I have a kittycat. Advice appreciated.

keyseddie · Jul 14, 2014

Sorry, here's more Felix. Followed the critter around for awhile this morn.
Felix and the baby frog fishin' instead of just wishin'

[/URL][/IMG]

Felix and the mermaid.

[/URL][/IMG]
Felix on a garden path.

[/URL][/IMG]
And chillin' on the deck

[/URL][/IMG]

limr · Jul 14, 2014

Aw, there's no need to ever apologize for pictures of Felix

Such a beautiful little tabby!

keyseddie · Jul 14, 2014

limr said:
Aw, there's no need to ever apologize for pictures of Felix Such a beautiful little tabby!

Thanks. Is that what he is, a tabby?

limr · Jul 14, 2014

keyseddie said:
limr said:

Aw, there's no need to ever apologize for pictures of Felix Such a beautiful little tabby!

Click to expand...

Thanks. Is that what he is, a tabby?

Yup. If I have this right, two colors with stripes/some spots are typical markers that signify tabby. They also often have that "M" on their foreheads and the lines that come out of their eyes, kind of like eyeliner, both of which are quite clearly seen in this picture you posted:

And if I remember correctly, there are different types of tabbies depending on the colors (grey and black, brown and black, tan and black...) and the pattern of their markings (predominantly stripes are Mackerel tabbies, but some have more swirly markings, and a lot of have spotted bellies, like leopards.)

Oh yeah, internet! Tabby cat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Three colors (usually black, orange, and white) is a calico and they often have a more patched look rather than stripes or more regular spots. And a cat with three colors but with more tabby-like stripes/dots is often called a calico tabby, or a calitabby. I've got one of those, actually. Black, tan, and orange but with a more tabby-like pattern. Meet Mrs.Parker!

Day 313 - Mrs Parker by limrodrigues, on Flickr

limr · Jul 14, 2014

Her sister Zelda is also technically a calitabby I think, although she has a gene that affects the color from appearing except on her head and tail, so she's got a little "calico" patch on her head but the rest of her is white:

Day 236 - Zelda sleeps by limrodrigues, on Flickr

snowbear · Jul 14, 2014

He's adorable.

Oh, and by the way - dogs have owners; cats have staff.

BillM · Jul 14, 2014

snowbear said:
He's adorable.

Oh, and by the way - dogs have owners; cats have staff.

You've obviously never met my dog's. :Joker:

Nice pictures of Felix, he's a real looker :thumbup:

Derrel · Jul 14, 2014

keyseddie said:
Tee said:

What Teri said.

I'm extremely baffled at the do not feed comment. It can still be an outdoor cat but goodness, give it some nutrition.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment and advice. Felix actually came in the conservatory, which is almost in the house. We had happy hour hanging out with him and he was happy to return outside. We are both a little perplexed by how much this critter has entered our lives.

This little fellow was part of my life for about 18 years!!! His name was Little Man. A tabby. Here he is in 2003, at age 11. A shot from the ancient Nikon D1, the 2.7 MP d-slr of the era.

[ 5336_LMf5.3180.JPG photo - Derrel photos at pbase.com ]

Yeah, the good ones reallllly do get ahold of you. In his dotage, Little Man liked to sleep on my desktop, where the tower's hot air exhaust and the heat from stacked external drives was high. When I would go into dinner he would "sneak" big, long drinks of my espresso and half and half, cold, right from the cup where I always left it on my desk. he loved cantaloupe and asparagus stems, as do many cats. He detested brie cheese, but liked its rhind...he loved peanut butter, as well as salmon eggs, and peas.

lambertpix · Jul 14, 2014

Looks like a great little cat. I've got two brothers from a litter that was found under the steps of my son's school. One is a hunter, and the other is afraid of his own shadow. Go figure. A year or so ago, I wound up with another one that was rapidly running out of lives at my ex's place. All three of them love it outside when it's nice.

This has only happened once -- ever:

IMG_3414.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr

Lol. Cats know what ice pellets splatting on the windows sound like, too. ;-)

keyseddie · Jul 15, 2014

Thanks for the detailed post, limr. 18 years, Derrel?? How long to cats live? Yours looks to have much the same coloring as Felix. Felix has settled in and seems to enjoy being an outside cat. Fierce t-storms that we have had recently don't seem to bother him at all. Has no apparent interest in going near the road. Walks around the swimming pool and pond and holes up in the heat, always appearing for late afternoon happy hour on his chair.

pesya.23 · Jul 21, 2014

Felix is completely awesome! :lovey:

As option you can feed him less, but please don't stop to feed him at all. If you try to feed him less, he will hunt on a small animals, but still will be supported by your side even if he doesn't catch anything. So you won't be worry about him, because you will know, that you give him some food and he will live

pesya.23 · Jul 21, 2014

Felix looks like a tiger when he climbs on the tree!
Has he caught someone already?

DevC · Jul 21, 2014

I had a kitten pop up in my yard a few days ago. It was fat and it ran away.

Cute cats although In this thread.

froggy1 · Jul 21, 2014

Hi everyone,

A newbie to photography but a lifelong rescuer and the founder/administrator of a cat rescue so I can definitely chime in on this one from years of experience. Sorry for butting in but one of the responses just made my blood boil from the lack of sense and compassion. Not feeding an outside cat so he gets hungry enough to catch rodents? BAD idea! On so many levels. First off, the hunter instinct varies from cat to cat. That has nothing to do with the amount they eat every day. Not feeding it will NOT make him go after the rodents. What it will do is either make him leave to go find food somewhere else or he will slowly starve and be prone to illnesses. One of these will eventually kill him. Other animals will feel that and will try to move in on his territory. To be an effective hunter, a cat has to be healthy and have the energy to hunt. Hence the regular proper nutrition. This kitten looks to be 8 to 10 weeks in the pictures and is definitely not feral. All you have to do is look in his eyes. Feral cats have a blank stare. There is no active connection with the person they look at. This guy is skittish and unsure of people but not feral. Just look at his body language. He hasn't decided yet if humans are a creature he should trust completely but, without a mom there to teach him dos and donts, he can go either way. If you leave him all winter and "water him' twice a week, you will come back to a completely feral cat by spring. If he has already bonded with your wife, then there is a good chance he can become a wonderful companion for your family or someone else while retaining his natural instincts. The average lifespan of an outside cat who has to scrounge around for food is 5 years. The one of an inside cat is 20 years. If your family wants him to be around for a long time and not go die off somewhere, I would suggest making him an inside/outside cat so he retains his hunting drive without becoming feral. A final point if I may. If your family has already named, vaccinated and fixed Felix, this means they have already formed a bond and are attached to him. If you don't nurture that bond, how will you manage to get him to the vet if anything ever happens to him? Do you really want your granddaughter to watch a pet she cares about, slowly waste away simply because he won't let anyone touch him or catch him? Just something to think of.