't have the pics out anywhere - I know I should. A project for a cold winter evening perhaps.

I think Paddington is still very much in stray-cat-hungry mode - he'll pretty much talk to anyone who might feed him and is much more interested in his dinner than me or anything else going on around him. I suspect that, as he starts to settle into the house routine and realise that there will always be another meal, his character will come out more and we can start a proper relationship.

What a dear little cat he is. I'm so pleased he's settling in well. Give him a fuss from me.

Paddington is obviously feeling more at home, as he's just had a 'mad 10 minutes' and been charging round the dining room chasing catnip mousies - first time I've seen him being playful.

Basil is not impressed - he'd just gotten used to the new quiet, well-behaved old gent pottering around and was starting to relax ...... he is now peering out from behind the sideboard looking horrified!

I think he's just realising that belly is going to remain well fed and he's not going back to the life of a stray. Our pepsi (the pest ) was the same when we decided to give him the home he deserved I really wanted to bond with him but seemed he didn't want to bond with us. Just feed me, let me in and out as I please a nd then leave me alone he used to say. Hee now sometimes refuses to go out to the garden whereas before he wanted out all the time, now however, like paddy he is coming out his shell, racing up and down the stairs chasing cat toys and the kids. And poor sonny too much to his disgust ! Paddy's mad ten minutes will soon be a mad half hour I'm sure. He knows he is a lucky boy.

bless him, he's discovering his inner cat - not much time or inclination for play when you're struggling to survive on a daily basis, I guess, so I think it's lovely Paddington is having mad 10 minutes's instead of only sad or bad ones

It was lovely to see him so full of beans and happy.

Basil got over it, as he does. Not only does Basil have slightly hysterical reactions, but because he came to me as stray with a badly broken leg which has set oddly with his left 'elbow' sticking out, he has a very pronounced limp, which adds a level of pathos to everything he does. When Basil looks horrified and hurries out of a room I swear he lays it on a bit thick sometimes! Come dinner time, he was sitting next to Paddington quite happily.

Awww bless him! Sounds like he's coming out of his shell. Finn was like that, just focused on food and comfort at first - but then every morning I'd come down to find the cat toybasket rummaged and stuff scattered far and wide... When Emily was still settling in with me, convalescing after parting with her kittens and neutering (too early IMO but the CP insisted; she was very frail and had an infection in the incision and confined to the house, sleeping mostly) I bought her a toy mouse, which I didn't think she'd look at - but she loved it!

Lol - Basil! They do, you know, put on the agony. When I was a kid I fell in love with a beautiful smelly tabby tom who was hanging around the neighbourhood. The powers-that-be refused to let me adopt him, neuter him, take him to the vet's for his wonky paw - NO. I smuggled food out for him and he would always greet me with an uplifted paw and a loud 'WOWOWOW!'

Luckily the paw healed by itself but most days he lurked in the front garden waiting for me to come home from school, and he'd race down the drive on three legs, wow-wowing at the top of his voice, 'poorly' paw upraised...

Trouble is, by then he'd forgotten which paw it was so he'd just lift right or left paw, didn't matter...

Sweet old guy, he moved on, as they do. Missed him.

Stray cats get very clever at 'reading' people! I told Basil he was rumbled as a big fraud.

It's funny, you'd never think my three boys were close, but bring an interloper in and they suddenly get all matey and close ranks!
I was looking through old cat pics and I suddenly realised how much Paddington looks like Baxter, who was another gorgeous stray that came as a foster cat, but he failed to integrate as he became very possessive of me and started trying to chase the lads off. Really lovely cat, but he's much better off now in a great home with a willing slave all of his own.

Lol - Tammy, as my ex puts it 'knew' all right. wish I could have done more for him - only hope that family and neighbours didn't see him off

Hey, isn't Paddington like Baxter!

I started at the bottom and was scrolling up and thought it WAS a pic of Paddington at first - but Baxter's got more grey on him.

Lol - won't be long before Paddington's on the sofa with the rest of the men - the gentlemen's club, snoozing?

Yep, I really don't think it will be long before Paddington's a fully paid up member of 'The Gentleman's Snoozing Club'!

Funnily enough, though, the one that's taken to him the most so far is Grumpy Nellie - I caught her touching noses with him earlier today. She doesn't even do that with Merrick all that often, and those two came to me together having lived with each other since kittenhood!

Aw......that is so cool. I just love when they enquire about each other and do that nose touch, so touching.

Bless you for taking him in. I know that he will be a great addition to your family.

Lol - there is one quarter clear on the snoozing gents' sofa - and I'm certain it's got Paddington's name on it ...

Mere humans will have to sit on the floor