Freddie
Almost one year ago I fell in love with a feral cat. I first saw him crouched at the edge of my garden, his eyes on me. He looked a bit scary so I stayed away, but I spoke to him soothingly to put both of us at ease. I walked carefully away that day, mostly so that my fierce dachshund wouldn't harass the cat.
Then I started seeing him every time I went outside, crouching in some shadow somewhere, watching me closely.
I started throwing scraps of food to lure him a bit closer. Twenty feet away, fifteen feet away, five feet, then directly at my feet. He would grab the morsel and scurry away to eat it. He was the most skittish cat I had ever known.
After a couple of months of this, I tried to pet him. The merest brush of his fur caused him to hiss and bare his teeth! Very scary! After another month I managed to sit on my back step and pet him as he sat there with me. I started to go out with a dish of cat food for him, and soon enough I'd find him at my back door every morning when I went to take my dog out. His face was always ripped to shreds from fighting all night.
It was love. A psychologist friend of mine laughed at me when I told her I loved this wild cat. She said he would just be like every other man I ever fell in love with (which there have been exactly two in my life, the second of whom I married) and I was simply looking for another male animal to take care of. I ignored her. What are friends for?
I am pleased to tell you that, after having to quarantine this cat when he bit me, getting us both rabies vaccinated and him "fixed" (I'm already fixed the natural way), releasing him back into the wild, going through a few more months of getting him to trust me enough to come into my house, and training my attack dachshund to have loving feelings when he is near the feral, now Freddie sleeps on my bed with me, my cat Patches, and my dog Jimmy. We all four have yogurt together most mornings. He's a total love!
He was an adult male cat when I first started all this. I worried he would never really be a loving animal; he was very fearful. Now he has his favorite spots in my house! Now he has friends! I let him out after feeding him in the morning, and he comes back for dinner and bed.
Best cat ever! I am so glad I made the effort.
Friend or foe? I'll tell you what Jimmy (the dog) is thinking: "I so want to hump that cat." So far, that has not worked out well for Jimmy.
Here's a previous post I wrote about Freddie, before we got so close.
And here's another.
Aaaawwww I love the last pic!😄💞
They are both loving creatures. I'm so lucky
What a beautiful cat! :)
Freddie has fallen on his feet!
Yes, but when I took him in to be fixed and vaccinated, I went to the freebie for ferals folks, and they ear tipped him. I didn't know what that meant, I thought it would just be a little notch, but they actually chopped the tip of his ear right off, so now it's a trapezoid. He's blue in most lights.
That's such a cool story about your cat! What patience that must have taken. And now he sleeps on the bed with everyone. So cool!
Once he was inside, it took very little time for him to become one of us. I think he got up on my bed his third night inside. I was amazed.
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Priceless! That photo of cat and dog facing off over the covers, and this insanity of falling for a cat (it happened to me with that Maine Coon):
I love a happy ending! Freddy rules!!! (Sorry Jimmy)
Patches rules. She's a bit of a bitch. But the good kind.
Are you talking about Bobbi the Bad?
LOL - Bobi the Bad is no Maine Coon. He's a little pipsqueak. But he terrorized Merlin the Maine Coon, who I rescued from the pound, but Bobi persecuted him so badly, I was forced to rehome Merlin. Husband's orders. -_-
Oh that would have torn me apart. I love Maine Coons. Sweetest cats ever, with brains, mischief, lots of cuddly love.
Ahhh, thank you, thank you, you get it - for all the days of my life, I will miss that court jester, that clown, that fierce looking butterfly of a lion boy, my Merlin. (He came with that name. I didn't try to change it.) Merlin!!!
Merlin is a great name for a Maine Coon Boy. Perfect.
I'm so sorry.
Freddie... He reminds me of our Katina! She was a stray that just happened to visit my parents' garden. My dad started feeding her and she has stayed ever since. She was a bit aggressive too, she's scratched both me and my dad, the rest of the family haven't touched her even after years of having her around. They are still afraid of her. I, on the other hand, just can't resist her super soft, fluffy fur! She doesn't get inside the house though, but she is around the garden every day and whenever I visit my parents' house and she happens to be there, she comes close.
pics from my Instagram account
It's amazing how much love these creatures can give you if you have the patience to "tame" them.
She's beautiful. She is certainly well fed! And I agree about how much pleasure they can bring. Having that third animal has made a huge difference in my house, because the first cat (patches) and the dog (Jimmy) don't get along, so now that Jimmy and Freddie are friends, there is more harmony and much more joy.
Thank you! I miss her now that I don't visit my parents you know, but I am being a little too strict with precautions as they live next door to my Grandma, who I don't visit either :(
It must be great to watch them play around the house or snuggle. I find it funny that the dog gets along with the cat. Our dog hates them and always chases them away.
I have trained him to not harass two indoor cats now - I think he still goes after them outside. I just loved the dog, a dachshund, up in the presence of the cat and soon he got all lovey dovey with the cats! Patches has no need of dogs so they aren't friends, but they do tolerate each other. It's cool the cat comes to see you when you visit.
Why are you no longer visiting your parents?
It's good you get peace in the house.
Well, since my Grandma lives next door to them and she is already 77 years old, we are taking precautions because of the stupid virus spread. My mom is in another town to help my sister with her newborn son, my dad is home alone and Grandma and I cook for him most of the days. I visited them (dad and Grandma) on Sunday to have a chat in the garden (at least we can still meet in open spaces). I did some grocery shopping for Grandma on Friday too, but in general I avoid coming too close to them. I just want this to be over the soonest possible.
How is it possible that the entire world has been hypnotized into fearing this relatively harmless virus? How have I escaped that fear? I don't watch the news for one, or any videos coming from MSM sources. Your poor Grandma is in greater danger of dying of loneliness than she is of that bad cold that is supposedly going around. Complete fabrication all of it. I suspect the new quadrivalent flu vaccines are the cause of people dying from a cold, which is the flu vaccine that Italy used for this flu season. I can't find out where it has been used in the US, but I do know it hasn't been approved for anyone over 65. Babies can have it, but not the elderly! Today I'm going to try to find out if it was the vaccine used in China. Don't get any vaccines! None! What vaccines are mandatory in Greece? If your Grandmother had a flu vaccine, then you might be right to be afraid for her, depending on which version. Check her medical records for this one:
I apologize if this is not what you want to hear - most people don't want to hear it. But I feel strongly that I need to say it to as many people as I can!
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Cats are cute, they are a bit wild for everything they have lived through but when you fill them with love they know how to be grateful and reciprocal.
I have a very similar dark gray cat, green eyes, big paws and beautiful ears hahaha I can not help talking about this way of my beautiful gray cat
Have you posted about this cat? Photos on your balcony? If so, I saw that one and commented because yours looked so similar to mine. Thanks for stopping in!
Isn’t that the effort needed for all people aswell. He is gorgeous, and looks big, than again we have huge dogs so I think that nesse up my thinking in a little or big way. And his fur coat wow love the color. And your friend ! That part made me laugh. And the image of the 4 of you eating joghurt in the morning have we a image just reading it. Love and friendship , and parenting in one blog , have a great Friday
He is pretty big, and getting bigger now that he is being fed lavishly. He's a big moosh. Now he gets up on my lap. I love him. I have no idea how I knew he would be a lovie, but he sure is.
Love is longsuffering (': It finally won over a feral cat. As a cat-lover, I love these heartwarming stories @owasco (:
He was well worth all the trouble, which wasn't really trouble. I was always delighted to see him, even the day after he bit me. Love.
I'm glad you like my story!
Que bella experiencia. Los gatos son maravillosos, yo los amo. Me encantó la foto final , saludos
This one really is marvelous, and I am so glad I did it. Thanks for stopping in!
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Hi @owasco,
What a great post. Freddie is delightful. We had our own "Freddie". He was Tony, and was more assertive than your little friend. Tony came up to the edge of the front shrubs and waited. A can of tuna was the lure that insured he would return.
He eventually took up residence under our front bush, first with a modest hut and eventually with an igloo.
Tony brought his friends. We spayed and neutered and made accommodations for all, eventually ordering a cedar house, than another, then heated water dishes and heating pads for each abode. My neighbor fell in love with the cats as did a neighbor down the street. We all cooperated. Many of those cats have gone on to the hereafter. Tony got old and eventually came inside. He's no longer with us.
Love this post. Love your pets. Really respect and admire you. Those animals are lucky.
Regards and respect,
AG
You are a wonderful tamer of wild cats! :)
He is gorgeous! And good to see a happy ending.