Thursday 17 September 2009

chairman



You'd think butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, wouldn't you. But what a merry dance he's led me today! As soon as I pick him up out of the cage, he purrs madly, can be cuddled and played with, and shows not the slightest sign of fear or anxiety. But once down on the sitting room floor, he scoots under a chair if I get within touching distance, and keeps a watchful eye on me, ensuring that I can't pick him up again. He plays contentedly so long as I stay at least an arm's length away from him.

All very well, but he needs to be more people-friendly than this before he can be rehomed; potential adopters aren't going to be thrilled with a kitten who responds to their cooing overtures as though they were Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'. Plus, if he would let me pick him up from the floor, I wouldn't need the cage again; he stays away from me, I suspect, because he knows the cage is waiting. Catch 22.....


I had to wait till he was really hungry before luring him back into the blasted cage tonight, and it took half an hour of sitting very still, dinner dish well inside the cage, sitting room garden cane ready in position to gently push the cage door closed once he gave in to his tummy's demands. (Why a garden cane in the sitting room? To poke under the sofa, of course, and sweep out Millie's tiny fur mice. No home should be without one.)

So this evening, I'm trying something else: he stays in the cage, where in fact he lolls and luxuriates in his hammock like some pasha of old on a divan, and every half hour or so I scoop him out and handle him for a while. Then he gets a treat - tonight it's the most voraciously-wolfed so far, a tiny bit of smoked mackerel - and in he goes again. Worth a try, I suppose. I don't mind being associated with oily fish; I've never sought glamour, really.

9 comments:

Susan said...

stop the cuteness !! stop !!
OMG he is so dear. I'm kidding of course - about stopping. We LOVE all of it ... more, more please.
xo O & S (Winn, Nessy & Gus)

Linda said...

I know how you feel about catching him - I once had a kitten so wild he managed to work his way up the wall behind an upright piano, and we had to move the piano to get him out. Not recommended!
He is so, so sweet though (at least in the photos).
It's obvious that we are all hooked on him, checking in for updates. Playing, eating, sleeping, pushing the dog around - it doesn't matter what he does - WE LOVE HIM!

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

I must not keep popping over to see this kitten .
I must not keep popping over to see this kitten .
I must not keep popping over to see this kitten .

rachel said...

oh yes you must
oh yes you must
oh yes you must

He's growing so fast that I think he'll be fully grown next week! And yes, terribly cute. Thank goodness I don't have a piano any more....

Charlotte said...

I think you need a permanent boy around the house. He is very handsome, I can't wait to meet him! Percy has been in the wars, he has a big black scabby thing on his jaw, we can't work out how he could have done it and we're a bit worried incase someone has done it to him when he's been out playing :o(

Anonymous said...

You mentioned about how lots of visitors to your blog don't comment etc... Well, some of my friends read your blog, and follow others, some I've mentioned to them, but can't leave comments because they don't have blogger accounts and blogs themselves. May be that's one of the reasons, so on behalf of E, C & J I'm passing on absolute adoration of you know who and your other furry beasties and also appreciation of your posts. These are people who don't want to blog for various reasons. I thought people could leave anonymous comments who didn't have blogger accounts but may be this isn't the case.

rachel said...

Thanks, Liz, for the encouragement - yes, you can post anon. comments, despite not having a blog, because some people (Shelagh, Jan, Linda) do, although they usually include their name. But I'm defeated by those bloggers using Typepad or Wordpress - how do you get to follow them if you use Blogger? It's so confusing for a bear of little brain, like much of the techie stuff.

Linda said...

If it helps, what I do is put a DOT in the Name/URL bubble. That opens to give two boxes - I put my name in the first, and leave the URL box empty. It seems to work.

I don't have a teenager to ask for advice on the other options!

Anonymous said...

Early days, surely, in terms of being OK with people? Montague the rescue cat still has his psychotic "don't touch me" episodes, and that's after 16 months with us; hysterically loud purring alternates with "that's for your Mum and all" growls, hisses and menacing shows of teeth.

Jan

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