Say “hello” to Archie, because he’s got plenty to say to YOU.
I first mentioned Archie at the beginning of December. He’d shown up at the feeding station around the beginning of November, and at first any time he saw either of us, he ran. Then Fred worked at wooing him, and he came around to being petted (and fed); the first picture I took of him sitting next to Fred and eating off a plate was on November 18th. He showed no interest in coming inside, which was a good thing, because I didn’t think the integration of a new adult cat would go over well at all.
(Some of these pictures may look familiar to you; Fred has posted some on Facebook, and I’ve posted some before, too.)
Archie started accompanying Fred to the back forty. The first time Archie climbed over the fence into the back forty, Fred about had a heart attack, thinking that George and Gracie would go after him. They didn’t, though, and I don’t know if it’s because he was with Fred or they “knew” him as not being a threat, or what. It’s hard to know, but I will say that I’ve never seen Archie out there without Fred.
Archie checks out the chicken coop.
I adore this picture so very much.
On Dirt Mountain, in the middle of the back forty.
Checking out the ducks.
Trying the pond water (yuck.)
If you look closely, you can see him coming around the side of the pond, in the middle-right part of the picture.
Sniffing noses with Gracie, who is unconcerned (possibly because Fred was right there.)
Near the side stoop.
By the time I was ready to get serious about finding Archie a real home, I’d waited too long. Fred had gotten attached. I stomped my foot and told him that we were not letting that cat inside, and he agreed. We now have four Rubbermaid containers stuffed with straw under the side stoop and another one on the front porch, by the way.
So, Corbie died on the 18th of January, and the following Friday I walked into the laundry room to find Archie standing there. I picked him up and put him outside on the side stoop. A while later, there he was in the laundry room again. Fred spent that entire weekend trying to stop Archie from coming into the back yard (which would have stopped him from coming into the house), but he’d get a barrier put up, we’d congratulate ourselves for stopping him, and a couple of hours later Archie would be back inside the house.
Sunday evening, I gave up. I told Fred that we could try to integrate him into the permanent residents, but if spraying started, then he was going to be rehomed. Fred pretended to agree.
It’s been, I guess, two weeks now? So far, it’s going pretty well. There’s been little pushback from the permanent residents, though Tommy makes sure to let Archie know at snack time that he’s getting tired of his shenanigans. But Tommy’s also tired of Stefan’s shenanigans, so I’m thinking Tommy’s just generally anti-shenanigans in his old age.
Archie has tried, literally, every single cat bed in this house, and he appears to have found his favorite – the big self-warming bed on the dining room table.
He comes inside first thing in the morning, joins in on snack time, spends the whole day sleeping, and then disappears around dusk. I honestly don’t know where he goes – I’m not discounting the idea that he really does have a home out there somewhere, but a collar with a note on it brought no response at all, so I don’t know. We’re committed to making sure he’s fed and cared for, and in the future maybe he’ll start spending the nights inside, but for now he’s an indoor/outdoor cat like Maxi, Newt and Stefan. (I typed that with Newt laying in a bed on my desk, snoring. At night, he settles into a cat bed on the dining room table and snores the night away. That’s a real indoor/outdoor cat I’ve got there, huh?)
The thing that’s the funniest to me is that when he was outside all the time, he LOVED following Fred around. He’d accompany him on his chores, rub up against him if he stopped, ask to be petted all the time. Now that he’s inside, he’s very much a “Okay, enough of the petting. You may go.” He doesn’t snuggle at all, he tolerates being petted and kissed, but mostly he just wants to sack out in his favorite bed and snooze the day away.
I’m hoping that it continues to stay as relatively peaceful as it’s been. Fingers crossed! (And yes, I’ll add him to the permanent residents’ page one of these days.)
Here’s a longer video that includes the clip at the top of the post. When I come out of the bathroom after showering in the morning, this is what I’m greeted with (the first section) and then they all accompany me to the kitchen whereupon everyone gathers at my feet as I prepare their snack, and Archie sits in the middle of the kitchen floor and lets me know he’s DYING of STARVATION.
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“Hello lady, my weird friend. You’ve come to rub my ears again?”
Getting the paw of That’s Enough.
“Brinnnng down the belly-rubbin’ hand!”
Smilin’ Garfunkel.
Flirty boy.
“You gonna pet me, or what?”
Bros, chillin’.
Sweet boy.
Simon in the sun.
He reminds me SO much of Stompers in this picture.
Simon and Garfunkel will get their last vaccinations Tuesday, and then Thursday they’ll be off to Petsmart! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind stay with us – only three weeks – but I think they’re ready to go. They’re skittish and lean toward being scaredy-cats, but if the people who adopt them are willing to give them time to come around, they should be okay. Over the weekend they started venturing out of the foster room, hanging out on the pagoda in the hallway, and checking out Fred’s room. Dennis went up to hang out with them several times, and it went well. They were both a little hissy the first time, then less hissy each time after that. By Sunday they were interested in what he was doing, and I expect that in the next few days they’ll even play with him a bit.
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Last week, I walked around the house every day at 10:00 in the morning, and snapped pictures of all the napping cats I could find. Then I took the pictures for each day and put them into a collage, and I’ll post one a day for this entire week.
Not all the cats are represented in all the pictures – some of them were outside or had disappeared to another dimension or whatever – but I think everyone’s represented at least once throughout the week. Also, you can click on the picture to see the bigger version over at Flickr.
Top row: Tommy on the platform in the front room; Sugarbutt in the doll bed in the dining room.
Second row: Archie in my recliner in the front room; Newt atop the Room with a View in the computer room.
Third row: Miz Poo in the huge self-warming bed in the computer room (next to my desk); Sheriff Mama (Kara) on the dryer in the laundry room.
Bottom row: Alice in the pile o’ beds on the dining room table; Dennis on a pile o’ blankets in the front room (near Fred’s recliner).
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Previously
2014: No entry.
2013: No entry.
2012: “Come here, my beloved bird seed. Come ever so closer…”
2011: “Where’s my mama?” starring Reacher.
2010: Skeptical Truvy.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.