Alice is the neighborhood cat that the neighbors took in a couple years ago, she may have been abandoned by a previous tenant somewhere on our street.
I think in the cat version of our neighborhood, she rules with an iron fist, but she doesn't like people at all. We lived in our house for probably 10 months before Tarquin came to stay with us, and in all that time I've never been able to get anything other than a judgmental stare from her.
Since Tarquin doesn't go outside, this is probably as close as they'll ever get to meeting.
Human:
We gave him a bath. He dealt with it like a champion. He tried to escape, but he didn't yowl or attack. He didn't really like the towel or the hair dryer, but he sniffed at it a couple times, so no panic.
I don't know how long he was out in the wild rolling in who-knows-what, and good grief did he need it. He has long hair, and getting it wet unlocked some righteous odors. Hopefully now his aroma has been reset to the factory settings.
Luckily, he started hanging out in the tub the next day, so he wasn't terribly traumatized. Cat:
Inside Pond is no fun. Humans made me soggy and lose all the smells I have been collecting. I will have to start a new collection.
Human:
We also ran the Roomba. He doesn't trust it, but he let it come right up to him before moving out of the way. Cat:
House Beetle is confusing, but does not seem to be a threat. Further study is needed.
Human:
The fishing pole toy with the fuzzy worm on it has lost all three ribbons over the course of the last couple of days. Cat:
Fuzzy Worm is still fun with no ribbons, just a little harder to catch. I'll get you, Fuzzy Worm!
Human:
Tarquin is one of very few cats I've met that doesn't have a negative association with the carrier. We keep it open under the coffee table, and during his first week with us he would just park himself inside if he was bored. Cat:
Me-Sized Box is safe. It's mine, and no one else can fit in it. Well, sometimes I bring Fuzzy Worm inside, too.
Human:
Unsurprisingly, he's also a fan of a paper bag. Cat:
Crinkly bag! I think I love you.
Human:
He tried to eat a small house spider the other night. It was a teeny thing, and at first I thought he was just going to watch it, but then he sniffed at it and tried to eat it. The spider's legs got tangled in his whiskers and fur and it just ended up crumpled and confused. It almost made it to safety, too, but Tarquin had a burst of predatory instinct and stamped at it with his big feet and tried to eat it again. I put the spider out of its misery. Cat:
I found a Thing with Many Legs the other night! It might have been delicious, but it was too small to eat. Since I could not eat it, I was courageous and bested it in single combat. Lady Human acknowledged my victory by removing my defeated opponent from the arena.
Human:
The main piece of the fuzzy worm toy snapped right off the string. He still chased the string, so giving up on the toy didn't seem fair. Husband tied the string around the worm part. Tarquin doesn't seem to notice that it's different. Cat:
Fuzzy Worm fell off and String still moved! Fuzzy Worm's essence lives in the string! String is still fun to chase, but is much harder to hold. Man Human did magic and put Fuzzy Worm back on the string. String is my real target, of course. One day I will eat it and absorb its power. But Fuzzy Worm makes String easier to catch, so I do not complain.
Tarquin's favorite activity: rubbing his face on us and purring. He might be the least shy cat I've met to date. His second favorite activities are purr-purr-BITE and "let's walk right next to someone and wrestle their leg while they're walking." These are not my favorite games, but we're working on it. Cat:
People are great! They seem grateful for my ownership. I put my scent on them from my face parts, and they reward me with pettings! But they seem constantly surprised when we wrestle. I do not understand.
Human:
I picked him up for a hug the other night and he thought it was an invitation to full-contact wrestling. When I put him down, he jumped at my waist. This would be hilarious if I could get him to keep his teeth and claws out of it. Cat:
Lady Human picked me up in a standing tackle! Obviously an invitation to wrestle! When placed back on the floor, I returned the gesture by leaping magnificently into the air like a panther. Lady Human laughed. I let it go this time.
Human:
Luckily, he's developing an interest in one of the fishing pole type toys we have. It kind of looks like a fuzzy worm with ribbons and a bell. The others just don't grab his attention. It's gotten a bit more ragged and shredded every day because he just gets so into it, but he still loves it. The bell came off after a day, the ribbons are starting to get shredded. Cat:
Fuzzy Worm comes alive! It is the best! I must take it apart piece by piece to see where its essence lives. I will eat that essence and absorb its power. The bell came off but did not make any difference. Further study is needed.
Human:
For such a high-energy cat, Tarquin is a pretty good nap companion. I was ill over the weekend and spent a lot of time sleeping, and he spent a good chunk of time napping with me. He can be a well-behaved little dude when he wants to be.
Cat:
Sometimes humans are lazy and sleep all day for no reason. It's okay, I like naps too.
Tarquin (TAR-kwin) is a young, friendly, energetic boy that needs almost zero adjustment time to new people or environments. We are fostering him through the Gifford Cat Shelter in Brighton, MA.
He came to the shelter with a wound behind his ear, so he needs to be kept away from other animals for six months. It's been shaved and stitched, and he's been neutered. I'm sure he didn't appreciate any of that, but his personality seems pretty bomb proof.
At the shelter, they brought him to the office for the first time and he came out of the carrier with his tail all the way up, ready to explore. He sniffed and rubbed his face on everything, including new people's legs.
That tail!
He was completely quiet on the drive home, and we decided we didn't need to close him in a bathroom or bedroom to give him time to adjust. We just let him out in the living room and supervised his exploration.
After ten minutes:
After fifteen minutes, he climbed into my lap and farted. I feel like we reached a milestone.
He has a habit of attacking hands and feet because he doesn't understand that kind of play is too rough for people. When he bites, he gets removed from the lap or the furniture. When he attacks feet, he's carried to another room and left there. So far, that seems to be working.
He doesn't sleep on the bed much, but he'll jump up and say hello, maybe lie down at our feet for a few minutes before wandering off.
