My Disciples,
As you may recall, when Thomas was first swept up in the capture, he was sequestered in Kitty Valhalla. A wire door kept him up there as he adjusted to his new, safely contained life. As he became more comfortable, the Guardians moved the door to the bottom of the stairs, and enclosed the stairs in wire. Then, they began leaving the door open all the time to allow Thomas to come and go to the rest of the house at will. Although the door was left open, it and the wire were left in place in case any problems arose. I’m excited to say that no problems ever did arise, so the Guardians removed the door and the wire, restoring the staircase to Kitty Valhalla to its former, unrestricted glory!
On the left you see the staircase with its wire and door still intact. On the right is how it appears now!
I was so excited that the wire was taken down, not only because it means Thomas is truly integrating into our family, but also because it means I can hang around on the stairs again! I love it there!
I love hanging out on the stairs! The wire prevented Me from fully enjoying it though.
The Guardians made quite a bit of noise while they were removing the door and wire, so Thomas stayed hidden upstairs, not knowing what was going on. When they were done, he timidly came to the top of the stairs and peeked down.
When the Guardians were done working, Thomas came to the top of the stairs and peeked down them.
Sensing something had changed, Thomas crept down a few stairs and then sat down. He couldn’t quite put his paw on what was different.
Thomas crept down a couple stairs. He knew something had changed, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was.
Thomas got a puzzled look on his face and shouted, “Leader Otis! The stairs seem bigger!”
Thomas looked puzzled. He shouted out to Me that the stairs looked bigger.
From the other room, I shouted back, “Yes Thomas! That’s because the wire is gone!” I heard him gasp, and then say to himself, “Oh yeah! This is actually kind of cool!” I walked to the stairs and looked up to see Thomas looking down at Me, totally relaxed.
I went to see how Thomas was doing. He was looking down at Me from the stairs and he was totally relaxed.
I asked Thomas if he was OK and he said, “Yeah! This is awesome! But I’m going back to bed. It’s only 3 pm, after all! See you tonight!” He then headed back up to Valhalla, presumably to pass the daylight hours on the Sacred White Cloud of Eternal Comfiness. I thought he would be more thrown off by this major change in his environment, but the kid seemed to take it in stride. He’s still a bit of a wild child, but Thomas rolls with the changes more every day. It’s a beautiful thing to see.
So Sayeth Otis
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So happy to see that Thomas is getting more comfortable. Great job Guardians!
Thanks smashingthroughlife! We’re all very proud of Thomas around here.
Thomas is such a photogenic boy. Glad to see you enjoying the stairs, Leader Otis. Your hip must be getting stronger every day!
It is, Christine. I’m even chasing toys for short periods of time, something I haven’t done in forever. I have a pretty bad limp when I run, but I know it’s going to continue to get better. Best of all, it doesn’t hurt like it used to!
that is so wonderful….we love to see people taking time to let everyone adjust and to see that Thomas has come so far!!!
We are all very excited by his progress, Random Felines. We didn’t know if he would ever trust humans again after being neglected and then dumped in a garbage pile. He’s really starting to let go of a lot of his fear though.
Super news for everyone – must seem lighter and more airy.
Yes, it does Animalcouriers!
We are so happy to see both Thomas and you, Leader Otis, looking relaxed and comfortable on the stairs. Our house has also been put right with the removal of the catmouse tree.. The catmouse tree made it difficult for da bird to fly or the red dot to roam freely. We hope you have fun with the added space in your home too!
Purring for you,
Mistletoe & Hitch
Thanks M and H. I’m glad to hear that da bird and the red dot can once again roam freely for you to chase!
Oh What a glorious sun puddle! And yous is right Thomas looks a little confused.
Kisses
Nellie
He was a little confused, but at least he wasn’t afraid. The kid is really starting to roll with the changes.
Very cool! So nice there’s so much space available to explore. Lots of exercise available now. Thomas did look a bit surprised. Ah, there is sun…don’t use it all up – we want some eventually!
I think we did use all the sun up, Phil. The rain has returned and it brought the wind with it! Hmmmm… or maybe that’s the other way around.
Awwwwwww, those photos are precious, especially the last one.
Thanks TPMD!
Yay for Thomas! He’s doing so well! I’m so glad he’s all safe and indoors and happy now! He’s awesome! Thank you for taking him in and teaching him how to be a perfect house cat!
We’re very excited by his progress, Andrea! He would still maul the Guardians if they were ever so bold as to try to pick him up, but he will allow them to pet him (on his terms, of course) and he will even purr and rub up against their legs sometimes. I think he will continue to progress too! He’s a trooper!
YAY Thomas!
Good for Thomas! Nice to have the fence down from Kitty Valhalla.
Yes! We are all very excited MCMF!
For a comfortable kitty, he looks just the eensiest bit, well, scary? wild-eyed? as he peers down at me through those railings. To tell you the truth, I’m kinda glad I am over here, on *this* side of the screen, so if he goes postal or sumfing, *I* will not be his target. Maybe You better grow some eyes in the back of Your head, Leader Otis, if You are going to lounge about on the stairs like that.
And, say, wasn’t it Thomas that was, You know, *staring* at Your backside just the other day??
Nah Spitty, Thomas doesn’t scare Me. He’s never been an attack kitty except when he is playing with Brother Henry. And that’s just plain funny, because he pounces at Brother H and Brother H stops him as surely as if he were hitting a brick wall. Brother Henry then slams Thomas to the ground and gives him a good natured mauling before letting him up to repeat the whole process.
Long ago I rescued a young calico and it took her an entire year before she would lie on my lap…even then she started out by first sitting beside me for a few months before she actually climbed on. Like you with Thomas, I always let her move at her on pace and decide when she was ready for things. Molly died in 2010 at the age of nineteen after having a long and happy life. She became extremely affectionate and cuddly as time passed and in the end I could hardly believe that the cat who shared my pillow every night was the same cat who came to me so emotionally damaged. I just know the safe and loving environment you have provided for Thomas, along with encouragement from the brothers will help him to become his real kitty self
Thanks so much, Cat’s Cats. Molly was so lucky you rescued her. Thomas is showing more of his True Spirit every day, and we just know that he still has a lot of growth ahead of him. Even if he stayed exactly like he is right now though, he would have a very happy life. He runs, plays, purrs and seems truly content, even if he is still skittish. A happy life is all the Guardians want for him. If he chooses to someday sit on their laps, that will just be icing on the cake.