Today we invited Quintus and Mamba into Hazel’s big room, so they could explore and get acquainted. Hazel and Mamba are from the same farm, so they certainly knew each other, but it’s been awhile, and both have raised kittens since then. Hazel’s kittens were all adopted, and Mamba has only Quintus left. It’s pretty likely that they are related. There were 30 cats on that farm, but many of them were likely by the same dad. Mamba and Hazel could be cousins, sisters, even mother and daughter. There have been no big fireworks when they were together!
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Quintus likes attention
Even in the middle of playing, Quintus will stop for pets. He never attacks your hand – he just leans into the pets. Such a sweet boy!
The top of the cat tree is his own play station. His mom, Mamba, heads for the middle level, and Quintus shoots for the top. He’ll launch himself onto the bed from here to chase a toy, or down to a chair – but he loves to start on the top of the cat tree. Then he’s ready for anything.
Quintus, aka Quinty-Q
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.
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.
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.
Ping pong with Hazel
Hazel has a game that we enjoy – I swing the little Nubbin toy to her, she bats it back, and will do that for quite a while.