Pets
Related: About this forumI'm gobsmacked. This beautiful, seven-month old kitten practically tamed himself.
First, the backstory: In early June, I caught three littermates and brought them to Friends of Feral Felines to be socialized, immunized and adopted. After several months, one of the boys was neutered and returned to me as untameable. I figured he could join my little colony of community cats, but he became friendlier and friendlier, and one day he followed me inside. Now he's a lovebug who likes to knead the covers while he licks my hand.
But I wasn't able to catch the fourth littermate--a gorgeous Siamese/tabby mix--until this past Saturday. I dropped him off to be neutered and picked him up yesterday morning. I wasn't sure if I should release him outside or isolate him in the bathroom and try to tame him. I ended up isolating him because I figured that although the odds of taming a 7-month-old feral cat were slim, it would be my only chance. After two hours of sitting with him quietly, I was able to pet him. When he started to purr, I almost cried.
Less than 24 hours later, here he is.
Now I've got to come up with a name.
(His stray mom is spayed now and has a potential adopter.)
lark
(23,994 posts)He's lucky you found him!
femmedem
(8,427 posts)I never thought this story would have such a happy ending.
cannabis_flower
(3,833 posts)Lucky
HeartsCanHope
(681 posts)Sounds like your baby will an absolute love bug like my Osie. Good luck to you both. Take care.
Edited to add : Osie's mom was Siamese, and his dad was an orange tabby. The coloring is almost identical!
2naSalit
(91,850 posts)He looks like his name might be "Nelson" but that's just a first impression.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)He was the shyest kitten in the litter, so I never would have predicted he'd take to humans this quickly. It must have helped that I fed him for months without doing anything scary and that he saw other cats trust me.
2naSalit
(91,850 posts)Very intelligent and beautiful.
SheltieLover
(59,187 posts)And you must be a cat whisperer.
Great job!
femmedem
(8,427 posts)AltairIV
(634 posts)Cats often sense who it is safe to place their trust in. Your patience, and obvious loving nature is a true gift! I look forward to future updates.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)I'm sure this won't be the last photo I share of him.
riversedge
(72,622 posts)femmedem
(8,427 posts)His mom was a tabby, and I think his father must have been an orange/Siamese mix that I've seen a few times.
catchnrelease
(2,003 posts)I've always heard this color referred to as Lynxpoint Siamese. Definitely a mix of Siamese and tabby. I've had a couple like this over the years, it's one of my favorite patterns. Congrats on your success in taming down this guy!
3catwoman3
(25,301 posts)And that silvery gray would be blue point coloring in standard Siamese designation.
niyad
(119,110 posts)or two and he will tell you his name.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)Although it took us forever to name one of our cats: we just called her gray girl for months, until we realized that gray girl translates to Gigi.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)niyad
(119,110 posts)niyad
(119,110 posts)Walleye
(34,781 posts)The conclusion was that they sort of domesticated themselves
femmedem
(8,427 posts)I'd love to know the book's title.
Walleye
(34,781 posts)femmedem
(8,427 posts)It doesn't sound like an enjoyable read.
Bayard
(23,999 posts)What about Chance as a name, since you took a chance on saving him?
femmedem
(8,427 posts)I'll have to run that by Mr. Femmedem!
EverHopeful
(354 posts)He was a foster we'd found a home for and his new Dad named him Chance because he was taking a chance on him.
Unfortunately (or as I saw it, fortunately for us) his new Dad's Mom got very ill and he needed to travel out west often to look after her so Chance came back to us. I was glad his Mom eventually recovered but more glad that Chance ended up with us as his furever home.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)littlemissmartypants
(24,917 posts)femmedem
(8,427 posts)His brother is a tuxedo cat with an unusual white streak along one flank, like a slender bolt of lightning.
Prairie_Seagull
(3,686 posts)That is not to say that your story 'isn't much' but stories like this give me hope that our kind is not completely fucked.
If you don't mine me saying, Well done femmedem.
PS, I am much more of a K9 dude.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)I grew up in a house full of Basset Hounds and Brittany Spaniels. But dogs would have been tougher for us to care for in our small urban house, at least until I retired. By then, we'd taken in some neighborhood stray cats and weren't sure how everyone would get along.
And I'm really glad this story could give you some hope.
k55f5r
(383 posts)A kitten that the neighbor left behind when she moved as she couldn't catch him to take a long.
We caught him and kept him.
He was a great cat and excellent mouser.
🎶Cisco cat was a friend of mine 🎶
Whatthe_Firetruck
(591 posts)Knee-jerk filk reaction. (Filk = science fiction / fantasy folk music.)
k55f5r
(383 posts)Most filk is cringe -worthy but this was pretty good.
Whatthe_Firetruck
(591 posts)Leslie Fish and Heather Alexander come to mind.
k55f5r
(383 posts)I never liked bagpipes much until I heard her.
Whatthe_Firetruck
(591 posts)Heather was transgender? He now tours as Alexander James Adams after he turned into a lovely baritone.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_James_Adams
TommieMommy
(947 posts)3catwoman3
(25,301 posts)The right name will come to you.
I look forward to many more photos and reports about him.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)lastlib
(24,651 posts)femmedem
(8,427 posts)lastlib
(24,651 posts)Maybe his DU fans should start a name sweepstakes?
femmedem
(8,427 posts)I don't know if it's because I moved him from the bathroom to the bedroom or because he's completely healed from being neutered, but he's become much more playful but less affectionate. He never tires of interactive toys like the feather wand, but he hasn't purred or let me pet him since that first day. We're still making progress--if I stretch my hand out towards him, he stretches his paw out to touch me--but he jumps if I touch his head or back.
He's still a miracle boy, though. It's incredible that he sleeps on the bed and will jump all over me if I've got the feather wand, considering how old he is and how little interaction he's had with humans. I believe that if I put the time in, he'll end up a love bug like his brother.
Capt. America
(2,482 posts)Hence, you could call him Beau(x).
femmedem
(8,427 posts)The fosterer named his brother Boo, so they would be Boo and Beau.
uppityperson
(115,772 posts)Purrrrrr
alittlelark
(18,910 posts)Your baby looks very similar - I think Silver is a good name
femmedem
(8,427 posts)Was your Silver an adult when he became domesticated?
We have a little drama here this afternoon: I let He Who Has Yet To Be Named out of the bathroom too early, and my oldest boy chased him into the bedroom, where he is currently hiding. My oldest accepted Boo so easily that I didn't anticipate this.
alittlelark
(18,910 posts)After I got him fixed and in the spare bathroom he stopped hiding and hissing. They were generally only in there for a few days - I kept him a week+ in the bathroom and he started coming to me. He was an amazingly smart and maternal male.
That's an amazing turnaround for a year-old, truly feral cat.
alittlelark
(18,910 posts)He almost certainly had even around people at a younger time. Males that are intact often go wild about 5-7 months old.
Duppers
(28,220 posts)He was the smartest Kitty we ever had.
femmedem
(8,427 posts)The odds of that must be as small as the odds of this guy becoming so loving, so quickly, after his feral beginnings.
Duppers
(28,220 posts)femmedem
(8,427 posts)He loves, loves, loves his feather wand toy.
CousinIT
(9,894 posts)You both are so lucky!
RandomNumbers
(18,111 posts)He looks like a Myst to me. (Nothing to do with the old game, just that "Misty" would be for a female , and that coat makes me think of mist rolling off a lake in the morning. )
You have lots of great suggestions for names here. I'm sure you'll pick the purrfect one!