I think I should start posting about this here since it seems like he's not going away.

Months ago I woke up and looked out the window and saw a cat in our backyard lying in the bushes up against the house. He looked dirty so I took some food out to investigate. He ran as soon as he saw me, he was terrified. Of course I started putting out food every night, though. :rotfl: And it'd alway be gone in the morning so I knew someone was coming around.

I had my encounter with the Russian Blue, but the way he acts I really think he belongs to someone...so I didn't think it was him. I started to catch more glimpes of Mr. Gray (what I named this new one) and I figured it was probably him.

I don't know when it was, it had to be a few weeks back...when I'd notice him coming around when I pulled in at night after working over at my dad's house. I'd put out the food and walk into the house and then he'd come around. Soon he would walk up the driveway to greet me, staying a good distance away. About a week ago, maybe more, he was so content with being around me that he laid down on the driveway. I ended up sitting down and talking with him, he loved me talking and would blink at me and he just looked so happy. I knew I was making progress.

Every night lately, as soon as I come home or (if I've been home) go outside, he's there. I don't know where he hangs out but I know it's in the front of my house and the neighbors' houses on either side of me, but he knows. He's started meowing at me and wanting attention, still keeping his distance. I'd try to get closer every night, but I wasn't pushing it.

Tonight he let me pet him! I put his food down and rather than waiting for me to walk away, he walked right to them at my feet. I bent down and tried it...and he loved it! I went inside because my brother called, then went out there to check on him and he ran up to me and rubbed against my legs. :kittyluv: I told him the other night that if we could just be on decent terms, I'd be happy. :lmao:

So yeah...I'm going to try to get pictures of him soon and post them. He's a gorgeous cat...he's white with gray on him, his body looks like a Siamese cat. However, his face has got full tabby markings - he looks like you put the wrong head on his body! He's got a dark tail like a Siamese, and he's got gorgeous blue eyes. I'm thinking he's some kind of crazy mix.

:jump:

Crystal, you're definitely a cat magnet! Can't wait to see him/her? You're sure it's a he? ;)

Sounds like you might have another kitty soon ;)

:jump: I hope you get pictures soon, too!!!

Oh, I'm sure! His whole body is white with gray and he's got these dark gray balls under his butt. It's too cute! :luv2:

:rotfl: :lmao: :rotfl: :lmao:

:luv1:

It sounds like he has "chosen" you, Crystal! ;) :whistle:

Man oh man, so listen to what happened last night...

I was reading in bed, it was about 11:00. On that side of the house, I heard cats squealing, obviously angry at each other. All of my kitties got up to investigate and I got up to look out the window. I saw the dog nextdoor running toward the front of the house so I knew that's where they were. I went out on the porch and I saw a black cat in my front yard, obviously someone's outdoor cat, he wasn't scared of me. He just looked at me and then walked across the street to sit on the porch.

I'm standing there and Mr. Gray starts meowing at me from the bushes! THAT'S where he is every night, he hangs out there waiting for me to come home. I went down and he came out, scared of me but wanting attention. I ended up putting out more food for him, I think the black cat ate all of it - and then he wanted to be pet. He was so lovey!

Little rat.

:confused: Hmmmm....this gets curiouser and curiouser.... :whistle:

I just moved this, I realized I posted in the wrong area. :blush:

So I never used to see him during the day - now he's coming around all the time. Today he was out there in the afternoon and we just hung out (the reason I was able to get pictures). I held him and he was drooling all over me and just lovin'....sigh, oh man. And he jumped in the hallway with me when I was getting his food. Before he used to run. Then he ran down into the basement and looked around for a bit, lol.

Ready for the cuteness?

:shock: :shock: :shock:

OMG....he's beautiful!!!

And, thanks Crystal for the 'photo' of the huevos! Or should I say 'truffles'? :rotfl:

Blue eyes.....lynx pattern....those markings... OMG....you have to keep him!!! And so loving....

How old do you think he is? He looks to be maybe between 1 and 2 or 3.... :wha:

*puts on her fortune teller hat and pulls out her crystal ball*

Crystal, gaze into my crystal ball. I see cats. I see another cat lurking outside your house. I see this cat coming into your house and staying. The cat makes a wonderful addition to your household. Oh, the vision is getting blurry...

:luv2: He looks like he's part Snowshoe. :jump:

:luv2: :luv2: OMG he is absolutely gorgeous!!! :luv2: :luv2:

And, yup, he is definitely a 'HE' :whistle: :lmao:

You just HAVE to keep him :thumbsup:

:rotfl:

How cute are those little black balls against his white butt?! :lmao:

I went out last night after I fed him to find that he's hanging out in the screened-in porch behind our house (I propped open the door the other night because it was raining so he'd have shelter). I'm doing this slowly because of what happened with Penny...but Erik's all for it.

As for age, I think he's young - I picked him up for the first time yesterday and he's small. I'm thinking only like 1 but I'm not sure.

I have a bit of time before I make a final decision - but his actions lately make me see he wants to come in. After I went in yesterday I heard him out there, calling for me. :( I have the weekend to let it fester, lol....then maybe next week I'll schedule something to get him tested. :whistle: He's still too wild, though, I want to make sure he's ready to come in before I do this.

I think you should name him Mr. Truffles. ;) ;) :lmao: :lmao:

That's what I was thinking too... :) He's soooo gorgeous... :luv2: any progress?

I haven't posted in a while about him.

He comes around every day, he pretty much lives in my yard at this point. I've found most of his hiding spots so I know where to look. As soon as he hears my garage or side door open, though, he's running to me so I don't have to look that hard! I now feed him in the morning and at night since he's around so much. Every evening I end up going and sitting with him on the front porch.

He'll hop into the hallway with me when I'm getting him food and he'll lay in there with me, but he seems very hesitant to stay. If anything spooks him, he takes off out the door. So obviously he's not ready to come in - if he'll ever be ready. I bought him a collar so I could hear him (it had a bell on it) but the little rat lost it so I'm down $5.00. :lmao:

Well, someone found Tigger's home!

It all started yesterday.

I went outside and Tigger wasn't around, but I saw his dry food bowl was empty. Crazy because I got him a bigger bowl just last week and I've been putting three times the amount of food in it (because sometimes I don't go outside until later in the day so he's stuck waiting for breakfast). He's never eaten the whole thing. I also saw a black clump of hair on the ground. Uh-oh, someone got in.

Later my sister and I came home to find "little black fluffy kitty" from the warmer months sitting by the side of the house. Tigger was outside the door to his room whining his head off. Black kitty went to the front yard, he followed. Black kitty ran across the street. Tigger followed. He is so territorial when it comes to our house. So then Tigger would not leave him alone, and they sat like this for at least 45 minutes....


So then tonight I come home and Tigger's not around so I just go in the house. I go to the office and turn on the light (the porch is off the back by the office so when I go in there, Tigger hears me) and Tigger started meowing. I went outside to go pet him for a few minutes and give him some wet food and find him standing outside the door, whining. I open the door and little black kitty is sitting up on the house we built for him and Tigger is not happy. Tigger jumps up by him and black kitty backs into the top step structure we made, so I went to get another can of food. I feed Tigger, then I put a wet food can in by little black cat. (S)he seemed scared, didn't eat - so I talked to him/her and then got some dry food...and he/she dug in.



I came in to make dinner and the cats kept running into the office - I go over to the window to find Tigger sitting next to the step structure, whining. It's now over an house later and I went to check on him but he's not there anymore...but when I opened the window and called his name, I heard him whining from his pillow. So little black kitty is still in there and Tigger hates it.

So we'll see how stuff goes from here...we have a nice house out there for them and I'm hoping Tigger will eventually get used to him/her and share. But he is a cat...lol...so we'll see.

Are you sure you don't have a sign outside your house "rooms for rent - cats only"?? :lmao:

Hopefully they'll learn to share. New kitty's a cutie!

:rotfl: That's what I feel like!

Okay, so Little Black Cat, who actually isn't so little, and I met a few months back (December 17, to be exact). I happened to look out my window one day and noticed him sitting in the porch on the house we made for Tigger. I went out and took him some food, and after he got over being scared of me, turns out he's pretty lovable. He's a big fluffy guy who loves to be pet and has a weird eye.



Well I've noticed him around a lot more since then, I know he's been eating food here. Well today...we caught him! :rotfl: We have a trap out right now for the big orange cat that keeps beating Tigger up, and I went out today to find this...



I let him out and got him some food, the little brat followed me right into the porch. They all know I'm friendly and I'm going to feed them... :lmao:

:rotfl: He's a beauty! :luv2:

:rotfl: I don't know why but that line cracked me up! :rotfl:

Awww he is lovely! He looks pissed about being in the cage though! :rotfl:

He's a male version of Trixie with a wonky eye. IF he ends up becoming cat #10, that will be one way to tell him and Trixie apart.


But seriously...he's gorgeous. :luv2: :luv2: :luv2: :luv2: :luv2: :luv2: :luv2: :luv2: :luv2:

Tigger loves being around us when we're out in the yard, and Erik and my dad were working out there all day the other day. We're pulling out a lot of old bushes and trees and we're going to have landscapers come in and redo the yard. I'm going to be starting a garden this year, he's going to loooove that!

I thought I'd take advantage of the nice weather and get some long overdue pictures of him. He's HUGE - a spoiled fat cat. He's grown into his colors quite nicely, too.


A lot of times when I'm out in the back filling up the bird feeders, I get the feeling I'm being watched. This is normally why. (If you can't see him, he's the little white thing between the two fences in the middle of the picture)


Hanging out in the neighbors' yard. Normally he'll sit back there and meow loudly at me until he finally figures out he should come jump over the fence.


This is how he gets in and out of the yard if he's coming from the back.


Where's Tigger?!


There he is...


Some random shots of the gorgeous guy.










Loving being rubbed.


Silly butt, rubbing on the weeds and loving them.

Tigger just keeps getting more handsome by the day, doesn't he? You're doing a great job with him, Crystal. Keep up the good work. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

He looks wonderful... very healthy and happy :kithug:

He does, he's a very gorgeous cat. :luv2: I wish I could bring him inside!

He loves his porch, though - ever since I brought him out from the basement last spring he sticks closer to home, which I love. He's there every evening for dinner and he sleeps in there, and during the day we see him coming and going in the area. He's too cute when he sees us from far away - he comes bounding home. :D

Guys guys guys!!

So I was on another cat forum (lol, don't worry, not going anywhere... ;) ) and I posted about Tigger and I was told that he CAN interact with my other cats! I did research and found this:

That supports what was told to me by two women who have FIV+ cats.

Turns out that there's a lot of false info around about FIV...crazy! I've left a voicemail with my vet and I'm going to discuss it with him.

That what I thought. But I'd keep him away from Nala. I imagine her system is weak from having CRF. :(

After talking to my vet, he thinks it would still be best to keep everything how it is now (and I agree). Tigger is a semi-feral cat and who knows what could happen - he's gotten in fights before. Granted, that was before he was neutered - but why take the chance?

Tigger has got a freaking pimpin' pad and he's around the house 95% of the time (he roams a bit around, but if you go outside and call him, he comes running). He's got shelter, he sleeps in his house at night, and we weather-proof it so well in the winter it's almost as warm as it is in our house. He knows to stay away from cars, he's more in the backyard than in the street...he knows how to live outside, he has all his life.

It's good to know about it, though, in case something changes and he needs to come in, though.

It sounds like Tigger is doing just fine outside w/ plenty of amentities.....
I love his eyes. :luv1:

He is gorgeous, isn't he? :luv2:

He's so pampered, he's as spoiled as our indoor cats. :lmao:

I took him in this morning for his annual tooth cleaning and bloodwork and everything looks great! There's no indication that being FIV+ is having any impact on his health, they said his numbers are perfect. :D

I brought him in last night because I had to guarantee he had no food after midnight...he stayed in my work room (I have all my workout stuff down there, plus now the other half is serving as my work area for photo shoots and card making supplies), which is where he stayed two years ago when he got hurt. Well now we have some of the cat trees we bought on sale and he was looooving it. :D I went down there this morning to get him and the little bugger didn't even get up off the post he was laying on. :lmao:

Tigger's house is so pimped right now, it's great - I'll have to take pictures. I have a big pillow out there that I made for him and he's been laying on it all the time. It's near the door so I ended up moving the scratching post next to the door and propping up the pillows I have for him (old ones we were going throw out) to block the breeze from his cat door.

Well today is SUPER windy so I ended up finding a nice fleece blanket we have that I don't use because it's shorter than I prefer, and I wrapped that over the pillows (there was a little hole between them with cold air coming in) and set it up so he can snuggle into it.

I also adjusted his heater so it's rotating and blowing right on him, and it's a comfortable 52º in there right now. :D

I hate that he has to be outside (I'd bring him into the basement but he hates being stuck down there), but I'm so happy we can make him super comfortable.

He brought a baby mouse back home today, too, I love when he brings "presents" home. :D Unfortunately when I was cleaning I forgot it was there and stepped on its head...ugh...mouse brains. :boggled:

:shock: Mouse brains!

How awesome that Tigger has you to take care of him! Lucky kitty! :hug:

Glad he is happy and it's b/c of you. :hug:
Eww on the mouse brains. :ack:

Thanks! :hug:

It's FREEZING out there today, like 15º and WINDY and he's nice and warm in his porch. :D