Meet Gracie...

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Wingnut

Rogue Dinosaur
Neighbor
Joined
Apr 22, 2022
Messages
4,412
Location
BFE... and lovin' it!
Picked up this little girl today, and she's a real sweetheart... sat on my lap for the last half of the ride home. Very well-mannered, just a bit scruffy from living outdoors, but she'll clean up nicely, lol. She has already met both of my cats, they were in the living room when I walked in with Gracie on my arm, and they both got the warning finger, lol. Gracie actually touched noses with Crackhead, and he was okay with it, but she hissed a little just to assert herself as the new cat. No worries, no blows were exchanged, no cat fight (yet), and I'm monitoring the whole introduction scene very closely (cold beer in hand). Tiger seems a bit spooky, but he's always that way, so I reckon he'll get over himself. Here's my little black & white dairy cat, lol, exploring her new home and checking out the deluxe accommodations (for a cat, lol).

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She's not showing any signs of fear or anxiety, which is good, and she already found the food table, lol... I feed the cats on that table in the kitchen, the only other use I have for that table is to unload groceries, since I always eat at the dining room table (or on the sofa with a TV tray if I'm watching a movie). In Benson, I had a much larger dining room table extended with three leaves, and the cats had one end of the table while I had the other, lol... but this smaller kitchen table here in Alamo is perfectly suited for feeding the cats and unloading groceries. I still have to paint the kitchen, hence the goofy wallpaper. Tiger just came in and hissed at Gracie, so he got schooled... back outside till he figures it out! He didn't get close enough to figure out she's a girl, I reckon, so I'll keep an eye on him... and give him an 'edumacation' if necessary. :dead horse:
 
Now Tiger & Crackhead are both gripped... but I'm working on their attitude problems, lol. Dunno why Crackhead is going off, maybe he's jealous. This little cat doesn't seem very threatening, but then again, I'm not a cat... Crackhead has ruled the roost here for a while, but now this little female cat is receiving more attention (as in protection). Crackhead actually snarled at me an hour ago, which is very unusual behavior for him. This introduction may take longer than I thought, and I'll probably close the door to the master bedroom tonight, I don't want this young cat torn up by Tiger or Crackhead. Both of the males are large & strong, so by rights, the young girl should be most gripped, but she seems okay... just puzzled as to why the males are being such wanks. Cat Psychology---not my forte, but we'll see how things go, maybe they'll settle down in time and accept the young cat as a nonthreatening entity. 🤔
 
After a close inspection of the cat, I determined that she has a minor upper respiratory infection, hopefully that will pass as she already seems better. Could be allergies too, due to her former environment. I put some Revolution drops on the base of her neck, since I had one last vial, and I also put some ointment on a sore she had on her side. Looks like an injury of some sort, not ringworm (or worse). Just a few steps taken to bring her up to speed... I must say, the area where I picked her up was rather run down, and the cat colony there exhibited various signs of disease, some minor but others a bit ugly. One cat had a sore or tumor under its eye, poor thing, I hope the TNR (Trap & Release) folks give it a shot of some sort... a death shot if necessary. Maybe some cortisone would clear it up, hard to say since I'm not a vet. :confused:

That whole neighborhood was ugly, and on my way in via the most direct route, I saw some wretched specimens of humanity on the street corners. I like to think I haven't lost all my compassion, and the homeless problem in the cities has certainly grown worse due to all the manufactured grief nowadays, but Gawd Almighty, some of those wretched folks were just SPUN hard... spun on drugs, spun on life, who knows? One poor crippled guy was hobbling back and forth on a stretch of sidewalk, talking to himself and not looking like he was having a good time. The guy probably would've been better off in jail, not necessarily because he's a criminal, but there at least he'd have a roof over his head, some A/C during the hot months, food on a regular basis, etc. It's a shame to see this sort of wretched misery on our streets nowadays... :(

I wish I could solve the world's problems, but it has now become difficult enough to solve my own... I can't imagine living that way in the city, I'd go postal first. But I still feel for those poor sods, they can't ALL be spun on drugs, some must have simply fallen on hard times... and I've known hard times, that's why I still have some compassion left. I just hope I die in the country, not on some nasty city street in utter squalor... to hell with that. That city ghetto I saw this morning made my humble home and 1/2 acre look like PARADISE... I reckon it's all relative. I was talking to my best friend Tommy a little while ago, and he says the homeless problem in San Diego has skyrocketed... I believe it too, with all the manufactured grief going down in this country (and across the world). Globalism sucks, that's all I can tell ya... :oops:

I know it ain't Thanksgiving yet, but I'm very thankful today that I'm living in a rural subdivision a few miles out of town... I'd rather be back in Show Low, to be honest with ya, but I heard that small burg has its own problems now with all the political refugees pouring in from the Left Coast. Home prices are WAY out of my reach, but at least I owned a cool home there for 2+ years, and I had a blast riding my dirt bikes on Rim Road 300. Funny how my life in the past 6 years has been all about flipping homes & retrenching to keep my head above water... that wasn't my plan when I bailed out of the Socialist Republik of Kalifornia, but so it goes. Here in Alamo, I'm beginning to think that my last stand will be right here... just like the Alamo of 1836. I'm not in Texas, but that doesn't make much difference... I've seen Texas. This humble 1/2 acre will do. 🌲
 
Looks like she is making herself at home. Cats are like that. . . 😀 We rescued a cat that renters had left. She was "sweet" at the location, but she had no front claws so was worried on how she could catch her own food so we thought to bring her home in a collapsible cat carrier. We don't live that far away and she had basically torn it completely up and not reusable without stitching. Once here she was vicious for a couple years. She liked to sleep on my pillow at night right by my head purring, so I would periodically pet her. . . sometime she would accept, other times she would just attack. Like I said it did take her a few years to trust. I can only imagine with the renters who left her had 4 boys and they let them go rampant. Had to replace MANY window panels due to beebee guns. Really think she got abused, BUT with that being said, she turned out to being my best cat ever. All she wanted to do was jump in my lap and purr. . . I miss her to this day.
 
This girl is very friendly, no vicious streak yet, lol... I'm hoping the other cats mellow out and accept her, she doesn't act hostile or anything. I'll put her in the master bedroom tonight, and let the other cats sleep elsewhere in the home. I can't risk her getting all torn up by the others, so that's the way it's gonna be until we work things out. Meh, the other cats should get over it, if things go south I'll be sure to bust out the Rodney King line: "CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???" ;)

Otherwise, I've just been talking to friends in CA and CO, the usual Sunday afternoon activity. Easy night ahead, just gotta figure out what I'm gonna eat for dinner. Something simple and quick, that's for sure... a good night's rest with the door secured, and tomorrow's another day, lol. :cool:
 
Well, this is not going well... my two cats are freaking out, and I don't know why, they're both twice Gracie's size and she has shown no hostility. However, she's young & curious, and maybe my cats are mistaking her friendly advances for aggression. I'm gonna give it a little more time, but I don't want my two cats hanging outside at night when the predator danger is greatest, all because they're afraid to come into the house. :(

It's too bad, because Gracie is a sweet young cat, very loving & affectionate, and she can't seem to figure out why these adult cats are scared of her. I can't figure it myself, but both my cats are all freaked out, and I don't like it. Worst-case scenario, we pass Gracie on to another home, some gal here in town also wanted to adopt her... that may become an option, although I'm willing to give it a little more time, it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. :oops:

If this doesn't work out, I'm not gonna bother trying to adopt any other animals, as my two cats may be set in their ways and can't handle any more critters in our home. I thought Crackhead would be okay with it, as he didn't seem to mind when I adopted Tiger & Phoenix, who weren't much smaller than Gracie at the time, but that was over three years ago. Like me, he seems to get more antisocial with age. Oh, well, another long day ahead, we'll see how it goes... :rolleyes:

One development may help, Gracie has already learned how to use the cat doors, and she's venturing into the yard... once the other cats see how young she really is, maybe they'll come around. I'm doing the intervention thing too, trying to get them to meet Gracie and understand that she's just a youngster full of energy and curiosity. She sure is a lively cat, very smart and full of energy... I sure hope this works out, because she needs a good home. :confused:
 
You need to take her to the vet ASAP! She may have a communicable disease and your other cats can tell it, I have seen this before.
I'm no expert, but I'm guessing a urinary or liver problem.
 
Well, this is not going well... my two cats are freaking out, and I don't know why, they're both twice Gracie's size and she has shown no hostility. However, she's young & curious, and maybe my cats are mistaking her friendly advances for aggression. I'm gonna give it a little more time, but I don't want my two cats hanging outside at night when the predator danger is greatest, all because they're afraid to come into the house. :(

It's too bad, because Gracie is a sweet young cat, very loving & affectionate, and she can't seem to figure out why these adult cats are scared of her. I can't figure it myself, but both my cats are all freaked out, and I don't like it. Worst-case scenario, we pass Gracie on to another home, some gal here in town also wanted to adopt her... that may become an option, although I'm willing to give it a little more time, it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. :oops:

If this doesn't work out, I'm not gonna bother trying to adopt any other animals, as my two cats may be set in their ways and can't handle any more critters in our home. I thought Crackhead would be okay with it, as he didn't seem to mind when I adopted Tiger & Phoenix, who weren't much smaller than Gracie at the time, but that was over three years ago. Like me, he seems to get more antisocial with age. Oh, well, another long day ahead, we'll see how it goes... :rolleyes:

One development may help, Gracie has already learned how to use the cat doors, and she's venturing into the yard... once the other cats see how young she really is, maybe they'll come around. I'm doing the intervention thing too, trying to get them to meet Gracie and understand that she's just a youngster full of energy and curiosity. She sure is a lively cat, very smart and full of energy... I sure hope this works out, because she needs a good home. :confused:
I agree with Mangus - if she's sick the other cats might be sensing it, might just want to keep her quarantined until she's better - maybe in a room away from the other cats like a bathroom?

One trick we have picked up over they years in adopting new kittens into the pack (only seems to work introducing younger cats to older ones) is to put some cream on the kitten and let the older cats lick it off (whipping cream or sour cream seems to work just fine). It seems to build instant rapport between the cats - grooming each other is a very social activity for them.
 
Progress!!! I brought Gracie into the front yard today while the other cats were out there, and they had a bit of interaction. My two cats got to see her in broad daylight, and even though they ran a few feet away, they stopped when Gracie didn't pursue them, and worked their way back in closer among the smaller plants out there. I think they're beginning to realize that she's no threat... and my cats have some justification for acting scared, as every other cat they've met since their arrival in the 'hood has been hostile. Neighborhood cats, feral cats, tomcats, the whole nine yards... there may have been one or two "friendlies" in the mix, but I know of at least two bullies, big ol' tomcats who know the area. :confused:

Gracie's minor respiratory problems seem to be improving, now that she's not in a colony where the endless cycle of reinfection occurs. In other words, her nasal congestion and wheezing is drying out fast, as it should in the high desert. Right now, she's sleeping in the chair opposite mine at the dining room table, and that rest is also helping... she was probably stressed out living in that ghetto in Las Cruces, living outdoors and under the house. I've been treating her sores with some ointment: they appear to have been caused by squeezing through a small hole to access the crawlspace of her previous home, with her shoulders a bit roughed up and two corresponding sores on her sides. :oops:

Anyway, after this morning's garden intro, both of my cats entered our home and ate, which is a good sign. Tiger is actually sleeping in the north bedroom right now, also a good sign. Crackhead came into the master bedroom while I was resting with Gracie, and he explored the whole room... he growled and muttered a bit upon departure, but not as badly as before. I think he's just jealous, so I've been spending separate time with him so he knows he's still Numero Uno in my book (or in his walnut-sized cat brain, lol). Gotta work both sides in this introductory process, while patience & perseverance are key as well. Jeez, I'd forgotten how difficult this business can be, but I'm now hoping for a better outcome! :)

The gal who originally had Gracie has a daughter who is a vet tech, and she sent some articles on introducing pets to one another. Evidently she does this often as she fosters various animals... so I thanked her for the material, it has been rather helpful, and I'm also seeing that this may take awhile, lol. I think the battle is won with Tiger, otherwise he wouldn't even be in the house, but I'll have to wear down Crackhead's reserve and keep letting him know that he's still the Big Chief. Dunno why he's even gripped over this cat half his size, I'm thinking it's just jealousy. He didn't seem too bad last time, like he's starting to get with the program, lol. This whole deal is gonna be a Zen exercise in patience, I can see that already... ;)
 
Magus & TeeJ, I thank you for your advice... little Gracie seems to be improving fast, the good food & plenty of rest are undoubtedly helping. I applied some Revolution drops yesterday on general principle, though I've seen no sign of parasites or intestinal trouble. The ointment is working on the sores, I only apply so much so she won't lick off the excess, but I think those sores were caused by physical abrasion as she climbed through a small hole leading to the crawlspace of her previous home. I saw a young cat backing out of that hole while I was there to pick up Gracie, and it looked difficult even for the younger cat. I mentioned this to the gal who is trying to care for those cats, there might be some sharp object or rough masonry causing sores like the ones Gracie has... at least the sores are improving, they look much better already, since she's no longer trying to squeeze through some tight hole, aye? There might be the remains of a metal grate or screen around the edges of that hole too, so I mentioned it to the gal...hopefully she'll see to it and prevent further injuries. :confused:
 
I say just give it time for your older cats to start accepting this young kitten. Sometimes it takes a while and since she did have some sores, your older ones maybe seeing those too and want to stay away. They are just being cautious like most cats do. Or they can sense how young she is and not want to have to put up with that rambunctious little one. . . At least there has not been any cats fights so that right there is promising. My sister is the cat lover in the family and she has dealt with lots of hissing and growling when introducing a new one to her group of, I think it is 7 now?.
 
Good news & bad news... the bad news is that I rehomed Gracie, as my cats kept freaking out and the situation wasn't getting any better. The good news is that Gracie is doing well in her new home on 6 acres, with a dog to keep her company. She's one of those cats who like dogs, and the dog (a Boxer) seems to like her companionship, so I went ahead and rehomed the little girl. She's a real sweetheart, and she deserves a good home, while it wasn't fair to my cats to force her upon them. She's so friendly that she runs toward other animals, and the other animals freak out because they think she's attacking them, when all she really wants is to play. :confused:

Rather than view this as a failure, I'm going to view it as an ultimately successful relocation. The Boxer is not intimidated by Gracie in the least, and actually wants companionship since an older dog died on the property. There's so much room for Gracie to roam, though she'll be indoors as well, and the property is in a good situation: down a private dirt road with no traffic, and next to a HUGE pistachio nut tree farm, that farm is probably hundreds if not thousands of acres and it's right across the dirt road from Gracie's new home. I just spoke to the new owner and she said Gracie is doing fine, no real problems so far. I carefully explained everything to do with Gracie to the new owner, so she has a good grasp of things. :)

I really liked Gracie, she's a good cat, she just needs the right home... had my cats not continually freaked out, I would've kept her, but when I heard about the other prospective home on 6 acres, I decided to bite the bullet and rehome her. Truth is that I'll be 60 tomorrow, and in recent years I've come to like my quiet, drama-free, country life, ya know? I wanted to save some cat(s) from a bad situation in this f/u economy, but I couldn't foresee how my own cats would react, as I'm no mind reader or fortune teller. That's okay, because in my own way I DID actually save a sweet young cat and help her on her way to a new home on an even larger parcel of land, with a friendly dog for company... ;)

I pulled Gracie out of a bad situation in Las Cruces, showed her some love and took care of her for a few days, treating her for sores and feeding her well, to the point where she visibly improved before I let her go. The new owner received plenty of wet & dry cat food for starters, along with cat toys and even some catnip. I did my part in the whole rehoming process, but now it's time to face facts: at my age, I think it's best to just hang out with the two cats I have, as they are in good health and like living drama-free lives. I wish I could save all the needy cats in the world, but I'm afraid that torch will have to be passed on to some younger hands. Like the 'Dirty Harry' line goes: "A good man always knows his limitations." :oops:

I have a fair amount of land, and I wanted to share it with some young cats or kittens, but due to the situation with my own two cats, who seem to be 'special needs' cases, I think I'd better let that whole rescue ideal go. I've rescued enough cats in my time, now I just want to keep my life peaceful & quiet... and these two cats also appreciate a quiet life. It wasn't fair for them to be placed at risk from predators by being forced outdoors at night, due to their fear of the new young cat. I don't want to lose two cats to save one, if you catch my drift. So I made the hard decision, and at least I had another home lined up for Gracie... poor girl has been through so many situations recently, I really hope she sticks in this new place. :confused:

So far, so good... and the gal knows to call me if any problems arise, though I don't anticipate them because Gracie can't really intimidate the larger Boxer. I was sad to let her go, but if she likes her new home, as she seems to right now, then "All's well that ends well." She'll be out of that ugly ghetto in Las Cruces, and be on a nice rural property of 6 acres, with a friendly dog for a companion and a caring owner to look after her. She will also have that huge tree farm next door, which is as good as a park for cats. As for me, well, there's a lesson in all of this, and it's time for me to focus upon finishing this home rehab work which has been dragging on for months on end. I have enough on my plate right now, that's for sure. :rolleyes:
 
Good news & bad news... the bad news is that I rehomed Gracie, as my cats kept freaking out and the situation wasn't getting any better. The good news is that Gracie is doing well in her new home on 6 acres, with a dog to keep her company. She's one of those cats who like dogs, and the dog (a Boxer) seems to like her companionship, so I went ahead and rehomed the little girl. She's a real sweetheart, and she deserves a good home, while it wasn't fair to my cats to force her upon them. She's so friendly that she runs toward other animals, and the other animals freak out because they think she's attacking them, when all she really wants is to play. :confused:

Rather than view this as a failure, I'm going to view it as an ultimately successful relocation. The Boxer is not intimidated by Gracie in the least, and actually wants companionship since an older dog died on the property. There's so much room for Gracie to roam, though she'll be indoors as well, and the property is in a good situation: down a private dirt road with no traffic, and next to a HUGE pistachio nut tree farm, that farm is probably hundreds if not thousands of acres and it's right across the dirt road from Gracie's new home. I just spoke to the new owner and she said Gracie is doing fine, no real problems so far. I carefully explained everything to do with Gracie to the new owner, so she has a good grasp of things. :)

I really liked Gracie, she's a good cat, she just needs the right home... had my cats not continually freaked out, I would've kept her, but when I heard about the other prospective home on 6 acres, I decided to bite the bullet and rehome her. Truth is that I'll be 60 tomorrow, and in recent years I've come to like my quiet, drama-free, country life, ya know? I wanted to save some cat(s) from a bad situation in this f/u economy, but I couldn't foresee how my own cats would react, as I'm no mind reader or fortune teller. That's okay, because in my own way I DID actually save a sweet young cat and help her on her way to a new home on an even larger parcel of land, with a friendly dog for company... ;)

I pulled Gracie out of a bad situation in Las Cruces, showed her some love and took care of her for a few days, treating her for sores and feeding her well, to the point where she visibly improved before I let her go. The new owner received plenty of wet & dry cat food for starters, along with cat toys and even some catnip. I did my part in the whole rehoming process, but now it's time to face facts: at my age, I think it's best to just hang out with the two cats I have, as they are in good health and like living drama-free lives. I wish I could save all the needy cats in the world, but I'm afraid that torch will have to be passed on to some younger hands. Like the 'Dirty Harry' line goes: "A good man always knows his limitations." :oops:

I have a fair amount of land, and I wanted to share it with some young cats or kittens, but due to the situation with my own two cats, who seem to be 'special needs' cases, I think I'd better let that whole rescue ideal go. I've rescued enough cats in my time, now I just want to keep my life peaceful & quiet... and these two cats also appreciate a quiet life. It wasn't fair for them to be placed at risk from predators by being forced outdoors at night, due to their fear of the new young cat. I don't want to lose two cats to save one, if you catch my drift. So I made the hard decision, and at least I had another home lined up for Gracie... poor girl has been through so many situations recently, I really hope she sticks in this new place. :confused:

So far, so good... and the gal knows to call me if any problems arise, though I don't anticipate them because Gracie can't really intimidate the larger Boxer. I was sad to let her go, but if she likes her new home, as she seems to right now, then "All's well that ends well." She'll be out of that ugly ghetto in Las Cruces, and be on a nice rural property of 6 acres, with a friendly dog for a companion and a caring owner to look after her. She will also have that huge tree farm next door, which is as good as a park for cats. As for me, well, there's a lesson in all of this, and it's time for me to focus upon finishing this home rehab work which has been dragging on for months on end. I have enough on my plate right now, that's for sure. :rolleyes:
I view it as a success! Gracie has a good home, that's what matters most! And that is thanks to you Wingnut!!
 
Yeah, and I saved the gal a trip to Las Cruces, which is always a plus. She likes Gracie and seems intent upon making the arrangement work, so I'm not going to dwell on it any further. Much as I'd like to adopt some kittens, it's probably better that I don't, given how difficult it is to set up an appointment for low-cost spaying or neutering. And I can't afford to pay some vet $500 to do it, that's not gonna happen. So I'm just gonna hang with my two cats and look after them as I normally do, they are good companions... just a few hours ago, each cat came in to say good morning, now that they can enter my room without fear or apprehension. :confused:
 
Locally we have a vet that "Nips nuts" for free once a year. none of the other plumbing work though.
 
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