I rock! and so does Smudge :)
Jan. 4th, 2004 11:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mousmeI never thought I'd say this, but I do think that Smudge is officially rehabilitated. Apart from the occasional spraying behaviour he's become quite the gentleman cat, or at the very least a Fur Person. :)
He's gained enough weight that I can no longer consider him underweight. I think getting fixed helped with that a bit (it often makes male cats gain a bit of weight, from what I've understood), luckily. Getting fixed also seems to have mostly cured that whole spraying thing. *knocks on wood* That was truly annoying. I'm still dealing with the aftermath of that. Not fun. >_<
Not only that, but he's actually become more or less socialised. I haven't really tested him on other humans yet, but he has demonstrated in the past that he won't run away and growl and hide when my mother is around, so that's a good thing. She doesn't come by often (hasn't been here in at least three or four months), so that proves it's not just because he's used to her that he stayed out while she was here.
He actually puts up with being picked up without growling or hissing now, although he begs to be put down within about thirty seconds, which is just fine. Not all cats like being picked up. However, when they are picked up, there should be no histrionics, and now there aren't any. I'm so proud of my baby! *beam*
He's also getting along better with the other cats. Not spectacularly well, but better. There's less hissing and spitting and nastiness. Mostly they've learned to keep out of each other's way, which is just fine. When they do come face to face, one or the other will get out of the way.
Last but not least, he's getting far more cuddly. He comes to me a lot more to get petted and to jump in my lap and demand my attention. He loves being brushed (he's a long hair and has a bit of trouble keeping his coat under control), although his stomach is still something of a sensitive area for him. Sometimes he likes having his tummy rubbed, and sometimes it's off-limits, depending on his mood. He basically has to offer his tummy to be rubbed, or else you're not allowed to touch it.
So, for a cat who, about six months ago, refused to come out of the closet for food or the litter box, this is pretty darned impressive. :)
He's gained enough weight that I can no longer consider him underweight. I think getting fixed helped with that a bit (it often makes male cats gain a bit of weight, from what I've understood), luckily. Getting fixed also seems to have mostly cured that whole spraying thing. *knocks on wood* That was truly annoying. I'm still dealing with the aftermath of that. Not fun. >_<
Not only that, but he's actually become more or less socialised. I haven't really tested him on other humans yet, but he has demonstrated in the past that he won't run away and growl and hide when my mother is around, so that's a good thing. She doesn't come by often (hasn't been here in at least three or four months), so that proves it's not just because he's used to her that he stayed out while she was here.
He actually puts up with being picked up without growling or hissing now, although he begs to be put down within about thirty seconds, which is just fine. Not all cats like being picked up. However, when they are picked up, there should be no histrionics, and now there aren't any. I'm so proud of my baby! *beam*
He's also getting along better with the other cats. Not spectacularly well, but better. There's less hissing and spitting and nastiness. Mostly they've learned to keep out of each other's way, which is just fine. When they do come face to face, one or the other will get out of the way.
Last but not least, he's getting far more cuddly. He comes to me a lot more to get petted and to jump in my lap and demand my attention. He loves being brushed (he's a long hair and has a bit of trouble keeping his coat under control), although his stomach is still something of a sensitive area for him. Sometimes he likes having his tummy rubbed, and sometimes it's off-limits, depending on his mood. He basically has to offer his tummy to be rubbed, or else you're not allowed to touch it.
So, for a cat who, about six months ago, refused to come out of the closet for food or the litter box, this is pretty darned impressive. :)
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-04 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-04 12:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-04 12:57 pm (UTC)One of these days I'll post pictures of Smudge as well. I'll take new ones of him now and get the old ones developed. I hope the Before and After effect will be visible (I'm not a very good photographer).
I'm so pleased about this. I really thought poor Smudge wouldn't really get much better than he was a few months ago: healthy but really antisocial.
Antisocial cats
Date: 2004-01-05 02:48 pm (UTC)