11: Xmas Eve

Gus really likes the rosemary faux xmas tree we put up. He gives it a nibble now and then, probably to freshen his breath after snacks. He's becoming one of the family around here, he wakes us up when it is breakfast time, he is beginning to let us pet him "out in the open" (before you would have to corner him or catch him sleeping). He is visible more now than hiding, which is a pretty big step for him.

Anyway, here is a photo of Gus sleeping in the front window, catching some rays.



Sorry about the lousy photos, I still haven't bought a new cord for my camera.

10: Bolder every day

Gus is really coming out of his shell. He'll still hide if you are moving around the house quickly, but about half of the time, if you approach him slowly enough, calling quietly and snapping your fingers, he'll stand there, looking at you, rubbing his chin and tail against the door frame. He is still unsure about being petted if you're standing up, but he's getting more confident.

Here's Gus sleeping on the guest bed, curled up next to The Bunny. Gus is purring in this one, he let me pet him for a bit before I took the photo. He was reaching over to try to get The Bunny to play. Little does he know that Bun is 15, and kind of not super playful anymore.



Sorry about the low-quality photo, I forgot my camera cord in my desk at work, and I'm on vacation. I'll try to pick up a new camera cord this weekend.

9: Asleep in the bed

A cameraphone photo just sent from Allen to me:



Gus, asleep on our bed. It is nice that he now sleeps on top of things instead of beneath them, and that he is getting used to the sounds of us moving around in the house, so we can get close enough to snap a photo. He is still very skittish.

Update 8

I'm probably not going to be able to maybe update every day, so I'll just start numbering them, I guess. This weekend marked one week with Gus. He's made really vast improvements this week. He's taken to sleeping on top of sofas and beds instead of beneath them, although he'll frequently still jump down and hide if you disturb him. He has begun letting us snuggle him when he is sleeping in our bed, which is nice. Also, he purrs more often. He has started playing with my hands when I pet him while he is snoozing in bed. He'll "grab" my hands with his paws and give me a nibble and then lick my fingers.

He's still pretty skittish, but he is really coming out of his shell and hanging out in the living room more often, turning his back to us, standing upright, etc. I am impressed with his progress.

Here's a photo of Gus sitting on top of the sofa, looking out the window at the squirrels running around outside this morning.



Here he is, in a frenzy over the Laser Pointer:



We're really impressed with his progress. I think in another month or so, he will really have come out of his shell. He is a lovely cat, with sleek black shiny fur and those lovely golden eyes.

Day 7

Well, Gus has decided maybe we're not so awful after all. He has found a new spot that he really loves, the cubbyhole in the cat tree:



Other things we've discovered Gus loves:
--Treats (no surprise)
--Snacktime (ditto)
--Not cuddling (ha!)
--The laser pointer!

Gus goes BANANAS over the laser pointer! He forgets about EVERYTHING, the dog, us, the other cats... He just follows the light and races after it! It's hilarious. We've started using this as a method for getting him out of hiding so we can pick him up for his forced cuddle.

No purrs today, he is in protest for his weakness yesterday.

Day 6: The breakthrough

Last night during his Forced Lovin' time, I made Gus sit in my lap and eat wet food while we petted him, scratched behind his ears, and stroked his lovely shiny black fur.

And he started to purr. Almost imperceptibly at first, and then finally into a loud throaty guttural outboard-motor kind of purr that made him choke on his snack. He didn't stop eating or purring, though, and we even were able to stop holding him in place, and he stayed sitting in my lap, being loved.

I gotta admit, I cried a little. I have waited a really long time to hear Gus purr.

Of course, a few minutes later, he'd had enough and slinked back off to one of his hiding spots.

He is coming out of hiding more and more, though, and doing more exploring. He comes out of his shell more and more. I'm pretty sure most of the time he's just looking at me to see if I happen to maybe have a bag of treats, or a can of food...

Oh, also, he's started lifting his tail and holding his head up* when I call him or say his name. Sometimes he even will rub his body against the wall or sofa or table or whatever. He is ALMOST acting like a real cat!

I swear I didn't replace his eyes with lasers.


*In case you've never witnessed a feral or fearful cat, they hold their tails down, keep their bodies and their heads low. They stay as close to the ground as possible, to avoid being seen. So holding up his tail and swishing himself against furniture is really a HUGE leap in his confidence level.

Day 4 & 5

Gus is still skittish, but he and Zsazsa have become BEST FRIENDS. They tear after one another all around the house, skidding around corners, trilling for one another, chasing and jumping and basically wreaking havoc. I think Zsazsa is going to do more to tame Gus than we suspected. When Gus is playing, he mostly forgets to be afraid, which is excellent.

Also, Gus has found this little circular cardboard scratcher thing and claimed it as HIS OWN. (You can see Zsazsa tempting him off to the left of the frame.)



He is getting better at his 30 minutes of cuddling every day:



He is still not sure about the dog:



But, and this is a huge surprise to me, he'll come running for breakfast when I give a call of "Here, kitty kitty kitty!"



Wet food and forced cuddles: Wish me luck in my quest for The Taming of the Gus!

3: No thank you!

Gus spent the night in the bedroom with us. I heard him eating and drinking and exploring, but as soon as we got up, he was back under the dresser or the bed. I picked him up this morning for cuddles, but he scratched me to get away, so I let him do his thing. This afternoon I tried to pet him, but he wasn't having it. Photographic evidence:

Day 2 with Gus

Gus moved himself from the trash can to the litterbox, which is right next door. Although, because he grumbles and hisses a lot, I had to move him so the other kitties could use the facilities. I cuddled Gus a little and fed him some wet food, which he ate. He is still terrified. I moved him to the bedroom for some "alone time" this afternoon. Hopefully in a few days he will feel confident in the bedroom, and we can move him into the rest of the house.

Here is Gus in his litterbox:


Here is Gus in my lap, having a snack:

Day 1 with Gus

Today Gus made a beeline for the laundry closet and found the smallest space he could cram himself into: The laundry closet trashcan. It is where we put dryer lint and empty soap bottles. Gus said it suited him just fine.



The back story: I rescued Gus and his siblings, Fatbutt and Coal, from a storm drain near where I work. They were maybe 6 weeks old when I rescued them. They all went into a foster home, and Fatbutt and Coal got new names and they went to their forever homes. Grumble Gus, however, is still upset about being "rescued" and acts feral and hisses at people and hides and acts like a scaredy cat all the time. So my boyfriend and I are fostering Gus in the hopes that we can break him of his feral nature and turn him into a loving pet. Our methods will include lots of love, and plenty of playtime.

A photo of the Gutter Gang from when they were first rescued:


That's Gus, front and center.