The cat is still here. My mother says she wants to keep him.

[conuly]

I say this is why I didn't let him out of my room until I (finally!) had a confirmation from somebody who wants a darling itty-bitty-kitty of their very own. He's finally acting like a cat instead of a scared bag of fur and fear - he plays, he'll leave my room to look for me when he gets lonely (though he doesn't seem to like going too far to do so), and he doesn't *always* insist on being with people.

Unless, as I often am, I've been gone for an extended period of time. Then he sits on my chest and purrs. In vain do I push him away! In vain do I plead for my need of personal space! "Personal space? What's that? I don't think I like that, but maybe if I nuzzle it into submission it'll go away!"

(In vain do I put on my mint lipbalm, because, like many cats, this one thinks all mint is catmint. And that kinda defeats the purpose of lipbalm when the skin of my lips is scraped away.)

I'm actually starting to get a little concerned. I rejected offers to foster this cat because I felt it'd be bad for him to be shifted around a lot, but I am concerned that he may have bonded with me so much it'll be harder for him to adjust to a new family. And they won't be able to pick him up right away either....

Comments

[ironychan.livejournal.com]

The cat has claimed you. Better give him a name and make it official.

[conuly]

Not naming him. (Certainly not naming him Princess, which was Ana's suggestion. Just because we all intend to chop his balls off is no reason to completely emasculate him!)

[ironychan.livejournal.com]

What's this? Are you enforcing traditional gender roles? And on an animal who has no opinion!

[conuly]

I wouldn't name a girl cat "Princess" either.

[ironychan.livejournal.com]

Wise. Cats already think they're royalty. They don't need encouragement.

[conuly]

Indeed.

[thornleaf.livejournal.com]

Speaking as someone who now has five (it was four, but when friends moved to Switzerland and couldn't take theirs with them (and he's polydactylic!) I figured, hey, what's one more?) I can say with some authority that, generally speaking, the only personal space a cat is either aware of or cares about is his own.

[conuly]

Well, he's a sweetie, but he needs to stop nuzzling my mouth while I'm on the phone. Seriously, wtf?

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Nursing behaviour! It's not uncommon in stray cats (they're frequently weaned too early by circumstance--all three of mine were).

[conuly]

I know. Actually... it's the strangest thing, because while at first I thought he must have been weaned too soon, the fact is that he shows a lot LESS of that than many cats I've known. I'm starting to wonder if, before he ended up on the street, he had a home with people to take care of him - he adapted to the litterbox very quickly, he's very people-oriented, and he's extremely trusting, even given where that got him. It worries me, but we're talking about a brown-and-gray tabby here. I couldn't put up signs, ye gods, that describes half the cats in the city!

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Cats are funny like that, though. They tend to adapt to litterboxes quickly anyway (I hear all this about training them, but I've never had to do more than show a box to a cat), and my three...well. I never expected any of them to become particularly affectionate, but at varying speeds, they've all become so. (Halen took a few weeks, Crake only about a day, and Oryx...we're still working on her, 6 months later.) I guess it's just a matter of personality, really.

What! A brown and gray tabby though! Why, I've never heard of such a thing! *looks at brownish gray tabby sitting on the floor a few feet away* Nope. Totally uncommon color! XD

[conuly]

It's this fancy good-for-the-world, goes-in-the-compost "green" litter made of pine. I'm surprised he took to it, though he did have some time with pooing for a bit, probably because our first temporary litterbox was too small.

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he's claimed you. Same thing happened with my cat. ...Er. Cats.

[conuly]

Yeah, well, he'll have to claim this new family.

Seriously, we can't give him the attention he needs. He's a high-needs kitty. I'm happy that he's growing more comfortable, but he needs more attention.

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, young cats are pretty adaptable, so he will. :D

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Sounds to me like you all've got yourself a cat.

[conuly]

He's not staying, we've FOUND a home for him.