Pet Stories—Or, how you and your pet came together

That's a baaaaad bitty kitty. A real cutie pie heartbreaker. Good luck with that one. You need reinforcements.

a reply to: Liquesence

OMG! I know him!

originally posted by: kosmicjack
a reply to: Liquesence

OMG! I know him!

No, he knows you, lol.

a reply to: Hefficide

Awesome anecdote! Haven't seen you around much.

Thanks for a great story. I can tell he already has 'control' over you (his facial expression while he lays across your keyboard, lol), but you two will have an awesome companionship. Good thing your landlord is cool with pets, too.

He reminds me of Oscar, his markings.

This thread is timely, and I really needed it. My cat died today. Massive kidney failure. She started to decline yesterday morning, but we have been in the middle of a snow storm and ice. We couldn’t get to a vet until today. Took us an hour to get there - usually at most a 20 minute drive. She held on.

My husband found her. She was the object of a tug of war game between 2 pit bulls at the local garbage dump (we live in the country - no curbside service for us). He brought this half dead thing home. We thought she was a kitten, because he saw remains of mama cat nearby. Took her to the vet and decided if she made it, she was ours. Most expensive vet.bill, but she pulled through. She had worms that our vet had to look up. Turned out to be some weird worm that could only be gotten from eating snakes. We called her Scrappy Doo. She was scrappy, and she didn’t understand the concept of a litter box.

She was older than we thought she was. Malnourished, but we made sure she never went hungry again. She grew to be huge, with the softest fur I’ve ever felt. She was never quite right in the head. Still never got the hang of a litter box, and was scared of her own shadow. She did, however, let my sons maul her with hugs and kisses. And was spoiled rotten. She would not drink out of the water bowl if the dogs drank from it. She would just stare at me until I emptied it and refilled it with fresh water. She wasn’t tricked by me just filling it up. It had to be completely emptied.

I don’t know why her kidneys failed her. It’s fairly common in cats. I’m so glad she came into our lives, and I hate that we had to lose her today. Our house will never be the same.

Love you Scrappy Cat.

my wife and I bought an empty ol house in the country. I worked on it for about a month before we moved in.

While working on it I noticed a big black cat that seemed to live in the woods/ fields out back. I tried speaking to him several times, gave some food but he never came close.

Shortly after we moved in I opened the back door on a very rainy morning and there he was, standing on the porch waiting by the door.

He came in, all wet, and sat with me on the couch.

We named him Rowdy after he sent me to the ER with cat scratch fever after attacking my ankle. He is still here though and now he purrs.

a reply to: Lolliek

That is a beautifully sad story and I am sorry for your loss.

I started going to the shelter a few times a week (maybe more) looking for a dog. I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for, the place I lived had a breed ban so at the time no Pit Bulls (I love them), Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Dobermans, or Chows.

I was in there so often I became a familiar face.

One day I showed up, and the gal behind the desk told me she thought she had found the right dog for me. He wasn't supposed to be shown to people yet, I don't remember the reasoning there. I think perhaps they wanted to watch him for a few days to check his temperament. He'd had all his shots and was neutered and healed.

They let me go play with him in a run, and I fell in love. Gorgeous dog, very sweet, played ball even though he was so excited to be out of his kennel he had a hard time focusing.

He looks like this, but better, and his markings are distinct enough I don't want to post his picture. Never mind, ATS thinks I'm running an adblocker. Google Red Border Collie, look for one with a thin strip on his nose. Like that, but more handsome.

Adopted him on the spot. We went to PETCO on the way home, bought a kennel, a bed, and other dog necessities. He was scared of the stairs going up to the condo, so I carried him up (it was good practice for later), then brought up all the stuff and put together the crate. I've crate trained dogs before, so I was expecting him to have a little trouble. "Hey bud, you want to see your crate?". He ran right in, turned and lay himself down. It was pretty obvious he'd been trained.

Love my boy, but he got expensive. I think perhaps that's why he was abandoned, someone knew. Had to have surgery on both knees, and that cost me a TON of money. I think about $5k. That seems absurd, but when I adopted him I made a promise to him that I would take care of him, so I did. That was also 4-6 months (one knee at a time) of carrying him up and down three flights of stairs so he could go to the bathroom, wrapping the cast in a garbage bag when it was wet (it's Seattle), and coaxing drugs down his throat. He was too smart for pill pockets.

Completely worth it. He's just the best dog, incredibly sweet, and I'm pretty sure his awesomeness has landed me some amazing women that are out of my league.

He's gotten in trouble about three times. Once he walked up to me in the hallway, lifted his leg and peed. He got smacked on the nose (I don't like smacking dogs). It was an obvious test. The smack was pretty mild. The second time I caught him chewing on the baseboard, no smack but I was mad. Third time, he got into the garbage. Pretend smack, feigned outrage, and he KNEW I wasn't really mad but he shouldn't try it again.

This is a VERY smart dog, I've caught him staring at an open refrigerator door. Doesn't steal, just wants to look. People are blown away that I use a paper grocery bag for trash sometimes without him getting into it. I don't think he's scared of getting in trouble, he just thinks it's rude.

I should stop, I could keep going for hours. I love my boy. He calmed me down a lot, he's my best friend, i love him more than I can express, sleep better with his head on my leg, don't get in trouble because I want to go home.

a reply to: intrptr

So I started wondering about this silent cat and I looked it up. What I found was kind of a duh moment for me.
Cats and dogs don't communicate with each other vocally. They do it with body language hissing and growling. They only ever communicate with humans vocally. Feed me let me out let me in lol...
I read that and realized that it's true. We very often have had two cats at a time and they never meowed to each other but they sure hissed at each other. Then there was that silent communication where they both jump up and start chasing each other around the house.
Did your silent kitty meow for food or to get in and out of the house? Or was he completely silent? Did he growl or howl at other cats at all?
Anyway I'm going to look more to see if total silence is common.
My William who came out of the woods wasn't vocal like Mia who will walk around yowling and meowing until it drives you crazy but he did meow for food.
Ill let you know what I find if you like.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Did your silent kitty meow for food or to get in and out of the house? Or was he completely silent? Did he growl or howl at other cats at all?

Totally silent. Use to wander at the door to be let out, would always come back with something it hunted; a mouse, rat, lizard or bird. My neighbor was elderly, she used to cringe at the sight of dead animals on her porch and call me to remove them for her, so I was aware of this behavior.

Ella was a true Feline huntress. Thats how she survived before she became a rescue. The shelter warned my friend not to let her out because she might go feral again, but she always came back, didn't eat what she killed anymore because she had food, shelter and love.

She used to walk her cat! Swear to God, I would see them go for walks together. I started walking my dog with her and her cat. Because of where we live there are grassy areas, big trees and lots of wildlife. I would let my dog (also a keen hunter) off the leash and the two would hunt squirrels, together!

We'd come around a corner and find them both sitting side by side at the bottom of a tree trunk, staring up at a squirrel! Jaw dropping fun those walks were. I 'friended' the two, took some time, but they become fast friends eventually.

Ella and Misty...

a reply to: Liquesence

Its not their face that tells. They aren't human, silly.

Its their ears, their head motion, tail and body 'english' that tell you precisely what they are thinking.

Well thoughts maybe not, I would give a fortune to have a line on their thoughts. Anyway they communicate thru 'signals' , not 'facial expressions'.

a reply to: Liquesence

So I learned this from your question but it's just a theory.
Adult cats don't meow to each other but kittens do mew for their mother. When we adopt a cat as a kitten they adopt us as mother ( yup even dudes get this distinction lol) and mew to us for food or attention. They may notice that we are vocal and try to mimic us.
My Mia copies me. She comes into the kitchen when I'm cooking and stands on her back legs leaning on the side of the cabinet just watching me. She runs ahead of me to the doors in the house and again stands up and touches the door knob with her paw like she's saying use this use this. It's very funny.

Anyway...a feral cat who comes to you as an adult cat won't have developed the habit of talking to a human because feral cats have no need to communicate with us. They don't learn to understand us or come to know our habits though they accept gifts of food from a distance. They don't want to be petted. They are threatened by our attempts to touch them. We know the comfort we can impart with a gentle touch but they don't.
If they, like your kitty, are lucky enough to be rescued they do adapt to us touching them but don't form that mewing for food or attention that developes if you get a young kitten because they stop mewing when they are weaned in the wild. 😸

I don't know how Mia came to be in that parking lot when she was so very tiny and young but the fact that I could pick her up with just a little whispering and an offer of food makes me think she knew humans. She does not like to be picked up as an adult but she comes to sit next to me. She brings toys to me to throw she plays fetch and comes running when I call her and will sometimes do a high five when she does her standing in the kitchen thing. But when other people come over she hides under the bed. If they stay a while eventually she will peek out but she stays distant.
So your silent kitty is silent because he didn't learn the mewing habit as a kitten raised by humans would.
I'm sure he showed you his needs and appreciation with his body. Like they do with adult cats. He looks at you as an equal not a mama. Lol.

a reply to: Liquesence

Oh what about when they act like you don't matter at all. I say you haven't been ignored until you've been ignored by a cat. They turn look at you and turn away like they can't be bothered. But don't you do the same. I said Mia comes when I call but just as often she will pretend she doesn't hear me even though I see her ears twitch. She won't even turn her head.
Cats do have facial expressions that include gentle closing of eyes that says I trust you or laying back of ears that says I'm pissed or scared. Wide open eyes could be interest or alerting to something. If Mia hears a strange noise her eyes go wide.

a reply to: Liquesence

One cat we had went to live with the neighbors when we brought a new kitten into the house. Just went out one day and started sitting on their steps. Wouldn't come home even though I saw him around all the time he never even came into our yard.
And the kitten was with us for a very short time. He'd been hit by a car. We brought him to the vet but he was never right. His lungs had been traumatised and he got an infection that we treated with antibiotics but it kept recurring. Socrates, the cat who left us did come by when we buried him like he knew but he never came back to live with us. Another cat left behind when his family moved away adopted us in his place. A big old fat Tom who was very affectionate but incredibly stupid. Another story for another day.

a reply to: intrptr

Oh yeah I'm a sucker for whiskers and a cute face. Dogs too. All animals.
I kid napped a duck when I was a little girl with a bag of cheese doodles as a lure.
My mother made me give it back.

a reply to: intrptr

I hope your own experience has improved since then.

a reply to: Hefficide

How did he come to be Toes?
We were in the habit of giving cats big names and common names like the TS Elliot poem.
We had Socrates called Socks and Aristophanes who was Arie and William the conqueror who was Will.
Mia is Princess Mia of the Colosseum because we found her at the Colosseum Mall.
I know it's silly.

a reply to: Sillyolme

I say you haven't been ignored until you've been ignored by a cat. They turn look at you and turn away like they can't be bothered. But don't you do the same. I said Mia comes when I call but just as often she will pretend she doesn't hear me even though I see her ears twitch. She won't even turn her head.

Lol, Toby used to do that. It was hilarious. He liked to lay in front of the window next to the front door (the window went all the way down to the floor, so he could lay and look out). I'd call his name, and see an ear cock but he wouldn't turn. Oh, he heard me. I called his name again, and his tail slapped the ground...just once, still not turning his head. Called his name again, same reaction: no turn but a single tail slap.

Finally, I'd walk over to him, he'd turn, look up, and "Meow, Meow" as if to say, "Oh hey, what's up?!?!"

He was a trip.

a reply to: Lolliek

Wow, I'm sorry to hear you lost yours today. :/ It does make the house feel lonely, and I hope you are graced with another when the time is right.

It sounds like you gave Scrappy a very lucky and loving life, which she could not have gotten elsewhere. That's funny how she would just stare at you to add fresh water to the bowl and not be tricked. Did she have to have a clean bowl, too, or just water?