It is late, and I am tired, and I let my OCD take over.
I went down to the foster room to feed Art3mis and decided to move the couch and see if I couldn't do *something* about all of the excess fur back there. She was none too pleased to have me move the couch, and even less pleased that I 'invaded her space'. She backed off to the far side of the couch, watching me and growling. I reached in and tried to pick the fur off the mat that is down there and that was not going well. I finally decided to take the pink towel that was down there already and spread that over the striped mat. She was even less pleased with that idea, and I'm fairly certain that was when I was hissed at. I laid half of it out and then picked up the kittens in my way and put them down closer to me where the towel was spread out. She looked at me like she knew this routine and she accepted that it was okay but didn't much like it.
Hello, you weird lady thing!
I started laying out the towel on the other half of the mat and she turned tail and walked away to the far side of the couch where I couldn't see her. I called after her. I explained that I understood that she really didn't like this, but that she would appreciate not having to lay in all of her loose fur.
Which is when she came back!!!
I patted her and called her a good kitty but then I got down to the business of fixing things so I could go to bed. She turned around and left again and then I heard something that made my heart stop. (Don't worry it's good)
I wasn't sure if what I was hearing was what I thought I was hearing.. aka I could have imagined it all.. so I wiggled my way out from the couch and peeked, but by the time I could see anything it had stopped.
I continued to talk to her and asked her if she did what I thought she did, and if she did that it was okay and was very much a good thing. I pictured her doing it again as I finished up and made sure the kittens were on the new towel. This sent her back around the side of the couch and I heard it again.
I.
was.
floored.
so much so that it took far too long to get my phone out to take a video, when I did this was what I got.
(if you follow me on fb and were on tonight, you already knew what this was, but this is the first video I took)
I sat there and felt my eyes get all watery. I am so amazed. If you have never tried to tame a feral cat you might not understand how amazing this is. For her to leave her kittens in my presence was a huge gift, but for her to leave the safety of the couch and come out and walk in the middle of the room in my presence is HUGE. But for her to eat.. EAT.. That shows a level of trust that is through the roof... I think the only thing bigger is for her to let me rub her belly or pick her up.
I could tell she was very wary about the whole thing, this was not a casual snack on her part. She ate for a short while and then went back behind the couch.
and then...
SHE WALKED OVER TO ME!!! Now granted, she only went so far and would not be persuaded to come any closer.. but it was close enough that I could scratch her head.
I am certain she will growl at me when I walk in the room in the morning to feed her, but that's okay. She is allowed to be uncomfortable and she is allowed to take as much time as she wants to get used to me..
Well, truth be told there are a couple of conditions to that but we won't get into that now. We will just dance at the progress we have made.
Oh I am so happy for you!
ReplyDeleteEmma and Buster
I so admire you for trying to tame her. I think if it were me, I'd be like: "OK, nope, this cat needs to find a barn home!"
ReplyDeleteWow! That's progress! But it's normal for us to keep reacting to them in the same way--you don't like that, I respect your space and your needs--then they keep acting the same way and they feel safe. But if we push a boundary and take a step toward them, then sometimes they will push a boundary too, and it's almost as if they were waiting for us to do something. True, she will probably growl at you tomorrow, but it's a step forward, half-step back. I find it very exciting.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is HUGE! She has really come a long, long way.
ReplyDeleteWhoot!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! She senses you are someone she can trust, even if she does give you a growl every once in a while.
ReplyDeletewow - that is great. she has made some amazing progress!!! kudos to both of you
ReplyDeleteYay! This is huge progress!
ReplyDeleteYippee!
ReplyDeleteFirstly can I say I told you so... and secondly I am so so happy I could almost cry! Oh I wish you were closer so I could hug you with joy, well done you and well done Art3mis.
ReplyDeleteI knew it! Grabbyhands vs. Ms. Growlypants would end up in a love snuggle! Well...soon enough...
ReplyDeleteFabulous!!! So happy to hear that Art3mis is stretching the boundaries.
ReplyDeleteAwesome but not surprising developments! Congratulations! I always believed you would win her over. She knows you are a team now. So when do you want Wendy to come up? We have finished her bottle of Rescue Remedy and today she played with a pole toy and me, sort of, for the first time. I guess I'll get another bottle....
ReplyDeleteWow, you've made such a fantastic progress! I feel so happy for you!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a huge progress ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteWhoohoo! We knew she would come around...okay, so she's not all around yet, but this is great progress!
ReplyDeleteWonderful news!
ReplyDeleteTomorrow it all begins again, but for now we are dancing with you.
You are doing a great job. I do understand, my feral is finally eating in front of me after over 2 months- little steps.
ReplyDeleteSuch progress, and what an amazing increase in how much she trusts you! Hurrah!
ReplyDelete