"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Saturday 9 July 2016

The latest addition to the family...

... arrived last Sunday.

RSon phoned RMan last Sunday morning.  He told him a story about a 3 - 4 year old animal at the apartment block where he lives in town, which had been left behind by his first owner.

How can anyone do that?

The new inhabitant of that apartment adopted the animal.  But, he was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.  They thought that the cancer had spread to his lungs because he was having difficulty breathing.  It turn out he was allergic to it.

Sigh.

So it went to another occupant - who already had a one, and the two didn't get on.  So the new owner made it sleep outside on the balcony / verandah at night.  On a cushion on their patio chair in the freezing cold!!

What???

Anyway, to get back to topic...

RSon wanted to know from RMan if we would take the animal.

Bloody hell, yes!

So RSon immediately hopped into his car and drove for 3 hours to bring her to us.

How can anyone be cruel to an defenseless, harmless animal?

So - introducing Snoopy...
Snoopy on the couch with RMan - RMan
 was still taking it slow whilst Snoops got
 to know us so minimal touches which she
flinched away from, and no sudden movements.
Who calls a cat Snoopy, who comes when she's whistled, and who doesn't meow, but makes tiny little squeaks lol

The poor traumatized thing hid under RSon's bed for 2 days!

We were very worried about her - nothing to eat, nothing to drink, no sandbox use even though I, concerned, put the food, water and box in the room with her...

Finally, on the third day she ventured out from under the bed - and room.

I brought everything downstairs to the kitchen again, and she has finally started eating, and drinking properly.

She is very skittish, and runs and hides at the slightest loud noise or sudden movement.

Yesterday our neighbour popped in for 10 minutes - and Snoopy disappeared.  I thought that perhaps she had taken fright and run out through one of the open doors.

We searched high, we searched low, down on hands and knees, and up on tip toes.  She was nowhere to be found.

I tried thinking like a cat - and checked in all the kitchen cupboard doors which had been open during the day.
Believe it or not, Snoopy squeezes into the space
 behind the records - all you can see from the outside
 is the tips of her two little ears sticking up
I checked in the small space behind the LP records we have in a shelf - where she had hidden before.
The tiny footwell under my writing
desk which I inherited from RMan's mom
I checked in the tiny footwell under the writing desk where my laptop is situated.

Nada!

Damn.  Where could she be.

Walking round outside, calling, psssss-ing and whistling (she comes to whistles?!?) and nothing.

Then I remembered that I had brought in the washing from the line.

Could she?

Is she?

Yup, she climbed in the bottom and RMan's cupboard and hid amongst his shirts.

Sigh.  What a relief.  She is safe.

She is s-l-o-w-l-y getting better, more friendly, and more exploratory.

It will just take time.
Snoopy on the front patio -
basking in the afternoon sun
Tomorrow she has been here for a week.  This afternoon, in celebration,  she ventured out onto our front patio.

She met the chickens.  And the rooster.

And was very intrigued.

From a distance.

As soon as they came up the front steps to investigate her, she scarpered indoors again, and watched them through the window.

Ditto, the alpacas fascinate her - from the window sill  lol

Snoop has decided that my lap,
 covered in my comfy gown, is
 an acceptable place to watch TV
  with us in the evening
There is just so much to explore here at her forever home...

29 comments:

  1. Oh I am sure she will settle in just fine with you all, one very lucky cat :-)

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    Replies
    1. Dawn - I think we're the lucky ones - she seems to be accepting us, and settling down. Animals are a privilege - not a right. As Kahlil Gibran said regarding love :

      "When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
      And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. "

      So for an animal to be willing to share it's life with us, is great reward for merely providing a caring home, a bit of food and shelter from the elements :)

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    2. what a beautiful quote and soooo very true. xox

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    3. kymber - "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran is one of my most favourite books ever. I have given a copy to both our children and our god-daughter, and my part time god- daughter lol There is so much wisdom within those pages...

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  2. You guys are wonderful to take her in. It takes time, but she'll soon get more accepting of things.

    I took in a "wild" cat many years ago. She was living in my woods. Took 2 weeks just to get to the point of coming in the yard for food. Ended up being THE BEST cat I ever had.
    Good luck, Dani.

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    Replies
    1. Sue - hour by hour she is becoming more relaxed and less skittish :)

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  3. You, RMan and Snoopy are blessed to have each other.

    Enjoy ~ FlowerLady

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  4. Good for you, Dani. I'm not much of a people person. But I do love animals, and I'm always bewildered when people treat them like objects instead of beings with feelings.

    Not every animal in need can be saved, but many, many are by people like you and my daughter.

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    Replies
    1. Harry - Ditto - I tend to put my foot in my mouth far too often. RMan says I would never make a good diplomat. Never wanted to be one, so I'm not bothered lol

      But animals - especially those in distress - that's a different matter...!

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  5. Dani - a big thank you to RSon, Rman and you. little Snoop couldn't have found a better forever home - especially since being bounced from place to place.

    our newest stray, edgar, is exactly the opposite of Snoop. the minute edgar was in the house he promptly took over just about everything! he's the size of a rat, looks like a poodle (he had to be shaved) and marches around like a bruiser.

    i am very glad that you now have a tv partner! sending much love! your friend,
    kymber

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    Replies
    1. kymber - Sounds like Snoop and edgar need to meet and rub off on each other lol

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  6. How wonderful to read a happy ending story! Snoopy is very lucky that your son intervened and rescued her from a series of unfortunate circumstances. (Of course, that's just a reflection on how well you raised your son.) She is a beautiful cat and will respond to the love and attention in her new home. Looking forward to reading about her experiences. Thank you for sharing a feel-good in the end story!

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    Replies
    1. Shirley - Welcome - and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.

      I have a feeling that Snoops is going to leave her mark upon our home. We had two cats a long time ago - when we were first married, but our male Great Dane took exception to one of them - out of the blue - and killed it in front of my eyes. It then tried to kill the 2nd cat, but thankfully didn't succeed. But we had to re-home her. We haven't had a cat since then, as we were worried that our (other) dogs would also do them damage. Scallywag, our last dog, died a few months ago at the age of 15, so that problem isn't a problem anymore. And, when we get another dog, it will be a puppy that learns to grow up with a cat around...

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  7. Lucky Snoopy to find herself in a caring home and what a wonderful last picture of you both.
    xx

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  8. I suspect your Snoopy was a feral who became used to being around people. I have two of these that make the same squeaking noise since their mom was totally wild and never taught them to meow. They sleep on the bed and I can pick them up and love them and tickle their tummies just like any other cat, but they scoot away whenever anyone else comes into the house. So glad you opened your heart to a ginger moggie, it's so rewarding.

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    Replies
    1. pqsa - You may well be right about the feral cat bit - it sounds like Snoopy's reactions... ;)

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  9. You all found your way to each other. It's a great match and you are wonderful for showing her love and she will repay you tenfold. Thank you for sharing her story with us. Will look forward to reading about all sorts of adventures!

    Big hugs to you all!

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    Replies
    1. 1st Man - Lol - I like that "we made our way to each other".

      Hugs back at'cha ;)

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  10. Congrats on the new addition. Snoopy is a lucky cat. May you bring each other much joy!

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    1. Bill - She is already, thank you. Each day it seems she is becoming more and more comfortable with us, and showing us a little more of her personality. A very sweet cat, to be sure :)

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  11. I give Snopy 10/10 for settling so quickly!

    Thomas we kept in the guest room for days. He hid when we opened the door. Took days of sitting quietly with him, us reading a book - before we could touch him. 5 weeks to settle. Now our little grey pony rules the neighbourhood!

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    1. Diana - Lol - I've shortened her name to Snoops - so Snopy, Snoopy or Snoop - they're all the same.

      Wow - Snoopy does seem to have settled quickly in comparison to Thomas. Snoops is happily coming for games and strokes - and gets quiet miffy if we chase her off our bed! But, she has settled down at nighttime, and apart from the first night without RSon, when she scratched at our bedroom door to be let in, she has accepted her bed on a comfy blanket on the couch quite happily.

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  12. Lucky Snoops, but poor girl to be so traumatised. Given the first owner left her behind and has therefore proved themselves to be a worthless piece of sh*te, who knows what her life has been like?

    Lovely to see her on your lap. Any idea how old she is?

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    1. Jayne - The same thought occurred to me - I wonder what horror tales Snoops could tell if she could speak. She is VERY nervous when strangers arrive to visit and runs and hides in RMan's cupboard. I think RSon said she was 3 or 4 years old.

      Yeah - beings that mistreat animals are not humans in my book!

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  13. D'uh, if I had read your post properly I would see how old she was.

    I also have fond memories of The Prophet. No idea where my copy went - probably the victim of a house move. Thanks for the reminder, Imust replace it.

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    Replies
    1. Jayne - I love "The Prophet" - I reckon that Khalil Gibran was a very wise soul

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