I have spent some quality time with T.K. (formerly known as "Norbert"), and I have discovered that she is, in fact, a girl! This is particularly exciting news, since she is the only one of our seven animals who is female. All four of our dogs (Arlo, Waldo, Friskie, and Yoda) and both of our other cats (Tigger and Ludwig) are boys. I feel a little less outnumbered now, but there are still 7 males (including humans) to 4 females (including humans) in my family. But I digress.
I have named the kitten Audrey, after my grandmother's cousin. Both the cat and the cousin have bright red hair, and they are both strong, independent women. I have been spending time with Audrey in our basement storage room, which is where she is currently living. This room is filled with boxes and other items, and Audrey feels secure hiding in its many nooks and crannies. I never chase her out of her hiding places. Instead, I lure her out with a tempting bit of rope. She likes it so much that she will forget that I'm sitting about 2 feet away from her. I also tap my fingers on the floor to attract her attention. Her curiosity tells her to investigate the sound, but her survival instincts tell her to be wary of me.
However, last night I took a book into her room when I went to visit with her. I always sit next to her litter box, because she allows me to get that close to her so I can clean it. Last night, though, I just sat and read my book. Eventually, she laid down by her litter box while I was reading. She was just six inches away from me, which is the closest she has ever come to me voluntarily. As soon as she is familiar enough with people, we can take her to the vet, get her shots and any other medical care she may need. Hopefully, we will also be able to get her spayed. My goal is to be able to take her to the vet by the end of the week.
2 comments:
Greetings from Antwerpen Belgium Ronald Van Neste
i love this story. it reminds of my first cat. his name was leroy (short for bad bad leroy brown, baddest cat in the whole damn town). i had him while i was living in gainesville. we found him in a gutter downtown when he was about 2 weeks old. very sickly. i took him to the vet who said his lungs were full of water and he wouldn't survive. also, he was so covered with flees that the loss of blood was also life-threatening. i hand administered children's nuemonia medicine through his nose for a month to clear his lungs. and the flee medicine was very effective, but the flees were so bad that when they came off he was a completely different color than what we thought. he defied the odds and became healthy, although his vocal chords never connected due to the illness, so he was mute. when i left gainesville, i gave him to a friend's family on fort meyers beach. a few years later i learned that he was living a happy life as a boat cat.
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