A Surfeit of Companionship

Part of the duties of a foster-guardian is to socialize the cats in his care, to accustom them to human contact and, if possible, to create in them a desire for that contact. When it works, it feels wonderful. When it works with numerous cats, it feels crowded.

I like to relax after dinner; bring a cup of tea into the sitting room, listen to music, and sit with the cats. Not all of them want to share the couch with me all the time, but, more and more often, they do.

Brazil will follow me about, voicing his desire in a soft, Renn-like cry, eventually flopping down in front of me. He won’t climb on my lap; I have to put him there, after which he relaxes, closes his eyes and enjoys the attention.

Moxy will start with kneading; lots and lots of it, telling me, among other things, that he needs his claws cut. Then he will roll onto my legs and want chest rubs.

Imogen of course feels proprietorial, and will sit facing me, kneading in her slow, shallow manner, until she curls up, half on my lap and half off, requiring a hand to keep her in place.

Then, there’s Neville, who will slowly approach, making his throaty demands for a lengthy chin-rub. He will sometimes lie on my legs, sometimes not. Sometimes, I have to reach for him, which, though laborious, allows me to tend to two cats at once.

Periodically, even Valkyrie will want lap-time - briefly, in between bouncing across the cat-trees and playing with fuzzy mice.

Though I want Indigo to leave the bedroom at least once in a while, I suppose I am lucky that she confines her cuddles and snuggles to the chair at my computer desk, and after I go to bed. She has no rival then.

That leaves only Sable. Some day, I hope to have her on my lap, too, enjoying having her furry head abrased, or perhaps even falling asleep next to me. Maybe by then, others will have been adopted and found other laps. Or mine will be wider.

The Old Uncle

I think Neville has been holding out on me. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how he climbed Minuet’s cat-tree in the bedroom. Now, I think he was playing with Valkyrie.

Sometimes, the Nevsky goes down to the basement and spends time in the library. I think he may want to get away from the others. Whatever the reason, he is not always alone down there. Sunday afternoon, I walked to the library. Peering into the room, I saw Nev and Valkyrie on the couch. Neville was slapping the couch’s surface in front of him with a paw, alternating this with Valk reaching out with one of her paws. I didn’t understand what they were doing.

Afterward, I observed two fuzzy mice between Neville’s outstretched front feet. Valkyrie had been trying to snatch them from her old uncle, and he was smacking at her paws in refusal.

I have seen and heard Neville when he is grumpy. He makes derisive sounds and usually turns away, or even walks off, if he is truly annoyed. If he wanted simply to let the youngster have the mice, he would have moved back. And if Valkyrie had wanted the mice, she would have dug them out with a concentrated effort. They were playing the feline version of Hungry Hippo.

Has Neville been a playful uncle all along? I doubt it, since I probably would have seen it long before now. But perhaps, every now and then, one of the youngsters catches him in the right mood. Or perhaps it’s Valkyrie, and he has a soft spot for her. In any case, that afternoon, for a few minutes, my old grey lion was playing with a kitten.

The Toughest Part

The toughest part of fostering is when the animal and the caregiver develop a friendship that the latter knows the former feels very strongly. With some cats, a relationship is very good, but you know it can be replicated without much loss, and reasonably quickly. Valkyrie likes me carrying her and will roll about asking for attention. But she is the sort of cat who will become good friends with almost any human who treats her right. Indigo, I think, would also create a strong bond with another person, especially if she were an only cat; that would aid her in a new home tremendously.

Brazil, of course, is so very shy that it would take him a long time, assisted by infinite patience, to come around - though he would.

But now, Moxy has decided I’m his best friend. He meets me when I come home from work. He follows me a great deal. He stands on my lap kneading and purring, then lies down and actually nods off to sleep while I rub his chest and chin. Yesterday, he kept me company - and took up much of the writing table - while I balanced by bank-book. He has completely forsaken his outdoor ways and enjoys life inside with his comfortable sleeping spots and his playmates. He is such an easy-going fellow, he would fit into almost any environment, and gentle enough to be friends with almost any feline. He is, in short, one of the rescue-group’s most adoptable cats.

Adoptions are very slow right now, so I don’t think he is going anywhere soon. That will make it harder for him to go when he does. And it will be my job to persuade people that he is just the sort they are looking for - and in the Mixer’s case, that’s probably no more than the truth.

Yes, a cat like Moxy is the toughest part of fostering.

Maybe Spring

Some of the trees behind the Cosy Cabin look to be ready to spring: I observed these fuzzy buds (Latin name (possibly) fuzzii budensis), perhaps indicative of imminent leaves, though I don’t know of any leaves that start out as rolled up fluff. Then again, I’m no botanist.

But, in case I was becoming too forward in hoping for the new season, this little guy and a million or so of his fellows descended on the fuzzy buds and elsewhere in the back yard later in the day.

Well, spring has to come some time: the cats have been noticing more birds out the windows, after all.

Extend-a-Cat

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*Some conditions apply.

A Wonderful Dream

I think the ideal development would be for Brazil, Valkyrie and Moxy to be adopted together. I thought of this as I watched a little scene play out: Valk pulled herself into the cylinder-house cat-tree, where Brazil was snoozing. She snuggled with her big brother while he washed her.

The three of them are an excellent trio. The Mixer and Valkyrie wrestle quite often; Brazil and Valk wrestle but not as frequently: Shimmer is a bit too rough for Val’s liking. But the two boys have some pretty serious-looking bouts. On the other hand, it’s Brazil and his sister who do most of the running through the house.

Then, it’s cleaning time, with the boys usually making sure little sis has a washed face. Then again, the boys will groom each other, too.

And snoozing together is popular, too.

The two left behind if one were adopted would miss the lucky one, while that one would miss something of those remaining. Together, the shyest of the shy - Brazil - would have tremendous moral support in his new home, while Moxy - half-way between the other two in timidity - would benefit, as well. In the meantime, Valkyrie would almost immediately start charming her new family.

Having all three adopted to the same home is virtually impossible - but what a future it would give this wonderful trio.

Her Path For Me

Ten years ago this day, my first cat, Tungsten, died. Though I remembered her, with all the others who had gone on before, just in February, I wanted to take a moment to remember the tiny terror’s effect on my life. Her effect was profound, in that it was deep, and directional, and lasting. It was she who set me on the road of cats.

I had, I think, intended to have just the one. After a year and a half, though, I thought she might be lonely, so I brought in Josie. They did not initially get along. That was my first experience of integration. I was not good at it. Then, I thought that I could foster a cat. After all, I had the space in my apartment. The first foster, Lincoln, was adopted quickly. That was misleading in that most foster-cats are not chosen for a permanent home so swiftly, but it led to my fostering others. Some of those I chose to adopt. Tucker and Renn came along to form, with Tungsten and Josie, the First Four.

Other cats followed; some I adopted, some I fostered until others adopted them, some I fostered until they died. There were always more. In the meantime, I became involved in cat-rescue, volunteering at events and fund-raisers, designing posters and composing the newsletter for the rescue-group.

I have, since Tungsten, taken in more than thirty cats; a small number compared to some, but all due to the first. I think always in terms of cats now. When I moved - three times since then - I thought of how the new home would affect the cats; when I go out anywhere - a rarity - I think of the cats’ care during my absence; I cat-proof cupboards and doors - usually after I’m shown they need cat-proofing. When I hear others talk of cats, I think to myself of how the cat in question is being treated, what is being done right or wrong, by what passes for my knowledge on the subject.

My spare time is spent with cats, feeding them, playing with them, cleaning up after them, and I advocate for cats and animals in general much more than I used to.

This is the road that Tungsten put me on when I adopted her in 2007, and the road I have been on since she died in 2015. The effect of a little creature, never much heavier than three kilograms, has been surprising, even startling. And it’s not finished yet.