Pining for company

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ThorpeDave
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Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

Hi - sorry this is a bit of a long story

5 weeks ago, a gorgeous white tabby appeared under a bush in our garden looking rather sad. After a bit of coaxing, she came out for some food and water. This continued for a couple of days before we saw that she was disappearing into a neighbor's outhouse.

Our neighbor tells us her name is Mia and has been sleeping rough for over 12 months. She was originally rescued by another neighbor across the road when she was 8 weeks old and born to a feral cat. She has been chipped, vaccinated and neutered.

Our next door neighbor already has 2 house cats and is not prepared to adopt Mia but has been feeding her on a regular basis. The neighbor across the road tells us that Mia was the last to be separated from her Mum - who kept taking her back - and the last to pay a visit to the vets!

Unfortunately, Mia did not settle in her adopted home and left when another cat arrived and has been sleeping rough ever since, although occasionally returning home for a brief visit but wont go into the house.

The original adopters have given us permission to adopt Mia - if we can.

Over the past 5 weeks, Mia has been spending more and more time with us and now comes in on a regular basis and eats in our kitchen twice a day. Despite a comfy bed being provided she continues to return to the outhouse to sleep. However progress is being made and she is now very comfortable with us - walks around the house - plays with toys begs for our dinner (which she does not get, but has cat treats instead)

On several occasion over the past couple of weeks, a male un-neutered tabby has been helping himself to leftovers and walks into our living room licks his lips - as to say thank you - and walks out again!

Last Wednesday Mia was sitting on an outside cupboard when we got up waiting for breakfast but on opening the door she did not come in and sat away from the house on the patio meowing. Despite putting her bowl of food down she refused to come in but was pacing up and down meowing like crazy.

We went out to her and saw Tabby sitting on the wall so got a bowl of food for him and they both settled down and feasted - Tabby again finish off what Mia did not eat.

Same again on Thursday although Mi actually came into the kitchen while Tabby ate outside.

No sign of Tabby on Friday morning but he turned up - very late at night - and was fed.

Now to the main point of my message!

On Saturday evening, Tabby was sitting on our garden wall and Mia ran up to him and they "embraced". Tabby then jumped down and went down the entry. Mia cried - and I mean cried and was very distraught. Tabby crossed the road and Mia was sat at the entry gate and was clearly upset but did not follow.

I have never seen behavior like this in a cat before. Mia's insistence that we fed Tabby on Wednesday and Thursday followed by the extreme distress on Saturday leads me to think that there is some kind of bond between the two.

Having asked further question from neighbors, no one knows anything about Tabby or where he has come from.

The only thing I can think of is that he is Mia's brother who remained hidden when she and her other siblings were rescued well over 2 years ago and they have managed to keep some kind of contact since. Mia is clearly protective of this cat and wants him to be around.

I am as certain as I can be that Tabby is feral and has rarely had contact with humans. He is not as timid as Mia is though and seems to be able to stand up for himself, especially as there is a number of other males in the area.

If anyone has seen anything similar or can explain this behavior I would love to hear from them!

Regards
Dave
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bobbys girl
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Re: Pining for company

Post by bobbys girl »

Ooh that's an odd one! But then cats never cease to amaze.

We had a stray who just turned up and moved in with us. We had her (Lily) neutered (finding out that she was just pregnant at the time) A few weeks later we found Bob, a tiny kitten, on the road and near to death. Lily took him as her own and actually produced milk for him. When he was 10 months old she vanished. It's the weirdest thing, but without her Bob would not have survived.

Perhaps these cats are family, I know it happens.
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Re: Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

I can only come to the conclusion that they are related and my suspicion is brother and sister.

I may have to try and adopt them both - although tabby will be off to the vets before I invite him in ;)

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Dave
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Re: Pining for company

Post by Mayday21 »

Hi keep us posted on the two. Perhaps if you take a Tabby in Mia won't go to the neighbour's outhouse to sleep. Fingers xd it works out. And well done for your efforts to provide for these two. Vivian
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Re: Pining for company

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Mayday21 wrote:Hi keep us posted on the two. Perhaps if you take a Tabby in Mia won't go to the neighbour's outhouse to sleep. Fingers xd it works out. And well done for your efforts to provide for these two. Vivian
Thanks Vivian. I will keep you posted.

In just over 5 weeks Mia has gone from a sad cat hiding under a bush to a bright sweet thing happily coming inside to eat on a daily basis. I know it will take a long time for her to make that transition and probably a very long time before I can stroke her.

I don't believe that either have had much human contact so gaining their trust will take time

Sadly I cannot post a photo as the file size is "too large"

A Mr Snugs is on order to try and get Mia closer to us and away from the next door's outhouse although Tabby is more than welcome to use it as we have not got a clue where he is currently sleeping - perhaps I need 2 of them :)

I will be contacting Cats Protection tomorrow to ask advise about Tabby. While I am sure he is feral it would be wrong of me to get him trapped and up to the vets to get him "sorted" unless I am absolutely sure he currently does not have a butler!

Regards

Dave
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Re: Pining for company

Post by Mayday21 »

Hi Dave there's inst on posting pics posted but Yogi. The only one I've had success with is web sizer. Others will provide advice. Vivian
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Re: Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

mia-1.jpg
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Re: Pining for company

Post by bobbys girl »

That's one happy cat!
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Mayday21
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Re: Pining for company

Post by Mayday21 »

Hi Sue absolutely very happy & chilled fur babe. Vivian
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Re: Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

She still has not shown any inclination to move into the house and settle down :(

I think we are doing ok but she is still very timid and there is still a no touching rule in place :) I long to stroke her!
mia-0.jpg
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Re: Pining for company

Post by Kay »

good luck - I have been feeding a stray, who has the blue eyes and markings of a chocolate point Siamese, for 2 years now, and have never got near to touching him or her - he could be a neutered male or a female

but he loves his Mr Snug with a self-heating pad, which I keep just outside the fence which encloses my back patio, and in the winter I add a Mr Snugs lining too - they are not cheap but I have had mine more than 10 years and it is as good as new
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Re: Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

A Mr Snugs arrives tomorrow ;)

From what I am reading this cat - and the Tabby who has also shown his face - are both probably classed as Feral now and the chances of getting them back to a domesticated cat are slim. As long as she remains healthy, safe and fed I will be happy with that.

Unfortunately when she left her home well over a year ago and turned up in my next door neighbors outside toilet (where she still sleeps) a greater effort should have been made to rescue her. Unfortunately she was just fed and has now become very independent and not trusting of humans :(

I won't give up on her but perhaps I may need to lower my expectations. we will see

Regards

Dave
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Re: Pining for company

Post by Lilith »

Awww! WHAT a sweetie!

When I moved to this inner-city street in 1999 I brought 3 elderly cats, and by 2002 they had left me. No more cats, I said. I wanted the old ones back!

The feral colony in the street thought different.

We went through the skitty period - we'll come for food Lil, but don't touch ... we-ell I need a home for these kittens Lil so I'll move in with you ... ooo this bed's nice, Lil ... within a couple of years even the fiercest feral tom was established on the bed! All neutered I might add.

I ended up with five. There ARE cats who are determined to stay feral till the end of their days but some get seduced by home comforts - I do hope Mia is one of these and good on you for looking out for her and Tabby :D
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Re: Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

I live in hope.

I will post a message in Cat Chatting keeping you up to date with progress :)

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Dave
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Kay
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Re: Pining for company

Post by Kay »

I too live in hope that one day my stray will come in out of the cold, especially as I think his eyesight is poor - he has a severe squint

he avoids me without showing outright fear - just keeping his distance - so I think if he were ill or injured I would be able to corner him, which is the only occasion really that I would need to - and I think this would be the same for you, so there is no need to push things

I look forward to comparing notes over the next few months
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Re: Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

Hi Kay

The advise I have been given by Cats Protection is to let things take their course, encourage yes, push no and under no circumstances close the door behind her if she comes in!

If however they shows signs of being sick, then the best course of action is to get Cats Protection/RSPCA to come and trap them and up to the vets which all seems very logical.

This may sound daft but on Saturday, Maya (Not Mia as previously stated) came in the house on several occasions and seemed a little off colour. eventually she vomited all over a rug I had washed for her but stay with us for 30 minutes meowing at first. I see this as a sign of trust and a positive step forward.

when she recovered, she was off!

I will post a thread later on one of the other sections entitled Maya & Tabby

Good luck with your adoption process and I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Regards

Dave
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Re: Pining for company

Post by mr_frisky »

Well done for looking after these cats.

It's possible that the male had been previously interested in her before she was speyed, and now tries to see if she is in season, but then goes away when he realises she isn't.

I had something similar with the mother of my kittens, when the ginger tom she liked (probably the father of my cats) used to sniff her, but then walk off when he realised there was nothing going on. She used to follow him for a while before giving up.
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Re: Pining for company

Post by ThorpeDave »

mr_frisky wrote:It's possible that the male had been previously interested in her before she was speyed, and now tries to see if she is in season, but then goes away when he realises she isn't.
Our information is that she was Neutered at 4 months and we believe that Tabby is about the same.

Interestingly, we have now spotted tabby with Maya's (not Mia as previously stated) other male siblings so still believe that they are closely related. Unfortunately we have not yet found where Tabby is sleeping or if he belongs to someone or is - as we suspect - feral.

Regards

Dave
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