harley found another cat living in the apartment. actually, it was his reflection in the curio cabinet mirror, but i didn't think much of it until i noticed he was slinking *around* to the back of the curio, which is the kitchen, looking very much like a detective trying to flush out a suspect that was hiding nearby. my solution? cover up the offending mirror and put his mind at ease. i told him i had banished the other cat, telling him this was harley's home and he'd have to scram.
seems to have done the trick because since then, harley has been on every piece of furniture, including across my lap top (see more photos in the links of interest section).
he was alone for the first four hours when i left for the dentists and the grocery store. when i came back, he was crying for me and came right out from under the bed when i got down on the floor. he hasn't gone into hiding again since. :)
harley says, "cdxfgtttttt." (he typed that while walking across the keys lol oh yes, and a lamp *almost* found its way to the floor and my nose took a hard hit when he head butted us both. he's a strong guy!
also, harley found and christened his litter box. whew! huge relief here. am watching that he's drinking although he hasn't shown much interest in his food. i'll check it tomorrow morning before work and see if he snuck some down during the night.
lots of purrs, head butts, paw kneading and looks of contentment going on. this is a good end to just over 24 hours of us hanging out.
i think i might have a sleeping partner in bed tonight and his name is harley bug :)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
purr-age and courage
so i get down on the bedroom floor and who comes racing over to me, but still stays under the bed, but harley. :) and he begins kneading the air, pulling himself along the carpet, lets me get the crusty out of his eye, and he starts purring like a super happy kitty.
then, he comes to the edge of the bed and crawls out! he scopes out the dresser, the nightstand, even makes his way into my bathroom, but then he zips right back under the bed.
lying on the floor i'm eye level with him. i see him do the marine crawl under the bed to the other side by the window. he is stealth for a big guy! i watch his head and upper body disappear as he stands and walks and makes his way around the bed a little, sniffing, and now bellowing a little, and then zip! right back under the bed.
i've left him now for an interactive toy and my camera. i'm hoping he'll be encouraged to come out again.
he did nip my hand once as a playful gesture and i'm learning to read when he's wanting to go untouched. its a process. :)
then, he comes to the edge of the bed and crawls out! he scopes out the dresser, the nightstand, even makes his way into my bathroom, but then he zips right back under the bed.
lying on the floor i'm eye level with him. i see him do the marine crawl under the bed to the other side by the window. he is stealth for a big guy! i watch his head and upper body disappear as he stands and walks and makes his way around the bed a little, sniffing, and now bellowing a little, and then zip! right back under the bed.
i've left him now for an interactive toy and my camera. i'm hoping he'll be encouraged to come out again.
he did nip my hand once as a playful gesture and i'm learning to read when he's wanting to go untouched. its a process. :)
little victories
ah, little victories. i'm taking them where i can get them. harley isn't under the couch anymore, but, alas, he's now under the bed. :) the good news is that he didn't just run from one hideout to the other. the progression came in small steps, a dance if you will. it started with him staying far away from me and only acknowledging me now and then as i spoke to him. then we had some sniffing of the treats in my hand. a few hours later, it was him coming over to me and letting me scratch his ears, his chin, and also his back. this is a good sign as he didn't like me petting his back when we had our meet and greet.
i knew we were going to be okay when he first showed me his belly, and it was combined with him kneading the air and the carpeting, and then, he turned his head on the floor and i could hear him purring. ah ha! all this lying on the floor with him, talking with him, giving him the layout of the apartment, the neighbors, how i got here; basically telling him my story that was now becoming his story, it was paying off.
somewhere in here i slept. i suspect he came out for a look-see during that time because the edge of the couch near the floor had cat hair on it. is where he squeezed himself underneath it. i had wiped all the hairs away before i went to bed so these were new. good sign.
but the morning came and he was still under the couch. or was he? i looked. no harley! i rubbed my eyes. still no harley? i think of jumping up to start looking for him when i see him standing up in the corner under the couch. its an ikea piece so there's a space where he could comfortably stand and he sure enough was. his tail was wrapped around his paws which were together and when i said his name and touched his toes he stirred as if he'd been asleep.
what followed next was a break through. he did the drop, the roll, the rub my belly move, he came to the edge of the couch a few times, and then, because he was now starting to play with the camera cord i thought i'd have a chance, i gently coaxed him out from under the couch (meaning i slid him out on the carpet) and he came without any argument which means this move was on his terms lol. not a nip, a noise, no protests (although he is a big stubborn cat and when he didn't want to come out before, even with me holding the couch up with one hand, he simply didn't). he was in my arms and we were walking the estate!
first he tried hiding behind the couch pillows but once we were walking he was straining his neck to see everything. i showed him the litter box, his food and regular water dish vs. by the couch, and then, the real deal, we went to the king size bed and we just hung out there, meaning i snuggled him and spoke to him and he was lying down letting me pet him.
and then, after about five minutes *on* the bed, he dashed *under* it.
more good news is he let me pick him up, and not just that, but hold him, and then, he let me hold him on my shoulder so he looked over my back as we walked. not one protest and i knew this meant we were, we are, going to be ok.
by the way, he's a *heavy*, solid, sturdy cat. picking him up is my new aerobic work out lol
so now, we wait, as does the kitty post in front of the window. i hear he likes to look outside.
i knew we were going to be okay when he first showed me his belly, and it was combined with him kneading the air and the carpeting, and then, he turned his head on the floor and i could hear him purring. ah ha! all this lying on the floor with him, talking with him, giving him the layout of the apartment, the neighbors, how i got here; basically telling him my story that was now becoming his story, it was paying off.
somewhere in here i slept. i suspect he came out for a look-see during that time because the edge of the couch near the floor had cat hair on it. is where he squeezed himself underneath it. i had wiped all the hairs away before i went to bed so these were new. good sign.
but the morning came and he was still under the couch. or was he? i looked. no harley! i rubbed my eyes. still no harley? i think of jumping up to start looking for him when i see him standing up in the corner under the couch. its an ikea piece so there's a space where he could comfortably stand and he sure enough was. his tail was wrapped around his paws which were together and when i said his name and touched his toes he stirred as if he'd been asleep.
what followed next was a break through. he did the drop, the roll, the rub my belly move, he came to the edge of the couch a few times, and then, because he was now starting to play with the camera cord i thought i'd have a chance, i gently coaxed him out from under the couch (meaning i slid him out on the carpet) and he came without any argument which means this move was on his terms lol. not a nip, a noise, no protests (although he is a big stubborn cat and when he didn't want to come out before, even with me holding the couch up with one hand, he simply didn't). he was in my arms and we were walking the estate!
first he tried hiding behind the couch pillows but once we were walking he was straining his neck to see everything. i showed him the litter box, his food and regular water dish vs. by the couch, and then, the real deal, we went to the king size bed and we just hung out there, meaning i snuggled him and spoke to him and he was lying down letting me pet him.
and then, after about five minutes *on* the bed, he dashed *under* it.
more good news is he let me pick him up, and not just that, but hold him, and then, he let me hold him on my shoulder so he looked over my back as we walked. not one protest and i knew this meant we were, we are, going to be ok.
by the way, he's a *heavy*, solid, sturdy cat. picking him up is my new aerobic work out lol
so now, we wait, as does the kitty post in front of the window. i hear he likes to look outside.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
home but hiding out
harley is home, but bless him, he's hiding out under the couch. first he hung back in the carrier and looked around to make sure he had some lay of the land. then, as i sat at the desk working on some emails, i saw him slink out and make a zig zagged dash for the safety found under the couch. i just got down on the floor, no easy task for this heavy weight with the bad knee :), and sure enough, he's still there almost 30 minutes later.
it's all good though. he'll have to eat, drink and use the box soon enough and when he sees the king size bed and all the lusciousness there, he'll be more than ok. dad says love and treats and soon it'll be belly up asking for tummy rubs.
right now we're listening to some jazz, on the way home he stopped bellowing when he heard susan boyle singing. he even let me rub the top of his nose through the carrier and he closed his eyes in enjoyment, contentment. its a start and contentment is our long term goal.
for those of you following this blog, you may not know that harley (originally named sagamore) has just been adopted from catales, a no kill shelter in middletown. he lived there four of his six years with never a home of his own, but the shelter was excellent to him and i know he thrived there while waiting for me to find him.
catales is on facebook and can be found at catales.org. they're a no kill shelter and strive to find forever homes for their rescues. sponsorship is an option if for any reason you want to help them and their feline residents but are unable to take one into your home. please visit them online for more information: catales.org
it's all good though. he'll have to eat, drink and use the box soon enough and when he sees the king size bed and all the lusciousness there, he'll be more than ok. dad says love and treats and soon it'll be belly up asking for tummy rubs.
right now we're listening to some jazz, on the way home he stopped bellowing when he heard susan boyle singing. he even let me rub the top of his nose through the carrier and he closed his eyes in enjoyment, contentment. its a start and contentment is our long term goal.
for those of you following this blog, you may not know that harley (originally named sagamore) has just been adopted from catales, a no kill shelter in middletown. he lived there four of his six years with never a home of his own, but the shelter was excellent to him and i know he thrived there while waiting for me to find him.
catales is on facebook and can be found at catales.org. they're a no kill shelter and strive to find forever homes for their rescues. sponsorship is an option if for any reason you want to help them and their feline residents but are unable to take one into your home. please visit them online for more information: catales.org
technical difficulties
it seems the power is out at the kitty shelter so i'm on standby to pick up harley today. i've arranged for tomorrow off from work as well as today since the adoption is in flux and i wanted time home with him that first day. i also have a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon and frankly, today has been a bit of a bummer day all around. i woke with a cloud over my head and it continues with water now coming in my bedroom window frame. its so bad that the plaster is chipping onto the carpet! the manager sent in a maintenance guy who said it was obviously a repeat issue. might need the window guys to come in and check it out but its a fair weather day project and today is not fair weather.
so, going to shower and continue my mission for a better day.
so, going to shower and continue my mission for a better day.
Monday, March 22, 2010
the meet n greet
when he did the cat equivalent of rolling his eyes in annoyance at another cat muscling in on our meet and greet, i knew this guy was for me. no doubt about it, harley and i have issues; we can sooooo relate to needing our space, and tolerating others up to a point. sometimes a very short point lol
like me, harley longs for solitude away from the masses. we do well in a group but prefer the small intimate gatherings of say, one or two others. thats been hard for harley to find in the loving no kill shelter he's called home for four of his six years gracing this earth. for harley, there's always been not just someone, but several someones around at the food dish, the water bowl, the outside enclosure entrance, the kitty tower. all deserving and all unique in their own way, but for harley, he longs to be the king of his own castle.
that's where i come in. :)
harley will be coming to live with me for a two week trial period starting march 30th. described as energetic, and intelligent, i foresee a lot of interactive play and a climbing tower as i've been advised by his shelter mom, deb, would be ideal for him to have. i wonder how he will like having 700 square feet of living space and a gorgeous king size bed all to himself? hmmm... lol
like me, harley longs for solitude away from the masses. we do well in a group but prefer the small intimate gatherings of say, one or two others. thats been hard for harley to find in the loving no kill shelter he's called home for four of his six years gracing this earth. for harley, there's always been not just someone, but several someones around at the food dish, the water bowl, the outside enclosure entrance, the kitty tower. all deserving and all unique in their own way, but for harley, he longs to be the king of his own castle.
that's where i come in. :)
harley will be coming to live with me for a two week trial period starting march 30th. described as energetic, and intelligent, i foresee a lot of interactive play and a climbing tower as i've been advised by his shelter mom, deb, would be ideal for him to have. i wonder how he will like having 700 square feet of living space and a gorgeous king size bed all to himself? hmmm... lol
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