Thread: Problem with rescue cat

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am feeling a little encouraged today: Humph has been in 3 times and hung around for some titbits of bacon, thanks to Monty stealing a slice off the chopping board. I guess food is a great motivator so he waited in line with the others and got his share. This evening he was thrilled to see me in the garden and did his little dance around me with finger licks and mewing, I thought I'd take a bit of a risk and picked him up for a minute, (he feels absolutely wonderful in the arms, so chunky and muscly!) he stayed calm and I put him back down again before he struggled. So that was OK. Then, most amazing of all, he came in for his dinner, didn't swear at anyone, and instead of asking to go out again, he settled down under the table for a bit of a wash and a nap. He's not done this for a few weeks! Larry and Monty were playing a boisterous game of ping-pong in the other room but Humph wasn't bothered by the noise. He didn't even murmour when they came up and gave him a good sniff. Larry, bless him, even tried to start a game with Humph by giving him a bit of a playful poke, but I moved him on before Humph reacted. Humph stayed put for about an hour, then OH gave him a little stroke, Humph swore (oops, maybe that was a bridge too far!) and soon after he was off outside after a pigeon.

But hey, that's PROGRESS!

It's so sweet, Larry and Monty don't hold a grudge, even though they've been sworn at so many times by Humph they just want to be friends with him and they never give up trying.

What great news,as I have said in another thread when it comes to things like this I always think the old adage "Make haste slowly" is the best thing to work by & fingers crossed that even if they don't all become the best of friends hopefully he will learn to
accept the others & not see them as a threat.
Look forward to updates.

Humph has just come in AGAIN and has settled down in his place under the kitchen table, even though Larry and Monty are snoozing on the kitchen chairs just inches away! We are ignoring them all and pretending it's all perfectly normal, then nipping into the other room to go 'YAY!'

Could be a different story when the kittens wake up and go mental, but still, all good progress!
I am starting to feel less depressed about this. Thanks for all your kind words!

That all sounds encouraging. Don't be depressed about it, I am sure it will all work out in the end. I think your right with ignoring certain actions, they are like children really aren't they, attention, attention, attention. Your doing a great job !

Thanks Harrymc. Humph is like a delinquent teenager: out all night, only comes in to eat all the food and be rude to you! But at the same time you know that behind the facade there is a really nice bit, waiting to come out....

Wow, wonderful news!! I am really glad that it start to turn out that way! Yeah, sometimes they just need just a little more time to get used to something. Great!

Hi everyone, thought I'd give you an update on Humph. Well really it's been one step forward and two steps back over the last couple of weeks. We have even got a possible new home pencilled in for him - my mother-in-law's neighbour whose cat died a couple of months ago - she is retired and lives alone although her family visits from time to time. So one person and no other cats. She has a big suburban garden and a cat flap, so plenty of space and easy access. She cooks fresh liver for her cat (she passed on the frozen portions to us when her cat departed). She's on holiday so would be getting a new cat next month when she comes back. If Humph went there we would still hear about him from my mother-in-law and might even see him around when we visit. The head says, Humph would love it there and we'll all be happier. But then Humph comes in, doesn't swear at anyone, and sits down under the table for an hour, and so then the heart says, he's making progress, and we can't part with him!! We have been agonising over this.

However, an interesting thing has started to happen. I am looking after my friend's jack russell terrier this week (Eric!), which I quite often do. Eric is a very nice old lad and a good boy. When Humph asks to come in for his food, he sees Eric, who just stands there wagging his tail, and Humph hesitates. He doesn't panic and run, he just stands on the doorstep, tail swishing, and you can see him thinking, shall I come in or not? The other cats are milling about around Eric, and Humph (so far) has decided to stay in the garden. Then when I'm at work all day (taking Eric with me), Humph has been coming into the kitchen to get his food, but his manners have suddenly improved. Instead of being on edge/hostile, he does the friendly dance around hubby, which up until now you would only ever get in the garden. Can it be that he's thinking, 'great, the dog's not here, and these cats don't seem half as bad by comparison'.

Eric is staying for a week, so fingers crossed Humph will turn a corner! I was worried that having Eric here would put Humph back even more, but it looks like it's bringing him on!

By the way, OH suggested that another cause of Humph's stress might be because the Criminals are unneutered, so they might have a particularly challenging smell to Humph? So when I get them 'done', this might also help?