The Official HTF Cat Thread (2 Viewers)

[Dennis Nicholls]

Dukie and Maggie now share birdwatching duties.

 

[Johnny Angell]

View attachment 60877

We definitely need the laughing like button for this one.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

OMG there's more here. https://www.instagram.com/owl__kitty/

 

[Mike Frezon]

We definitely need the laughing like button for this one.

I thought we did...

 

[Johnny Angell]

I thought we did...

I meant a button, same as the “LIKE” button. I’m so lazy I don’t to make the extra clicks.

 

[Malcolm R]

I’m so lazy I don’t to make the extra clicks.

What are you, a cat?

 

[Johnny Angell]

What are you, a cat?

No, but I’ve learned from them.

 

[questrider]

Simon in CinemaScope!

 

[bujaki]

Simon in CinemaScope!

And without the dreaded "mumps."

 

[Elizabeth S]

Huey, Allie and Riley (clockwise from top left) made the 2-pound weight and were accepted back for adoption yesterday. Previously, they were extended a week with me because they had soft stool so they were dewormed again and given Fortiflora.

Huey finally let me pet him from about a week ago, mainly bribing him with treats. Allie liked to pat at me but wasn't fond of getting petted. At most, I could touch Riley's paw, then he would back away. I'm feeling very discouraged, though, because they all hissed at me when I picked them up to put them in the carrier yesterday. Huey fought like crazy, even though he was the purr machine when I petted him.

 

[Johnny Angell]

View attachment 61694

Huey, Allie and Riley (clockwise from top left) made the 2-pound weight and were accepted back for adoption yesterday. Previously, they were extended a week with me because they had soft stool so they were dewormed again and given Fortiflora.

Huey finally let me pet him from about a week ago, mainly bribing him with treats. Allie liked to pat at me but wasn't fond of getting petted. At most, I could touch Riley's paw, then he would back away. I'm feeling very discouraged, though, because they all hissed at me when I picked them up to put them in the carrier yesterday. Huey fought like crazy, even though he was the purr machine when I petted him.

They don’t seem like good candidates for adoption. Perhaps as barn cats?

 

[Elizabeth S]

I'm very worried for them. It's likely I was the first human they had prolonged contact with since they were turned in as strays. I feel like I couldn't get them socialized enough. I hope they will get a chance.

I got asked if I could foster 2 others yesterday but I had to decline right now. I'm a little down about the kitties, plus I want to get some other things done before a trip.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

My shelter sent out a call for fosters today. I wish I could help but my own health is too changeable these days. A friend can take care of my adult cats but it's too much to ask someone to do the foster thing for me.

 

[Thomas Newton]

View attachment 61694
I'm feeling very discouraged, though, because they all hissed at me when I picked them up to put them in the carrier yesterday. Huey fought like crazy, even though he was the purr machine when I petted him.

How are you feeding them? Maybe you should take up the bowls of wet and dry food, and only feed them using dabs of wet food on an extended spoon.

This might reinforce the idea in their feline heads that food is associated with people. I saw somebody doing this with feral kittens on a YouTube video, and it helped bring them around.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, last fall I think I wrote here about my cat hanging out with a rabbit in the evenings. While this has not happened again and I don't know what happened to his bunny buddy this summer has brought a new pal. Not sure how this happened or when. I have a morning routine of getting up at 6 and heading downstairs to make coffee. Well, this is my cat's routine as well. He gets up and sits at the top of the stairs and goes down the stairs step for step with me. I discovered if I stop, so does he on the same stair...perhaps this is how the term "copy cat" became a thing?

Anyway once downstairs I turn on the water for coffee and give the cat a snack. Cats like routine. So, doing the same thing every morning I guess makes him happy. Once I have poured my first cup of joe and he has finished his snack, he sits there in front of me staring at me and I ask him if he wants to go out. Routine, he always does. So, what I have always done is just open the rear slider onto the deck and in the warm weather I just leave the screen slider open enough so he can go in and out as he pleases. Typically, he likes to go out, conduct some business, inspect the yard, and then he comes back in and finds me sitting working on my laptop and so he jumps up and sits next to me. He'll kneed me for a bit, do a little biting, then settle down napping while I work.

A few days ago, something new. I am sitting typing away and I hear a racket in the dining room. Sounds odd, like someone shuffling stuff around in there. Not something the cat does and by this time my wife has already left for work. So, I get up to go check out what is going on. I walk into the dining room and he is lying stretched out on the dining room carpet. Looking content as usual. Then I hear a noise to my right and see a little wooden duck decoration my wife has in there tumble over. I look and surprisingly, there is a large gray squirrel fondling the wooden ducks.

"What the hell?" I babble looking at the squirrel, who looks at me, leaps from the cabinet to the dining room table and walks right up to me perching on the back of one of the dining room chairs, arms out as if looking for a hug. I look down at the cat, who looks up at me and gives me one of his slow blinks, as if to say "I'm just having a friend in this morning and giving him the tour."

I look back at the squirrel and blurt "Jesus!"

This causes the squirrel to leap down from the chair and plop himself down next to the cat on the carpet.

At this point I actually realize these two are together because all the cat does is look at the squirrel sitting next to him like he is making introductions between us all.

"No, no, no, out!" I say pointing to the kitchen and surprisingly, the squirrel and cat head toward the kitchen. I follow basically hoping this all goes as planned and thankfully, stopping briefly at the cat's food dish, they both head out the slider and lay down on the deck outside.

I stand there a few feet from the slider looking at this debacle and think "Really?" and then approach the slider.

Standing in the open slider looking at the two of them I say to the cat "Do you not understand that your pal there is a rodent?" as the cat looks back at me indifferent. The squirrel however, gets up, approaches the cat, nose to nose as if saying goodbye because I offended him, and heads down off the deck back to a nearby tree.

These past few mornings I have closed the screen slider behind the cat after he goes out. Obviously not wanting a repeat of the squirrel visit. What I discovered is the cat walks out to the far edge of the deck and sits down. A minute later I see the squirrel make his way down out of the tree, onto the fence top, sits looking at the cat for a second and then down the fence, up onto the deck, to join the cat for their morning meeting.

How did this happen I wonder and what do these two think the other creature is? Does the cat think the squirrel is some odd twitchy little cat? Does the squirrel think the cat is some strange huge orange squirrel? What are they discussing out there? Are they plotting against me? It seems unnatural that these two would be chums. How long has this been going on?

Yesterday, I heard the screen slider rattling. I headed to the kitchen to find out what was up and there they were, cat and squirrel, seemingly working as a team to open the slider. The cat seemed to be coaching sitting in front of the slider while the squirrel scaled the screen and hunted for openings. I had a feeling the cat was attempting to get him to put his front paws on the screen and rear paws on the door frame and push. Some minor progress had been made as the screen was open a crack.

This morning it got a bit more eerie as when I came into the kitchen to pour a second cup of coffee the two of them were sitting side by side peering into the kitchen through the screen. They eyed me as I stood there silently. I tried to read the look in their eyes and I am not sure what they were thinking but I think they have a plan.

 

[Malcolm R]

Are they plotting against me?

Yes.

This morning it got a bit more eerie as when I came into the kitchen to pour a second cup of coffee the two of them were sitting side by side peering into the kitchen through the screen. They eyed me as I stood there silently. I tried to read the look in their eyes and I am not sure what they were thinking but I think they have a plan.

Better sleep with one eye open. Squirrels are evil, and it's probably corrupted your kitty.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Better sleep with one eye open. Squirrels are evil, and it's probably corrupted your kitty.

Indeed. I was more comfortable when he was hanging out with the rabbit. Bunnies don't scheme. Cats and squirrels do, which does have me concerned about what they will come up with when they put their heads together. These two are not passive friends sitting there watching the sunset together. Oh, no. These two get up early, meet on the deck, and go to work figuring out what they can get into.

 

[questrider]

So, last fall I think I wrote here about my cat hanging out with a rabbit in the evenings. While this has not happened again and I don't know what happened to his bunny buddy this summer has brought a new pal. Not sure how this happened or when. I have a morning routine of getting up at 6 and heading downstairs to make coffee. Well, this is my cat's routine as well. He gets up and sits at the top of the stairs and goes down the stairs step for step with me. I discovered if I stop, so does he on the same stair...perhaps this is how the term "copy cat" became a thing?

Anyway once downstairs I turn on the water for coffee and give the cat a snack. Cats like routine. So, doing the same thing every morning I guess makes him happy. Once I have poured my first cup of joe and he has finished his snack, he sits there in front of me staring at me and I ask him if he wants to go out. Routine, he always does. So, what I have always done is just open the rear slider onto the deck and in the warm weather I just leave the screen slider open enough so he can go in and out as he pleases. Typically, he likes to go out, conduct some business, inspect the yard, and then he comes back in and finds me sitting working on my laptop and so he jumps up and sits next to me. He'll kneed me for a bit, do a little biting, then settle down napping while I work.

A few days ago, something new. I am sitting typing away and I hear a racket in the dining room. Sounds odd, like someone shuffling stuff around in there. Not something the cat does and by this time my wife has already left for work. So, I get up to go check out what is going on. I walk into the dining room and he is lying stretched out on the dining room carpet. Looking content as usual. Then I hear a noise to my right and see a little wooden duck decoration my wife has in there tumble over. I look and surprisingly, there is a large gray squirrel fondling the wooden ducks.

"What the hell?" I babble looking at the squirrel, who looks at me, leaps from the cabinet to the dining room table and walks right up to me perching on the back of one of the dining room chairs, arms out as if looking for a hug. I look down at the cat, who looks up at me and gives me one of his slow blinks, as if to say "I'm just having a friend in this morning and giving him the tour."

I look back at the squirrel and blurt "Jesus!"

This causes the squirrel to leap down from the chair and plop himself down next to the cat on the carpet.

At this point I actually realize these two are together because all the cat does is look at the squirrel sitting next to him like he is making introductions between us all.

"No, no, no, out!" I say pointing to the kitchen and surprisingly, the squirrel and cat head toward the kitchen. I follow basically hoping this all goes as planned and thankfully, stopping briefly at the cat's food dish, they both head out the slider and lay down on the deck outside.

I stand there a few feet from the slider looking at this debacle and think "Really?" and then approach the slider.

Standing in the open slider looking at the two of them I say to the cat "Do you not understand that your pal there is a rodent?" as the cat looks back at me indifferent. The squirrel however, gets up, approaches the cat, nose to nose as if saying goodbye because I offended him, and heads down off the deck back to a nearby tree.

These past few mornings I have closed the screen slider behind the cat after he goes out. Obviously not wanting a repeat of the squirrel visit. What I discovered is the cat walks out to the far edge of the deck and sits down. A minute later I see the squirrel make his way down out of the tree, onto the fence top, sits looking at the cat for a second and then down the fence, up onto the deck, to join the cat for their morning meeting.

How did this happen I wonder and what do these two think the other creature is? Does the cat think the squirrel is some odd twitchy little cat? Does the squirrel think the cat is some strange huge orange squirrel? What are they discussing out there? Are they plotting against me? It seems unnatural that these two would be chums. How long has this been going on?

Yesterday, I heard the screen slider rattling. I headed to the kitchen to find out what was up and there they were, cat and squirrel, seemingly working as a team to open the slider. The cat seemed to be coaching sitting in front of the slider while the squirrel scaled the screen and hunted for openings. I had a feeling the cat was attempting to get him to put his front paws on the screen and rear paws on the door frame and push. Some minor progress had been made as the screen was open a crack.

This morning it got a bit more eerie as when I came into the kitchen to pour a second cup of coffee the two of them were sitting side by side peering into the kitchen through the screen. They eyed me as I stood there silently. I tried to read the look in their eyes and I am not sure what they were thinking but I think they have a plan.

Indeed. I was more comfortable when he was hanging out with the rabbit. Bunnies don't scheme. Cats and squirrels do, which does have me concerned about what they will come up with when they put their heads together. These two are not passive friends sitting there watching the sunset together. Oh, no. These two get up early, meet on the deck, and go to work figuring out what they can get into.

We need pictures and video to assist with deciphering their diabolical plans!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

We need pictures and video to assist with deciphering their diabolical plans!

I have tried to get some photos yesterday and this morning, my wife wants to see this, but so far I have been too unprepared so as I have gone to get my phone when I return they have moved on to something else or I have just caught their rear ends as they walk away.

 

[David Willow]

What are they discussing out there? Are they plotting against me?

SQUIRREL: "That's the biggest nut I've ever seen"
CAT: "Yeah, tell me about it."