I Finally Have some Pictures of Her!!!

Hi everyone!! Some of you may know that I am caring for a neighborhood stray cat whom I fondly call Crookshanks (due to the badly healed break in her tail...). I ache to leave her outside and I really want to bring her in as a 3rd housecat, but hubby doesn't think it's a good idea with our small house and Scooter's behavioral problem. I'm hoping to gradually start letting her in though...hehehehehehe So far I'm getting Marius and Scooter used to her presence since I keep her food, water and shelter in our backyard by the sliding glass door. A lot of times I'll open the glass door, but leave the screen shut, so Marius and she can sniff each other through the screen and get used to each other that way.

I finally got some pictures of her and wanted to share!!!! Here she is sitting pretty in front of my house...

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Here's another one of her sitting out front. You can kinda see the crook in her tail in this one...
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And here she is being guard kitty...:D
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Oh she melts my heart! What a beauty.

Her introduction into your home reminds me of Butter, Karen!! I kept telling myself "no, don't feed him", then "well, feed him, but don't let him inside". You know where I am now! LOL!!

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I think she is gorgeous, by the way!! And I love the unique little crook in her tail!! :D

Wow Karen she's a real beauty! Don't tell me she doesn't melt your hubby's heart? ;)

Thanks guys!!! Actually, I think hubby is growing a little fond of her:) He always comments on how sad she looks and he took some pics of her!!;)
Logan, don't you just love how they sneak their little furry bodies into your heart??!! hehehe Butter is a gorgeous cat. When Amberlee and I were at the cat show in Pleasonton there was a cat rescue group there and I was in love with all the babies needing homes. One of them was a gorgeous flame point, and I thought of you! I wish I could take them all!! It's a weakness!! I'm thinking I may just start letting her inside slowly...the only problem is where to put a 3rd litterbox if I can successfully transform her into a housecat!! Yikes!!
It's kinda gross, but our litterboxes are in the kitchen since it's the only place where there was room. So, needless to say, Scooter's huge playpen takes up a majority of our kitchen floor!! LOL LOL
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Ooh, look at those sweet eyes! She's lovely!

I bet she'll be inside in no time ... ;)

Crookshanks is so beautiful!!!
I have only 2 litterboxes for my 3 cats.(Hint);)

Wolflady,

The kitty looks like a very dignified lady cat. Do you
know her age or anything about her medically ?

She is a very Pretty kitty !!! Good luck to you .

Sorry if I've missed something previous, but who is
the kitty in the cage? Thanks. Liz.

Those pictures are so sweet. What a pretty kitty! I love those little tabby tigers.

We've got one of those strangers too. He's very interested in our house, and simply comes inside, walks up the stairs and goes to sleep in my bed!!! I named him Brian Boogieman (my cats are afraid of him)

http://www.photogra.com/galleries/34...0222045108.jpg

We don't feed him; he takes what he needs.

What lovely pictures! I bet there's no way you can keep her out now, LOL! :D She's a real beauty! And of course she'll charm her way in in no time - she already has I suppose. The way you handle them getting used to each other is just perfect!! ;)

Please, let us know how it's going! :)

What a beautiful lady! They just take over your heart don't they?

Auggie;) True, true....that's a thought! HA!!! I'm sure she and Marius could share litterboxes if I were to be able to bring her in successfully.
Liz, that's Scooter in his huge playpen that is stuck in the middle of our kitchen floor! :D He seems to like it and feels safe there, but I still feel bad about leaving him cooped up in there when we are unable to supervise him. He has a behavioral problem and this was the last thing we could think of to try, and it seems to be working!:)
I did take Crookshanks to my regular vet when I first moved into the neighborhood since I knew my vet was involved with the TNR program. Since I do volunteer work with a cat rescue, I was able to bring her in and have her vaccinated, checked over and spayed all for $10!! They also put a little notch in her ear so they know that she's been taken care of under the TNR program. Apparantly she'd been spayed already, so that was good...but she was in very bad shape (very thin) so it seems like she's been out on her own for awhile. I think they estimated her to be 4-6 years old. She's a really leggy cat too! Very tall! Even taller than my 15 pound boy cat!!!LOL LOL
C.C's mom, Brian Boogieman is a very striking cat!! Where did he come from? So funny how they can just take charge and barge right in, eh?? LOL :D It sure looks like he's taking all he needs! LOL LOL He's a very...filled out cat!:D
Randi and Gini, both my mom and I really want to bring her in...or at least find a good home for her. She is a really sweet cat, a little rough around the edges, but sweet. It's nothing a little TLC couldn't fix!;) I did mention it to hubby last night and he got all on the defensive with me. I was a little surprised at that!! He said that we can't let her in because she's already peeing on the doorstep! Now, this is news to me! It's the first time he mentioned that to me, so I was a bit surprised and hurt when he got mad:(
Do female cats spray like males do? This just seems very strange to me, but maybe she's just marking her territory, because I have seen neighborhood pet cats in my front yard since I put food for Crookshanks out there. But it could be any one of the neighborhood cats too, right? I can see why hubby is concerned, as Scooter has that behavioral problem where he'll pee on the floor for no reason...and we can't have 2 cats peeing in the house!! I don't know what to do on that front with Crookshanks...but maybe it would be different if she were inside??
**hugs** to you all!!
Karen

Oh Karen, I am sorry to say, Yes! female cats pee in the house.
I have forest green carpeting and there is discoloring in every room from my (rainbow bridge) calico, Patches. She peed at the slightest whim - in front of us - while we weren't looking, anywhere, anytime. I had her for over 16 1/2 years and she was a problem child from day one!!

We could never figure out what it was that caused it, because for two years of her young life she was an only cat. It didn't matter how much attention she got, how many treats she just would decide to pee! I have to tell you that it was maddening, but on the good side of the coin, I have never had a cat that was more expressive, loyal, talkative and very loving. She ordered me around - told me when it was time to go to bed and curled up contentedly at my head each night as I rubbed her belly! I work at home, and she spent every day inside with me in my office, supervising my work. Strange, but she never peed in my office.

Gini, this sounds just like our Scooter's behavior!! Very strange, huh? It's wierd, because Scooter is really a one person cat. He loves his daddy, which is adorable...but he really can't stand anyone else including me!:( LOL LOL So, I guess you could say he's really loyal to his daddy!;)
Cats can be so confusing sometimes, but we love em anyway. Your Patches sounds like she was a very precious girl;) Do you have any pics of her?

I'm thinking that if Crookshanks is peeing on the door, it's probably because of all the other cats that come into our yard to eat her food...which would be understandable. I guess I'll have to make a point of looking at the door tonight when I get home...

Quote:

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Originally posted by gini
Oh Karen, I am sorry to say, Yes! female cats pee in the house.
I have forest green carpeting and there is discoloring in every room from my (rainbow bridge) calico, Patches. She peed at the slightest whim - in front of us - while we weren't looking, anywhere, anytime. I had her for over 16 1/2 years and she was a problem child from day one!!...

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Isn't this strange?? I have had many cats over the years and never has a single one ever wet the floor! Guess I should be grateful. I figure if Mimi was ever going to do it, she would have done it when Butter came to live with us, but she hasn't. And Butter hasn't done it either. He will only use the litterbox (and he has one of his "own") if he is inside for a long period of time. Mimi does use the litterbox more now since she is getting older, but still prefers to do her business outside and come right back in.

I guess I'll consider myself lucky, and grateful that I don't have any carpet in my whole house!!!! :)

Crookshanks is lovely. No wonder you love her already. It does sound like you'll need to 'make haste slowly' re. introducing her to your home. Maybe some of the problems with Scooter are getting your husband down???? Or maybe other things are stressing him and overreacting about the cat was easier for him than dealing with it/them??? (I read a book about communications this last week -- I'll be obsessing about comm. challenges till I get caught up on cat mysteries again!!! :rolleyes: :eek: :D )

Karen, did your husband actually see her pee on the doorstep? I'm sure there are other neighborhood cats coming around if you put food outside. You're doing a great job, because she doesn't look very thin anymore. She looks healthy and well fed.
C.C.'s mom, how funny, he made himself right at home.
I usually let my cats out in the backyard for a few hours, leaving the backdoor open for them. Imagine my surprise one morning seeing a strange cat in the kitchen eating my cats food. From that day on he came to eat every morning and evening. I called him gray boy. He would always announce his presence with his distinct Siamese meow. My cats never bothered him. They even let him spent one rainy day inside sleeping. When he suddenly showed up one day with a collar and rabies tag, I was so happy that he had a home. He finally stopped coming around all together, and I often wonder what happend to him.

She seems to have a very determined look in her eyes . . . wanting to be on the other side of that door, no doubt!:)

I can understand your trepidation with letting her inside, which could compound the behavioral problems already present.

Probably the porch marking is simply Ms. Crookshanks way of broadcasting that this home is soon to be hers so back off, kitties:)

*MY* Scooter has problems behaving himself? I don't believe it...;) :p LOL

Edwina is jealous of Crookshanks and all the attention Marius is giving her -- although she has to admit that tail thing IS an exceptional look! Sort of a "woman with a mysterious past" look juxapositioned with the innocence of that "milk mouth." Very clever in deed and surely effective!

Logan, this is actually pretty strange for me too! LOL LOL All of the cats I have ever encountered in the past never had any problems. Scooter is the first "problem child" I have ever seen! LOL LOL Regardless of his 'cat-titude', the hubby just loves him to pieces. I do hate to think that it is actually our fault he developed the behavioral problem in the first place. Funny thing...all of my cats that have been 'rescued' have been the best cats. Scooter is the only one that actually came from a home...a situation that wasn't bad in other words...whereas all of the other cats I have taken in have been starving bags of bones from the street. Funny, how he's the only one that has a problem, huh?? LOL Mimi and Butter are both gorgeous...and I tell ya...the next house I live in is going to be all tile and hardwood floors!!!:D

Auggie, I don't think my hubby actually saw her pee on the door. I think he just assumed. I think that if it is her, then I can understand because she probably thinks of our home as her place, since we feed her...so she's marking her territory from the other cats that want to come and eat her food. She does look 100% better than she did when I first saw her that day I moved in! Poor thing was nothing but a bag of bones....and you could feel her spine like a string of pearls down her back! Yikes! I'm happy that she seems to be in good health:) The story about grey boy is priceless! Funny how some cats can just barge in when they feel like it! I sure hope he's in a loving home since he stopped coming around!

AvaJoy, I tell ya....she really does want in....literally!! She always runs up the front walk to the front door when I come home at night and looks up at me with those sappy eyes saying 'ya know ya want to let me in!!' I always hate going inside and closing the door on her:( I think I'll let my kitties get used to her presence through the screened door, and maybe start letting her in when I think everyone will be ok with each other....hehehehe

For Tonya....
Scooter misbehaving??!!! Never!! LOL LOL He just gets...uh...p*ssed off so to speak! LOL LOL
http://www.photogra.com/galleries/35...0225210349.jpg
Auntie Tonya, I'm not gonna have a FEMALE cat move in!! No way, no how!! I don wanna sister! Yuk! Come git me!!'

Quote:

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Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Edwina is jealous of Crookshanks and all the attention Marius is giving her -- although she has to admit that tail thing IS an exceptional look! Sort of a "woman with a mysterious past" look juxapositioned with the innocence of that "milk mouth." Very clever in deed and surely effective!

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Hey all, Marius here!!! My sweet schnookums, dearest Edwina....my grey and white beauty with velvet feet...

She dances with mooncrickets
and plays with moonbeams
like a wondrous child....
Her whiskers, long and lustrous,
she preens like a lady
dressing her hair.
silver meddle earned for
impressive 'curling' techniques...
my pink nose pressed
'gainst the 'puter screen
(steam from my breath obscuring my view)
to get a glimpse....of my purrrrr-ti-ful Edwina!!!

nothing could compare to you, my little cat nip blossom=^..^=
http://www.photogra.com/galleries/35...0221122228.jpg

Longing for you...
Marius

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AvaJoy, I tell ya....she really does want in....literally!! She always runs up the front walk to the front door when I come home at night and looks up at me with those sappy eyes saying 'ya know ya want to let me in!!' I always hate going inside and closing the door on her:( I think I'll let my kitties get used to her presence through the screened door, and maybe start letting her in when I think everyone will be ok with each other....hehehehe
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THATS IT KAREN! Please just forget to close the door - Crookshanks will be in with you - you'll be soooo happy that hubby will be pleased HE thought of it!!!!!!
She's so beautiful and needs a home.:)
Lynne

Gosh Marius! A boy kitty who says such things to me!
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You see, the only boys I have ever known are...well....canine -- like my cousins Gavin, KC, and Odin and they can be real...dogs.

My poppa is VERY protective of me. When I first came to live with him and my momma my belly was shaved and my poppa didn't want any boys to see me because well...personal stuff was showing :eek: :eek: So you see, I'm very innocent and naive about boys -- and the world (we don't discuss my previous life on the streets -- I am a cat after all and get to start over on new lives.)

So I am intrigued, enchanted, flattered and SCARED by your attentions! You are so pretty, white, fluffy, urbane and well...coastal. Me...I'm a simple midwestern girl -- with a thing for the Winter Olympics (my momma grew up with an Olympian classmate) and a passion for head gear.

So my little fluffcake, what can I offer a sophisticated dude cat like you? (And please my poppa mustn't find out I have written you!)

Private message to Edwina,

Guard your heart sweet child; these bi-coastal
romances seldom work out. Alas...But on the other
hand Marius does write such sweet endearing
verse.(and he's sooooo cute)

Dearest Edwina...my cat nip blossom, my little salmon butter biscuit....
The mere fact that you responded sets my motor runnin'. The moment I saw you with that silver meddle...I melted. However, it was the gold meddle of MY heart that you won that day....:o
I can't explain this feeling!! To be honest...I am a little startled by these feelings too...

A simple midwestern girl???...You under-rate yourself, my little liver morsel!! Purrrrrr....after all, I'm from Indiana...a mid-west boy myself! Although I had a rough life on the streets there...I have turned a new leaf in my lives and love livin' the calm housecat life. I feel I don't quite fit in out here in the "the valley" as they call it. My midwestern roots are just too strong, and there is a lot of 'materialistic and fast movin' kats' out here.

"Eres la niña que siempre busque
Es tu inocencia que quiero entender"

Until next time....my little cat nip blossom...I'll be purring for you....
=^..^=
Marius

Karen - I see a 3 indoor cats household in your future:D :D :D

Karen, Andy is very envious of Marius' way with words. He was wondering if he might just pass himself off as Marius and possibly win Edwina's affections but then decided it wouldn't work as he would need a love note writer. He'll just have to live vicariously through the two of them I guess! LOL!

P.S. The shot of Marius pining at the window is just a hoot!!! :D :D

Quote:

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Originally posted by Pam
Karen, Andy is very envious of Marius' way with words. He was wondering if he might just pass himself off as Marius and possibly win Edwina's affections but then decided it wouldn't work as he would need a love note writer. He'll just have to live vicariously through the two of them I guess! LOL!

P.S. The shot of Marius pining at the window is just a hoot!!! :D :D

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ROTFL!!!

Sound like a cat who needs Cyrano...

Quote:

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Originally posted by AmberLee
Sound like a cat who needs Cyrano...

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http://plauder-smilies.com/happy/roflmao.gifhttp://plauder-smilies.com/happy/roflmao.gif

LOL LOL
"Cyrano himself is a passionate man whose great white plume, his panache, was to make himself in all things admirable"....doesn't this describe Marius??? LOL LOL

:D :D to a TEE Wolflady:D :D