OK kitty you found a home. Now you need a name :-)

[underseasurveyor]

Tuesday late afternoon I was letting my doggies out to go potty. I have two boxers and one cairn terrier, Baron(m) and Bailey(f), and Quigley(m).

Quigley starts yapping his fool head off so I go and take a peek to see what's going on. On the hood of my sons car is this gray and white kitty. As soon as this kitty sees me he jumps off the car into the midst of these three dogs and though cautious he showed no hostility or great fear towards the dogs, he never hissed once or hunched his back and his posture remained one of friendly confidence. Tail up, ears forward he eagerly made his way towards the back door. I sat on the step and this sweet sweet kitty, I'm gonna guess his age to be about 8 to 10 months old, came up purring and rubbing oh so loving and friendly like he's been here all along.

He was asking for and needing a home. Thin, cold and hungry and smelling like he'd been living in a garage, I brought him some food and water and set my cat cave (carrier) with the door left open, outside with a cozy blanket inside. I was concerned about how my other two kitties would react to, AN INVADER. The next day I took my Nudgie girl outside for a brief introduction. She wrinkled her nose and hissed a little while the new kitty remained totally cool. But it was our other kitty Mister `M`s reaction that concerned me the most. His is the take no prisoners approach and he gets down right vicious. To my surprise `M` didn't mind "too" much, he did hiss and growl a little but at least he didn't go completely commando ape-shit which is what he usually does when a stranger crosses his boundaries. I wonder if maybe they've been some what acquaintances already for a while.

Last night it began snowing and I just couldn't leave the kitty outside in the cold (no doubt he's use to it, but still:-( ) while we were all snug and warm in the house. So I brought him and the cat cave into the laundry room where he could safely and warmly stay the night.

Today I let him explore the house for a while while I put the other two in the laundry room so that way my two could also get use to the idea of another cat scent in their house. Well apparently the new kitty was ok as long as he was outside but inside? :grr:

ha ha well ok, I knew adjusting is gonna take a while :-) We've done it many times before so we can do it again, how ever long it takes ;-)

Welcome to your new family sweet kitty guy
Next week it's off to see Doc. Shots, check up and um sorry dude, 'your things' are comin' off :evilgrin:
Now what are we gonna name you

[SW FL Dem]

1. Congrats on your new family member

Hope you have a long happy life together.

It's nice to see another cairn person here on DU! There are several of us here. I have 3 cairns and a 17 yr old cat.

[underseasurveyor]

2. Thank you thank you

Hava a cigar er um, a smoke:smoke: ;-)

Quigley's who is 6 y/o old now, is the first cairn I've had though I've had other terrier-x type dogs before. And true to terrier form, he may be the smallest of the three dogs but he is the king. He knows it and more importantly, they know it B-)

He's also a better mouser than any cat I've ever had. If I were into the dog competition stuff I think Quigley would do well with those underground doggie type games.

[SW FL Dem]

14. Sounds like a true cairn to me :)

The largest of my three weighs in at a whopping 16 pounds, but they think they are "big dogs" and aren't afraid of anything (except one who is terrified of thunder).

[radfringe]

3. welcome him to your family from us

Years ago I heard a cat crying outside -- thought it was our old lady cat but the cry was different

so I went outside and heard the cry again -- it was coming from under the forsythia bush. Peering down I saw two small eyes staring back

"Who are you?" I asked. Next thing I know this little kitten climbs up my leg and nestles on my shoulder

I brought her into the house - as my partner if she knew who it belonged to. Nope, not a clue. so we made a couple of phone calls to neighbors -- no luck no one knew of any new cat in the neighborhood

after a week of lost ads in the paper and radio -- no one called to claim it

so one morning I said to my partner -- so what are we going to call her. I was told quite clearly that I wasn't to name it anything because if got a name it would stay.

since I couldn't name it "anything" I started calling it Something. The name stuck, the cat stayed.

[kslib]

4. LOL!

Great name story! :yourock:

[underseasurveyor]

9. I'll do that right now

For my new kitty: XXXXX Welcome Home :loveya: That's from radfringe and company :-)

Thanks Rad:thumbsup:

What a great name story. I can honestly say I've never heard Something as a name before. One of a kind.

I put my foot down and told my SO Tuesday night when he got home from work that if the kitty hangs around for a few days it will have a home here. He said said :scared: ok dear........heh heh:evilgrin:

Not that I would ever do anything to encourage the kitty to hang around or anything like that

[Lorien]

5. Congrats!

kitty was lucky to find your home! As for a name; there's a few pet name sites out there, but after looking at what names you already had given your "pack" , the name Dexter immediately came to mind for some reason (or "Baxter"), maybe Edison or Jasper. You'll have to post a photo; that would help!

:hi:

[underseasurveyor]

12. Thank you Lorien

I'll try a kitty name site but Baxter jumped out at me and is one name I'm considering. I see the potential for an Earl or Alex too. I'll have to give it a few more days to get to know him better.

Earl came to mind since I have a Baron and kitty certainly seems to understand he's 'entitled' to royal living.

But aren't they all

OMG Lorien I must thank you for ALL your animal diet posts. I for one am glad you sounded like a broken record;-) Maybe it should be a sticky note at the top of the pets forum. But because of your wisdom and information I switched my pets to the ultra premium diets and my goodness what a difference. My one cat has been licking his fur off his sides and looks like he has a mohawk running down his back. The vet said it was a hormonal imbalance but the meds didn't do diddly. After reading about food alergies I switched my kitties to the Royal Canin for now and now `M` is licking himself less and his fur appears to be growing back slowly.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU :loveya: :pals:
And my fur kids thank you too :thumbsup:

[Lorien]

19. After seeing his sweet photos

"Earl" seems like a good name too. It's so cute the way he's giving you the "love squint" (squinting is said to mean "I love you" in cat). What a handsome boy!

Glad to hear that the food advise helped1 A little more; you'll probably want to vary his diet; some cats, especially older ones, can develop nasty allergies from getting the same thing day in and day out (one DUer on this board could tell you more from her experiences, but I can't remember who it is right now). Royal Canin is fairly good for a non holistic brand, but there is better stuff out there. Try Organix, Wellness, Artemis, California Natural, Evolve, Spot's Stew, Merrick, Solid Gold, Active life, Prairie, Pinnacle and Steve's real food. Dick van Patton's Natural Balance is a good holistic food that is available at Petco, otherwise, you might try National Pet Pharmacy (on the web), www.waggintails.com , or your local health food store or pet boutique.

:hi:

[Eurobabe]

28. awwww, is THAT what it means?

I knew it! re: Squinting. My Daemon squints at me all the time when I do my silly mushy low pitched love voice to him (how much does mommy love you?) actually I sound like Cartman of South Park when I am in that mode, but he loves it and SQUINTS all over the place...my family thinks I am certifiable. :)

[Eurobabe]

6. Awww, so sweet....congrats!

Just take it easy on the intros in the house, and the newcomer will fit in fine. Maybe it might be a little more difficult because he isn't fixed yet and the other cats are picking up on the scent?

You are an angel for rescuing this boy! KUDOS -- 48%er

[underseasurveyor]

10. So far so good 48%er

New kitty's been loose in the house all day and aside from a few hisses and harumphs, no fur has flown. But to stay on the safe side I'll keep him in the laundry room over night for a week or so.

Nothing worse than to be rudely awakened out of a deep slumber by a full blown riot of fighting dogs and cats. Then try to break it up? I prefer that my blood remain on the inside of my body, not gushing and oozing on the outside.....Oowwwwww-cchhh

Thanks 48%er :hi:

[Eurobabe]

27. OMIGOD, I LOVE that tornado smiley!!!

That is hysterical, and perfect for me-- who is obsessed with tornadoes!!

Hope your cats continue to exercise tolerance for their new housemate. :) -48

[underseasurveyor]

7. A few quick cam pics

Not the greatest quality sorry. Time to get a decent digital camera :thumbsup:

But here's the new guy lying on my lap justa purring away as comfy as he can be:-) He's calm and very confident and doesn't startle easily at all even in this house of three boisterous dogs and two cats.
He's such a sweet mellow guy:loveya:



Looks pretty content now doesn't he. He purrs all the time :-)
He gots him a "Home"
I wish the quality were better his eyes are a gorgeous green.

[Longhorn]

8. Great picture!

Especially that T-shirt! Way to go! :yourock:

[underseasurveyor]

11. Purr-ly unintentional. The shirt that is.

I didn't even notice when I posted the pictures. It just happens to be my favorite sweatshirt and I wear it a lot ;-)

:yourock: too
Thanks :toast:

[RadicalMom]

17. "Doodles" kept coming to me until I saw the pictures, then...

He reminded me of Charlie Chan, and I loved those movies. Anyway, throw the whole name or the first or last into the hopper, if you like. He's adorable.

[demnan]

18. Awwwwwww!

Look at him smile! He is right at home with you!

[Blue Gardener]

22. Awwww! So Cute!

He is one lucky kittie to find such a loving home.

[Contrary1]

32. Your new kitty looks just like

our latest addition. He showed up in my back yard last summer, hoping to
get leftovers after the other feline freeloaders had eaten their dinner. He
ran every time I approached him, but after a couple days, he adopted me.

One of the neighborhood kids told me later that people down the street
moved out and just left him. :grr: It's no wonder I like animals better than
some humans I've come across.

Anyway, we named him "Bob", which is short for "Baubles". He had not been
neutered, and my daughter was referring to his obvious abundance of jewels
when she came up with the name.

I love oddball names for pets. Right now we take care of eight cats. BT, Noogie,
Stumpy, Baby, Legs, Scarlet, Bob, and last, but not least, Elvis Purrsley.

[Zuni]

13. good for you

I hope you and your new buddy have a long time together

:toast:

[underseasurveyor]

15. ME too Zuni

I think it's gonna work out very well. New kitty has settled in quite smoothly actually. Already tonight I caught him and Mister`M` eating side by side. There was a little uneasiness between them but `M` seems to already know this is a done deal and he better just get use to it. But new kitty is just one of those easy going likable guys too and as a rule `M` is fairly mellow by nature also.

Course this may be why he's a mellow dude.
(This is `M` a couple years ago)

Like me :-) ........................

Mister`M` likes his pot ;-)

[Digit]

16. Have you looked in the classifieds to see if someone is missing a cat?

Have you posted any ads saying you found a cat?
I think it is great to offer a kitty a home, but I would first be looking to see if someone was missing a beloved kitty.
If it is abandoned, my hat is off to you for giving it a home.
Just check...just in case.

[underseasurveyor]

20. That would normally be a concern of mine but where I live

'Pet' animals are not high on the list with folks around here. Especially cats which are a favorite item for target practice. Most of the cats around here are considered barn cats and they're left to their own to multiply, find food, stay warm in the winter and these farmers won't waste their precious money on unnecessary things like shots much less spay/neutering them :eyes:

It's sad :-( What is considered a precious :cough: animal aside from the 'how much is it worth per pound' animals, is they have some "useful" purpose like the pointers, the spaniels, and the labs, any of the hunting - flushing dogs. Even then when that dog is too old to hunt it becomes useless....... :nopity:
But cats? Useless creatures. Just aim your truck at em or shoot that sumbitch and have a good laugh about how many times ya had to shoot it before that bastard died.

I have an idea where kitty came from so no I won't be looking for previous owners but I thank you and I want you to know that I do understand what you're saying but it's different out here. Besides I believe cats will actively seek out a new home if their previous one is miserable. He wanted to be here, he choose to be here and his search for a home has ended, and who knows the hardships and the horrors he's lived through already.
He's staying right here with us :-)

Monday morning 8am new kitty has an appt to see Doc. One of the few vets around here that actually cares about the non-farm animal community. Doc takes in a lot of kittens too. He fixes them and then he leaves them to scurry about his office until they find good homes. Doc is an oasis, an Angel in this sea of animal blood for money.

[Digit]

23. I understand now....

I have heard of areas like that and even my daughter's boyfiend's family have "barn cats".
Guess I was always a city girl and did not know about life on the other side of the pasture!
Thanks for not taking it wrong.
What a kind soul you are for giving kitty a home.

[underseasurveyor]

25. Coming from the big city myself I understood where you were

coming from. I thought the same way and did actively seek a lost pets home, until I moved into farm country and still after almost 9 years of living here I continue to be horrified at the way people treat life, gods creatures.
Growing up I thought for sure that country living must be an animals paradise. Around these parts, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Thanx Digit :pals:

[serryjw]

30. Are these the same people whom voted for Bushit?

Your new baby is beautiful.HAVE YOU DECIDED ON A NAME? hOW ABOUT NARROWING IT DOWN TO 6 AND LET DUers DECIDE?

[Princess Turandot]

21. He's very handsome! How abt 'Rufus'?..........nt

[ET Awful]

24. Yay for the kitty saviours :)

Well done, and he's quite a handsome little guy!

May he pay you back with years of purrs :).

[NJCher]

26. he's gorgeous, temperance

What a beautiful cat. I loved reading your story accompanied by the smilies and especially the one of the whole fam'bly toward the end of your first post.

Makes me feel better knowing there are souls like you out there.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{big hug}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}


Cher

[underseasurveyor]

29. We are family NJCher

You`n`Me too {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{:hug:}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
:loveya:

[legally blonde]

31. Congrats on your new addition!

What a pretty kitty! He looks very content and happy!