I hope this is the last cat post...
The kitties are in safe hands at the Animal Rescue League.
It took patience, but we finally earned their trust and got them out of the air conditioning duct. We started giving them milk in the duct, then in the duct with the cover off, then in the bedroom right outside of the duct opening, then across the room. For awhile they would come out for the milk, but not all at once, and they would sometimes dash back into the vent when we would come around. We played cool, and left them alone except to keep milk in their bowl. They spent more and more time in the bedroom because after all, it is much more fun to play in a big room than a confining duct.
After about a day of that, I let their bowl stay empty for awhile to make sure that they were all hungry. About five minutes after I brought them milk, all four of them were lapping it up. I quickly put the grate on the air duct and that was the last they saw of their birthplace. Three of them seemed to take it in stride, but the little black one who was by far the most timid looked terrified. I'll bet she (he?) was the first to find the inaccessible hiding spot under the waterbed where they quickly took up residence. It took another day to get them all in one spot away from the bed to block off the entrances to that hiding spot. Finally they were all in the bedroom with nowhere to hide that we couldn't access. However, we didn't want to have to chase them. I'm not fond of hissing, claws, teeth, etc.
When I got home from work yesterday they were running all over our bedroom playing. I got my PDA and read some blogs for about an hour while they played. They didn't mind me in the room, as long as I didn't approach them. After awhile, they got tuckered out and prepared for their nap. All four of them were snuggled on the pillow that we had put on the floor in a Sterilite box. I snuck up on them, put my hand under the pillow, and WHAM! trapped them under the pillow. I was able to maneuver them into a box and take them to the ARL. Finally!
They are in good hands, but I confess I cried after dropping them off. They looked so scared and betrayed huddled in their cage. A friend at work volunteers at the ARL, and she promised to go and help tame them. She reassured me that kitties go fast and they will definitely be adopted. I tried so hard not to get attached to them, but after watching them play in our room a few days my heart couldn't help but thaw a bit. Not completely melt, but soften a little.
Now we have to figure out how much of a mess our duct is and how to clean it out. I hope we don't have to rip out a bunch of insulation, but we may have to . I try not to do the what ifs, but the thoughts of pee, poo, ripped up insulation and maybe even a dead kitty do creep in. Does anyone know if Tom Thumb or Thumbelina are looking for work?
It took patience, but we finally earned their trust and got them out of the air conditioning duct. We started giving them milk in the duct, then in the duct with the cover off, then in the bedroom right outside of the duct opening, then across the room. For awhile they would come out for the milk, but not all at once, and they would sometimes dash back into the vent when we would come around. We played cool, and left them alone except to keep milk in their bowl. They spent more and more time in the bedroom because after all, it is much more fun to play in a big room than a confining duct.
After about a day of that, I let their bowl stay empty for awhile to make sure that they were all hungry. About five minutes after I brought them milk, all four of them were lapping it up. I quickly put the grate on the air duct and that was the last they saw of their birthplace. Three of them seemed to take it in stride, but the little black one who was by far the most timid looked terrified. I'll bet she (he?) was the first to find the inaccessible hiding spot under the waterbed where they quickly took up residence. It took another day to get them all in one spot away from the bed to block off the entrances to that hiding spot. Finally they were all in the bedroom with nowhere to hide that we couldn't access. However, we didn't want to have to chase them. I'm not fond of hissing, claws, teeth, etc.
When I got home from work yesterday they were running all over our bedroom playing. I got my PDA and read some blogs for about an hour while they played. They didn't mind me in the room, as long as I didn't approach them. After awhile, they got tuckered out and prepared for their nap. All four of them were snuggled on the pillow that we had put on the floor in a Sterilite box. I snuck up on them, put my hand under the pillow, and WHAM! trapped them under the pillow. I was able to maneuver them into a box and take them to the ARL. Finally!
They are in good hands, but I confess I cried after dropping them off. They looked so scared and betrayed huddled in their cage. A friend at work volunteers at the ARL, and she promised to go and help tame them. She reassured me that kitties go fast and they will definitely be adopted. I tried so hard not to get attached to them, but after watching them play in our room a few days my heart couldn't help but thaw a bit. Not completely melt, but soften a little.
Now we have to figure out how much of a mess our duct is and how to clean it out. I hope we don't have to rip out a bunch of insulation, but we may have to . I try not to do the what ifs, but the thoughts of pee, poo, ripped up insulation and maybe even a dead kitty do creep in. Does anyone know if Tom Thumb or Thumbelina are looking for work?
posted by red fish at
6:59 PM
