I sometimes call Quintus Quinty-Q, “Q is for cute!” Which is nonsense, because “cute” doesn’t begin with “Q,” but he doesn’t mind. He’s very easy-going.
Quintus, aka Quinty-Q
Author: annagoebel
Portrait of Hazel
I used portrait mode on my camera phone to take this shot, and I like the effect. It determines the foreground, and then blurs the background so the foreground stands out more. Hazel is so photogenic!
For the last month, Hazel has come out to join our own cats and explore the house. She loves the heating pad under their blanket on my bed! I work right next to this, so she hangs out very close to me. It’s been good for her to get used to things going on around her.
Hazel’s in heat
Because Hazel is semi-feral and I couldn’t touch her, she never got to the vet for spaying. I believe she’s now coming into heat, and I’m surprised it has taken this long. She is quite smitten with my cat Jiro, and wants to be near him. So far, she is just very friendly.
Quintus and Mamba watch cat tv
Mamba’s technique is quite different from Quintus’s. Quintus stays mostly close to the screen and sometimes touches it. Mamba mostly hangs back, ready to pounce. When the bird or squirrel goes offscreen, Mamba shoots under the bed looking for where it went, or off to the other side. She’s had more real-world experience of hunting small creatures, and thinks in terms of heading them off. Quintus is working 100% from instinct – he’s never been close to a real bird. His instincts are telling him what he should do – but they don’t know quite what to make of the flat screen.
Hazel loves Jiro
I’m thinking Hazel may be coming in heat. At this point she just wants to hang out with my cat Jiro. He’s neutered, and puzzled, but tolerating it pretty well. She just loves him and wants to snuggle by him, and it’s really adorable. Maybe she’s just lonely for a friend, but I think it’s going to turn into something more. I have a feeling that spaying is going to become a high priority in the next week or so.
He Purred
I brushed the cat. He purred,
And purred, and purred, and purred.
Then, sated, he stepped off my lap to
Settle on his spot,
Beside me on the bed, and purred some more,
More softly now, as
Water, taken off the boil, will
Simmer on.
copyright © 2021 by Anna Lisa Goebel
This was written about my cat Jiro, who has a wonderful purr, and loves to be brushed more than anything. He was a feral cat we rescued from our back yard when he was about a year old. He is now a happy lap kitty. Click here to read more on my Patreon page.
Slide – Mamba and Quintus
Mamba and Quintus are mother and son, and would be a great pair to adopt together. They have a loving bond and are actually only a year or so apart in age.
For all posts about Mamba and her family, click here.
For info about Mamba and family, click here.
Slide – Tiny
Tiny was once the tiniest of Mamba’s kittens, but not any more. He grew!
For info about Mamba and family, click here.
For all posts about Tiny and his family, click here.
Hazel watches YouTube
I do get such a kick out of Hazel’s enjoyment of bird and squirrel videos on YouTube. There are quite a few that are created for cats to watch, and she seems to enjoy the ones by Paul Dinning, which are filmed in Cornwall, England, like this one. They show a “cat’s eye view,” and there are the sounds of chirping and the flutter of wings. She’s quite fascinated by them. Blue Wind Creations also has quite a few, including the one she’s watching below, that she enjoys. The English ones are interesting to me, too, because they show birds I’m not familiar with – like British robins, and chickadees that have different markings from ours.
I’ve been showing them to Hazel mostly on my phone, but then I can’t video her. Today I brought my laptop so I could video with my phone. I ended up lying on the floor, and she came and sat right next to me – bonding over YouTube!
She keeps getting more confident in trusting me, and it’s so rewarding. She sat a foot or less from me as I filmed her, and walked right past my hand holding the phone when she walked away. I really enjoy being with her.
Hazel playtime
I’m so pleased with Hazel’s progress! My hands are scary to her, and yet here she is, a foot away from me, playing with her new peacock feather on the chair. Play is such an important tool in gaining a feral or semi-feral cat’s trust. Play is new idea to many of these rescued cats. If they are outside, or even in a barn, they are too busy earning a living to have energy for pure play. I’m sure they play with their prey, but that’s pretty short when what you want is a meal. They certainly don’t have the joy of pressure-free playtime with toys that move enticingly.