Rita's Ramblings: a basically house-bound woman in Fargo, North Dakota blogging for friends, family, and anybody who finds it interesting. I talk about art or craft projects, my grandsons (Ian and Liam), the weather, movies, books, health, and whatever happens to be going on in my life. Welcome!
Miss Alley was meant to be! Cats Cradle had just put an ad out in the paper featuring Alley so they had started to get calls on her. The first question Gail asked me was if I saw the ad about Alley and was that why I was asking. They had several people calling up about her--but I had contacted them before the ad came out and I think she was glad I hadn't just responded to the newspaper.
Anyways, after our phone interview on Monday evening I had an appointment for 4pm Tuesday to come and meet her...even without the office having gotten the paperwork done. (Still not done because I have walked down and called and no one has been there.) What was cool was Gail remembered Blink (McFamily's cat) from almost 5 years ago!
I got ahold of Leah and she and the boys would take me. I was so excited I couldn't sleep much.
You know I have a week's worth of photos of my new roommate! You are forewarned!! Grab a cuppa and prepare to meet Alley.
Tuesday
The little partridge family appreciates the water more than anything.
They even parked themselves for a long rest that afternoon.
Leah and the boys picked me up at my garage. Had to pick up the cat carrier, litter box, etc, from the garage--just in case--so we had them in the car. When we got there I went in and asked if Leah and the boys could come in to meet Alley, too. Yes!
Alley was in room 4 with must have been 9 or 10 lively cats--several of whom wanted out of the room which made getting in and out a trick. I saw Alley right away--the only cat not moving--kind of hiding up in a big soft cat bed on a shelf. The minute you went to pet her and scratch her neck she purred and pushed her head against your hand. She made no moves to get up or come out of that bed but you could tell she was starved for the affection. I knew immediately that she was the one. Leah and the boys stayed in the room while I went to fill out paperwork. (Liam got scratched--there were some meaner cats in there and a couple cats that didn't like each other the boys told me.)
Leah and the boys helped carry things into my apartment. We were all excited! Got a picture of them leaving. Liam was putting his shoes on.
Well, Alley never stopped moving!! From the time she got out of the carrier she was going over every inch of this apartment. After quite a while she did come up to visit me on my chair. This was the first time. She was up and down many times.
She came up but was still quite nervous and confused.
It looks like she is jumping down but she was rubbing her head on the chair. Self-petting.
She'd rub on my feet...
...startle and freeze at any little noise.
When she came up she got lots of pets and head rubs and neck scratches. She never quit moving on my chair, either, and didn't stay long.
She was afraid of the patio door for a while. Gradually in her many travels about the apartment she went closer and closer. Finally got right up next to it.
Closed as it was 90 degrees that day--and the air conditioner going on and off scared her for a while, too.
About two hours later she actually sat still for a while. Noticed the birds outside. I got a short video.
She snuck up on the birds taking baths and drinking on the hot-hot day.
You could tell she was tired...
...but she couldn't sit still.
She was especially nervous when she heard people out in the hallway. I'm sure she expected someone to come in the door...and possibly take her away again. (Or bring aggressive cats in here--LOL!)
Alley had been dumped off at the pound first. Cats Cradle rescued her from there. Then she was in this room with many aggressive cats...she hid in the corner for two weeks. Then she commandeered that one bed she liked, seemed afraid to leave it, and spent her time trying to be invisible...for two more weeks. I don't know how long she was at the pound before that...but you know pounds, it couldn't have been too long.
The cat who never moved at the center...
...didn't stop moving at my place all night long. She'd even check out the ceilings for some reason...over and over.
The TV, too. Couldn't stop moving.
I wondered if she would like some cat toys. You can see in this short video that she did!
Oh, and a vet guesstimated her age at 8 years old. They don't know for sure.
Wednesday
Well, Alley searched all night for her old home and human...and cried. I think she was also looking for the bed she had at Cats Cradle. I don't have any beds like that. (So I ordered some--LOL!) I have the flatter, mat-kind that my last two cats liked. It was like when you bring a new baby home...not much sleep and a lot of crying.
Alley was so totally exhausted from all those hours of pacing about and the move that come Wednesday morning she needed to just crash. She slept most of the day--on the fluffy rugs in the bathroom. She'd come out to see what I was doing when I was in the kitchen for just a few minutes--but she was so tired she'd head right back to the bathroom to sleep.
It had rained a little during the night. Was cooler so I could have the patio door open. When Alley finally came out to stay around dinnertime--she was shocked that the patio door was open. She hadn't noticed being half awake--LOL!
That open door scared her for a while but she got over it quickly because of the birds--LOL!
The open door won her over completely!
In fact, she liked to hang around by the screen...a lot!
She started to calm down and relax a bit more.
Thursday
Alley still cried and searched the apartment during the night. But by Thursday she could actually sit with me without needing the constant reassurance of non-stop petting and scratching or her self-petting head rubbing.
We had another day with the door open most of the day.
Friday
I did laundry, knee acting up all week, Leah dropped off Costco groceries. When I went out to the parking lot with my cart...Alley ran way back away from the door. I'm sure thinking back to the Cats Cradle room. When I came back and shut the door--one happy cat came up for some petting and reassurance. :)
Alley was actually able to sleep with me on the chair!
Was 95 degrees so closed up. I saw one adult partridge alone. Hope it was the loner. Haven't seen the family for a while--but been quite occupied with Alley--LOL!
She was starting to get used to the routine here and crying less at night. Even coming up to sleep with me for a while once at night, too. (Probably wonders why this crazy human doesn't have a nice comfortable bed for her to sleep in--LOL!)
By Friday she decided she trusted me enough that she was sleeping with me on the chair...often!
And she was able to really conk out no matter where she was.
She is pretty used to the loud clomping neighbors upstairs and the noises in the hallway not meaning someone is coming in here.
She can be in deep sleep with me on the chair.
We had a thunderstorm Friday night.
Alley even slept on the chair with me some...and only woke me up crying twice.
Saturday
Went from 95 degrees to low 70s after the storm!!
Alley and I are getting used to each other already.
She looks happier and calmer.
She's not afraid to doze off wherever.
I can tell she was loved and cared for before she was dumped off at the pound. When she lolls about on the floor she is used to people walking around her--LOL!
[I got out of the habit when Annie was here the last five years. Annie was always too skittish to be underfoot--ever. She was always watching where you were, you know? Too nervous about being stepped on...always feeling she wasn't important. I never had to worry about stepping on shy Annie.]
Alley has been loved and cherished. That is why she keeps searching for her human and her home. She's in a home and I am a human...so I think she will accept this as her home and me as her human over time.
She withdrew completely at Cats Cradle, obviously. She didn't know what was going on or why she was there with all these pushy (mostly younger) cats. They left her alone. So she must have given them what for at some point--LOL! But she didn't like any of them or want any part of their shenanigans.
Sunday
Alley finally started eating! She had just been picking at her food and not eating much. Woke up Sunday morning and her little dish was completely empty! Nice! She had actually had enough water to notice, too.
She is spending more and more time with me whenever I am in my chair. I've had to wake her up when I need to do something even--LOL! She's snoozing here with me as I am typing right now. But she actually did get up on my other little lounge chair Sunday. Finally. I thought she might like it as "her" chair but apparently she didn't like the cat bed I had on it. So I just put a squishy throw on it and now she will snooze up there, too. Her new beds should come this week from Petco.
Oh, and something funny! She has fur that sticks up all down the back of her head--like a mohawk or Alfalfa! Cute!
You can tell what I was up to all week. I couldn't even work on letters in my chair until the end of the week. Miss Alley finally calmed down and was okay with me having my stack of pillow & lapdesk for writing on my lap...and she was okay with there still being room for her on the footrest. So she is getting used to me and trusts me quite a bit already.
I wondered if I should change the spelling of her name to Allie. But so far it seems like I have stuck with Alley. It is her past, you know? I think up until the last couple months she had a good life. I'm thinking maybe she lived with someone who died or had a stroke or something like that and the family or the police dumped her off at the pound. That's just a feeling I have. Because it feels like she was loved and special to someone...and then they would never dump her off at the pound like that, you know?
So now you have met Miss Alley. I think she and I are going to be bonded snugly in due time. Last night--she only cried once to wake me up at dawn. I think her former human was probably an early riser by Alley always crying at dawn's light. Not this human--LOL!
Just got a note on that website that my sister, Renee, was back in the hospital for an infection and then went to a new rehab place. She's expected to be there for a few weeks. I hope she stays out of the hospital now. (You can probably tell we siblings are not that close.)
Last week I watched some Netflix DVDs: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Spiderman: No Way Home, and Starman. I loved Starman and actually wanted to see it again. I don't re-watch movies very often--except for my Christmas movies every December: It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. Watched S8 of Brokenwood Mysteries and finished Murdoch Mysteries S15 both on Acorn.
So, now I can start calling the office again to see if I can catch anyone there. If not I will try to leave a message to set up an appointment to do Alley's paperwork. I am not walking all the way down there after doing that a couple of times last week. I've been calling but no one is there--just get the recording. I didn't want to leave a message (they're not the best about getting back to you) but I guess I will try if I can't get anybody today.
Rest assured, I won't have this many pictures of Alley after today but you can bet you will be seeing her regularly. She's a pretty girl and easier to photograph than Annie was. More like Miss Karma to take pictures of. I didn't think I would have a new cat this soon...at all. But Alley was meant to be. I am so glad she is here.
Till next week, my friends! From one happy cat lady in Fargo. :)
