The big news around our house is that we finally adopted Perry. He’s no longer our foster cat, but our permanent family member.
Perry is full of cuteness. He still fetches and cuddles and licks. He also sits up on his butt like a little meerkat. He looks like he’s praying.
Perry seems to be feeling ok. He’s been out more with the other cats, annoying Felix and Kana in particular. He wants to spoon with Felix, and Felix won’t stand for it, but then Felix wanders the kitchen looking for a safe place and not finding one. He wears a forlorn expression now, except early morning and evening when Perry is in his room. Kana can’t even eat in peace. Perry lies in wait to grab her food as soon as she is done.
Yup, Kana is eating in the pic. And that is Perry on our left, smelling that special hypoallergenic kibble.
I had a nightmare last week about Kana. It went on and on and on. I kept waking up, only to fall back asleep into the same dream. My cats were at the neighbor’s house (but it wasn’t my neighborhood or my neighbor’s house and there were no people in the dream) and when I went to get them, the front door was open about 5″. I grabbed a couple of cats and ran them home, slamming that door shut behind me. Then I went back for more cats. When I looked around my house, I realized Kana was gone. I couldn’t find her anywhere. She must have gotten out before I got to my neighbors. This dream was on repeat for SO long.
Kana
The day after the dream I realized it was Black Cat Appreciation Day. So I dunno. But one of the triggers for the dream was probably what happened a while back. SLOOPY ANNE GOT OUT OF MY HOUSE IN THE DARK OF NIGHT! If you have indoor/outdoor cats and have had no problems, bully for you. But in my neighborhood, there is a pack of gynormous coyotes and the humongousest bobcat of all. There are no living cats in my neighborhood which was why we had to trap Perry and get him indoors right away.
What must have happened was that the gardener was grilling a burger for himself and, since he’s Sloopy Anne’s favorite person, she must have followed him outside. He spotted her sitting under a patio chair, although it was so dark even with the patio light that at first he thought it was a generic cat, not one of OUR cats. Then he realized it was our sweet pea. We both started trying to get her. Understand that she’s the cat that is the most difficult to catch of all six. I couldn’t even bring her to the vet for a recheck after her teeth cleaning because she was too wily.
If it hadn’t been so serious and scary, our attempts to grab her would have been quite the slapstick. We, and especially me, ran through all the flower beds and bushes as Sloopy Anne climbed the palo verde trees, the outside wall, and even the oleanders (which are toxic to animals). She sat up on a tree branch taunting me. I began to think about the long night ahead. I realized I would have to sit outside, ready to scare off coyotes, if we couldn’t get her to come in. At one point my bad foot came down on a rock half embedded in the dirt, I twisted my ankle, and fell–smack into freshly cut tree branches and bushes with thistles. YAY! The more we ran after her, the more the old Sloopster refined her movements, thereby reducing her exertion, but keeping us moving.
When there is an urgent situation (or an emergency), the gardener is more of the panic-driven-take-charge type. I am more of the calm-and-hyper-focused-fall-apart-later type. And he’s never tried to grab Sloopy Anne in his life, leaving that sport to me. So he was trying to call the shots. Giving me a sheet to throw over her, telling me go run that way and I’ll go this way, that sort of thing. For a half hour. Finally, I yelled at him to go to the other side of the patio and stay away. He was so worn out at that point, he slunk off. walked over to where I told him to wait. Then I ran and opened all three doors to the outside: front, side, garage. Within five minutes Sloopy Anne went near the gardener, he chased her inside, and I scurried on my don’t-ever-run-again foot and the other foot to slam the doors shut. Sweet pea captured. Whew.
I started shaking at that point. Later, when I was able to think clearly, I noticed and thought about a few things.
- I was lucky I didn’t get hurt worse. I had abrasions and bruises all over, even on my forehead, but these are all easily healed with no long-term effects.
- Whenever I am outside, I avoid shadows and dark areas religiously. One never knows where a rattlesnake waits, ready to strike. But I never gave them a thought when I was worried about Sloopy Anne. I get brave when I’m scared. It’s just afterwards when I think of what could have happened . . . .
- Sloopy Anne is mad about Perry. She doesn’t like him, and she’s the only one he’s scared of. Keep in mind, she’s a little thing, but moves back and forth along the bitchy to sweet scale very rapidly.
- Sloopy Anne LOVED climbing trees. And she had fun outside. She has no idea of the dangers, figuring she can just come back inside whenever the going gets tough. So now she sits by the glass door waiting for someone to open it so she can squeeze out.
- My other cats are not eager to go outside, although Kana and Tiger each have been out once before–but this was the first time one of US let a cat outside.
- I can’t trust the gardener any longer around doors.
Sloopy Anne
While I’m on the subject of cats, I wanted to mention elephants (because you know I love elephants, too). If you have been out and about–at least on the internet–in the last week, you know that the United States is set to betray elephants BIG TIME. The Department of the Interior plans to allow imports of elephant and lion trophies from Africa! This gives a big green light to all the creeps in this country who want to kill elephants and cart home their serial killer trophies to remind them of their own evil.
You can watch Ellen DeGeneres talk about elephants in this video. For everyone who reposts or retweets the elephant photo she shows in the video and the hashtag #BeKindtoElephants on social media, Ellen will make a donation to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
HERE IS THE TWITTER INFO: Please retweet & use #BeKindToElephants, and for everyone who does, we’ll make a donation to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. @DSWT pic.twitter.com/Fckx9iblci
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) November 17, 2017
On Saturday, Trump tweeted that he was going to take another look at this matter. Don’t let up the pressure.
GO. NOW. #BEKINDTOELEPHANTS and sign some of those many petitions circulating Facebook and Twitter!
Congrats on the new addition, he’s so adorable! And thanks for the link to the elephant donation campaign, so important. I can’t believe this is even a topic of discussion again.
Aw, thanks so much! Your blog astonishes me. WOW, you are a voracious reader! So many goodies to choose from! Thanks for stopping by!
That’s such a sweet compliment, thank you so much! I hope you’ll find something interesting among them 🙂
What a marvelous post, Luanne. Enjoyed reading about your kitty family and their ongoing drama, and I was really glad to see Ellen’s pitch for elephants. To be sure, I will use #BeKindToElephants on Instagram and in Tweets! I’m sure by including the video you are making a HUGE contribution to the movement to reverse #45’s cruel dictate against elephant protection and preservation. On with the fight!
I read somewhere that the hunting of elephants in those African countries was part of their conservation plan. Probably President Trump was just listening to the experts at the Dept. of Interior. I love when citizens are heard by their leader and he responds. Let’s hope the right thing is done for the elephants!
I sent him a tweet Saturday, thanking him, and urging him to do the right thing. Trophies have nothing to do with conservation or eating people, but everything to do with a serial killer mentality that is harmful to humans, as well as to the animals hunted (with outrageously sophisticated guns and equipment and all manner of unfairnesses). 🙂
Yeah, I have no interest in trophy hunting, but somewhere they were trying to say they were helping the African nations. Can’t tell you where I saw this because hated even reading about it. Rattlesnake serial killers might be okay though. 😉
I thought so, too, but tonight on the news some sports figure was in “trouble” for youtubing himself being cruel to a rattlesnake. Even that was really sad to watch, and I am NOT fond of those stinkers.
Up here we actually have rattlesnakes near Lake George. I’d rather avoid than kill. I catch the little snakes (not rattlers) we have in our yard to look at them. I think snakes are cute. Obviously anyone who tortures a living thing for fun has a real mental problem.
On with the fight is right! Thanks, Elaine. Yes, we have lots of drama here. In fact, Perry is in “time out” as I write this. The little stinker wants to lie in the cat beds and cat trees with the other cats, and they are not his litter mates and think it’s icky.
I am so happy you’ve decided to take lovely cuddly Perry home <3
Sloopy Anne has a wild soul but she will love Perry soon (not sure if she will dismiss the idea of climbing trees again, though!).
Your nightmare is curious, maybe the plot of a new book!
Ciao
Sid
Haha, Sid, about the new book! I would be too terrified to write that book! I like to write about things that have already happened because when I wrote fiction about a friend getting breast cancer, she really got it. And that is just one time that happened! I need to get over that concern before I go back to fiction, I guess. Sloopy Anne does have a wild soul! You should have seen her climbing the trees! She was like a little monkey.
Perry is in “time out” right now because he wouldn’t leave the others alone and kept climbing on little Tiger and dominating her. :/ But he’s so cuddley that I think he wants to cuddle with another cat.
Fiction! I am always fascinated by fiction 😀
Perry is a good guy who wants to find his right place in the Band of Furry. He is playful but eventually an alpha-cat
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Sid
Congratulations!
Cat dynamics are fascinating when it’s at least peaceful. I’ve had to re-home a few when it wasn’t, despite my best tools and efforts. :/
I have had two indoor-outdoor cats, and one disappeared. We may never know. 🙁
The other, she lives with my in-laws now. Casey. I’d taken her in when she was a kitten, as my friend had developed a terrible set of allergies with her second pregnancy. I expected to keep Casey. She was very doglike, roaming and hunting and guarding our perimeter. She was a sweet snuggler, awesome fly-catcher, and so playful, always. However, every time my FIL came over, he and Casey demonstrated great affection for one another. She looks identical to Tiger, a cat he’d had as a kid. He’d been without a cat for over a decade and I was pleased for them both when I sent her home with him. She is now an only cat, spoiled absolutely rotten, doted on — oh my goodness, I can’t begin to tell you! lol Framed photos of her on his desk, music left on for her, fed like clockwork — it’s precious. Precious! I tell you!
The very first thing you hear when you arrive at my in-laws’ house is, “Don’t let Casey out!” She would like to hunt those well-populated bird feeders, Luanne 😉
How wonderful to see a cat so loved and such an important member of the family! Sometimes cats work out better in one home than another. That’s how I have my Tiger. She was my son’s cat, but it was bad timing. He now has 2 other cats and a dog, but the timing is now right for them!
I remember that, about Tiger 🙂 Dynamics. Fascinating.
Oh yeah. So fascinating. But I just had an argument on Nextdoor. Do you know that website? Some troll was acting so sociopathic about not wanting to know about neighbors’ pets being missing. Why should he be on the lookout for them? And all while I’m reading Confessions of a Sociopath . . . .
Oh my word. No, I don’t know that site.
I’m glad it’s official for Perry! It’s so nice when the foster child gets adopted. 🙂
Having a cat escape is my worst nightmare. I’m glad you got her back. A few years back, my Ricky–the cat who is my baby–got out when my husband was draining water from our flooded basement. I was upstairs and didn’t even know until the next morning. We think he got scared by the noise my husband was making and went out the window in the basement. We didn’t find him for a few days. I may have told you all about that. I cried for days, too. 🙁
The elephant stuff is horrifying, as is everything thing about the horror in the White House. I will check out the links. Thanks.
Oh no!!!! Waiting days to find him! I just CAN’T. I would have cried for days, too! And slobbered all over him when he came back!!! I’m so glad you got him back!!!! Thanks, Merril. For the elephants and all . . . .
We finally camped out in the yard with the litter box, food, a sweaty shirt of mine. . .he came creeping back and then heard our old lady cat howl from the window. It makes me teary-eyed even now. I did hug him and brought him right inside and sat on the floor with him while he ate, and called my younger daughter (in college at the time) so we could both cry. 🙂
Wow, what a great idea to camp out like that!!! I completely teared up just reading this!!!
I was reading all sorts of sites. They said that even inside cats revert a bit to “wild” behavior, and might not come out till night. I was just so terrified for him. I felt like he’s not “street savvy.” Sounds ridiculous, but he’s a total house cat. I think he might have been hiding under our neighbor’s porch across the street, and fortunately they (with their dog) were away. We got both of our cats microchipped after that.
Microchipping does relieve a little of the anxiety. Sounds so completely scary. I hope I don’t have more nightmares!
😉
I’m so happy Perry has found his forever family!
ME TOO! Although he was quite naughty late this morning, trying to lie on top of Tiger and not taking no for an answer. He had to go into “time out” hahaha.
I had a nightmare once when Jake, my old indoor-outdoor cat who wasn’t allowed outside overnight, wouldn’t come in. I couldn’t find him. He was diabetic so he neither got his insulin nor his much needed food. I was up and out all night. At 5 a.m. he came sauntering in. I could have killed him but I opted to just hug and be grateful nothing had happened to him. I know how you felt (and I didn’t hurt myself looking!). *hugs for all elephants*
Oh wow, Kate. Did you cry after he came home? I would have burst into tears, I’m sure. What a RELIEF!!! Sweet old Jake.
Cried the whole night. Before and after. This was a month before he died. I was convinced that he went out to die.
Congrats on the adoption. The pictures are wonderful!
Thank you and thank you, Carrie! We are so happy :).
Glad your kitties are safe. You reminded me of myself when we had our cats long ago. If one wandered away I would be frantic until I got him back, crashing through the bushes, getting hateful spiders on me and coming out of the bushes with blackberry vine scratches all over me, but I wouldn’t let up until I had my cat back. So I understand you perfectly.
I love reading that you did the same thing!!! Anneli, it makes perfect sense to me, that’s for sure! We are determined to protect our “babies”!
For sure. We do what it takes!
Sloopy Annie is a bit of a hoot isn’t she! Glad you persevered and got her inside, it’s dangerous in your garden!
My cat hates to be confined to the house – he is definitely a ‘I’ll do what I want’ kind of a boy – but I did try to confine him at the beginning and spend a great deal of time when he was a kitten chasing after him down the street where he was determined to go and I was equally determined he wouldn’t – oh the tiny gaps he could get through! The only thing of danger to our kitties in this country is cars. Though cats are a danger to bird life and that is more the reason why, when we can, we have indoor cats. Orlando was double belled very young as he learned to tuck his chin down when running after a hapless bird, so one bell could tinkle and the bird be warned. Now he is too old to be bothered and stays mostly indoors or lies about in the sun in the tiny courtyard………… Our kitties are so funny aren’t they, with their own distinct personalities and wishes – and I’m so happy to hear Perry is now an official member of the household. Even down here we are furiously signing petitions to stop your madman legitimising elephant murder! (Who will rid us of this lunatic?) Keep signing, so far it has just slowed down his latest insane plan.
What an interesting story about Orlando. The tucking his chin so the one bell doesn’t ring! Wow! Cats are so stinken smart. They are all so different. What great characters! Sigh. Sign sign sign, that is what I do all the time now!!!
I love foster fails. Well done
Hehe. That’s what we are!!!! Thank you!
😀
So glad to hear that Perry’s forever home has official status – congrats to all!
Thank you, Shel! We are all so happy, and he just keeps on being CUTE!
This reminds me of that time I found those baby ducks in my pool. It was a hundred degrees outside, the mama swam away, it was a Sunday afternoon and all the animal control places were closed, and I was just in a complete PANIC about the whole situation for HOURS. In looking back on it, I”m not quite sure why I didn’t just collect them into some sort of box, take them inside, and get on the internet to figure out what to do, but I just was in such a damn dither over the whole thing almost to the point of being paralyzed! I think it was just that feeling of having those little lives in my hands, and me being really not qualified to take care of them that did it. Plus, it was so hot outside my brain was frying.
Oops – the mama FLEW away. Not swam.
Oh horrifying! Did you think she might come back?
I never doubted you would love your Perry! ❤ I was amused with your chasing around Sloopy Anne while the gardener directed your actions! So, so glad you didn’t injure your foot or other body parts worse than you did.
I am writing very late tonight that your Kin Types book review is scheduled for tomorrow. (Sorry, I got sidetracked with family stuff. . . Meant to let you know I will have a very long day at work so please feel free to stop and reply to the ones who leave messages and comments on my blog. Thank you for sharing your book and letting me review it, Luanne! It is an exceptional chapbook which sets the bat high on writing about family and genealogy, too. I could have written much more but decided to allow the readers to check out the links and read the poetry and prose themselves. xo 💐 💕
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Wow! No wonder you had a long bad dream. Cats are a big responsibility and you are one of the most responsible cat persons I know. May your kitties stay indoors and may your bruises fade soon! P.S. — This elephant shooting for “fun” is horrible. It’s as bad as people eating octopus.
Glad you got Sloopy Anne back inside! And yay for giving Perry a forever home! Kana is freaking adorable!
Plus, I nominated you for the Blogger Recognition Award! Just wanted to let you know: https://perfectlytolerable.com/2017/11/21/blogger-recognition-award/
Whew! What an adventure, what a story-packed post, Luanne! Giving a “like” right now, will come back later this week to share a longer comment. Kudos to you!
Such an excited drama with Sloopy Anne! I can almost imagine her “thoughts” as a cat. Yes! I’m out! All these exciting new smells and textures to enjoy! And they want me back in? Seriously? I am enjoying myself too much! Your story reminds me of our tuxedo cat Mittens, who is a genius at disappearing even when you *know* she’s in the room. She’s doing a little better these days (has asthma and stiff joints, probably from carrying too much weight), she’s been reclining all day on a soft sofa pillow we put out for her on the coffee table in the living room. She “holds court” there, which I like, because it’s much easier to stop and pat her than to try to squirm under the piano where she used to lie under the piano bench. Congrats on bringing Perry into your little cat community, and your tales of cat culture among your cats helps me understand our two cats a little better. 🙂
Cats are an endless supply of new info and stories. They are all so different and so fascinating! Mittens sounds like a lot of personality. Sloppy Anne sticks her nose in the space between the two doors and sniffs LOL!
Congratulations on keeping Perry in your lives! And congratulations on getting Sloopy Anne back in your house. Our cats probably could be outdoor/indoor (at least Maxine and Junior since they know the neighborhood) but there are other outdoor cats around and Greg and I have had to run out and rescue Junior a couple of times. So we keep them in 100% except Junior has been sneaking out between our legs. Sigh. The older he gets, the more like a teenager he acts. The last time Greg thinks Junior was out for about an hour because he didn’t know he had escaped until he (Greg) decided it was feeding time. Fortunately, Junior had gone around to the back and was waiting to be let in. I think he got rather anxious because the cat door was locked (we don’t want Wendy to get out at all). I love happy endings 🙂 By the way, the couple of times that Wendy has escaped (and she is a tortie and difficult to chase down), my husband discovered that if he opened the garage door, she would come running in. Then he could grab her and get her back into the house. If Sloopy Anne gets out again, maybe try just opening the garage door, have the gardener walk that way and she might follow him. Especially he has treats with him 😉
DANG! I wrote a long comment but it wouldn’t post and then disappeared when I refreshed!! Dumb of me! Will try to rewrite it!
1) YAY re adopting Perry! May you share much love together!
2) Sloopy Anne should be renamed “Slippery Anne”! What a chase!! Good thing you didn’t break anything. Cats are sooo adept at sneaking out when they’re hell-bent on it, eh?
3) I *adore* elephants too!! Have you read “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picault? If not, give it a go, it’s soooo great! https://www.amazon.ca/Leaving-Time-Jodi-Picoult-ebook/dp/B00KAFVO5U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511379782&sr=8-3&keywords=jodi+picoult .
4) Re the bringing back of “hunting” trophies, I read that Trump reversed himself and the ban still stands. I hope that’s so! How barbaric!
So thrilled to read this Luanne… wonderful news, wonderful for Perry, and you are wonderful XXXXXXXXX
I’m so glad Perry has found his forever home! I used to have nightmares about losing cats and having to try to get them safe – we had five who were all house cats though they went outside in our yard, which has high walls (and no coyotes!)
OMG – nothing scarier than having inside animals get loose outside.
So glad you got your sweetpea back and that you weren’t hurt worse.
One of the difficulties of aging is realizing random everyday occurrences contain hidden dangers now. Bummer.
Congratulations to Perry on his forever home!
I am glad your kitty is back inside, and you were not hurt worse! We do not let our cats out, either. We’ve only had 2 escapes in the almost 14 years here; all ended well with the escapees returned within a short time.
Thank you from Perry, Lavinia! He’s such a sweetie pie, but so much younger than my other cats, so he is a little annoying ;). Two escapes in 14 years is not too bad, but SO relieved they all ended well!!!!
I missed this episode altogether, Luanne, but I am glad you were all right! So glad about Perry have you guys to take care of him. Beautiful cat photos! I know I asked you this long ago, but how do you get your site name on the photos?