Week 4 and 5 - Stella on Tour

These past two weeks have been incredibly busy. I was out and about checking out our neighborhood on my own. It was GREAT! Of course, I made sure to come back so Mrs. Nice would not worry too much.

Mr. and Mrs. have taken off some of the "things" around my neck that you saw in the previous post so I would not get caught in shrubs. The bell was taken off first and the registration tag. However, they decided to leave my little tube with the address inside on my collar.

First time with no leash

Here I am running out the door.

Leaving the terrace

In the backyard - no leash!

Checking out the neighbors. I decided to walk with Mr. & Mrs. Nice. It was a little scary.

The very first time around the block they walked with me and I was glad they did. We have people running loud saws and I didn't want to walk any further. Mr. Nice carried me past the saws. Then we have a big black dog that hates cats. He barked so loud and Mr. Nice picked me up again. Our neighbors right behind us have a male cat. When he saw MY Mrs. Nice and she talked to him he climbed across the fence to talk back at her. When he saw me he sat right across from me and looked at me straight into my eyes. Then he made noises which really scared me. He looked really handsome, though. Mr. Nice carried me the rest of the way, so I would not have to be scared anymore.

I decided to try by myself again the next day. It was enough excitement for one day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My first excursions all by myself took a little longer and on the very first day Mrs. Nice painted the hallway so she had a way to pass time she said while I was running around. It took exactly 3.5 hrs for me to come home. She must've set the stop watch. Now I know how her sons feel when they stay out too long.

I think she tricks me into coming home. There is just enough food in the bowl now that I have to keep coming home to eat. What do you think?

At night I am not allowed to go outdoors at all. When I scratch on the windows they fuss with me. They really don't like that. I run upstairs then and sleep. Then they can fuss all they want, but I don't hear them.

Have I told you that I've got a new favorite place - the bathroom mat? Hey, if they all sleep on the first floor, why should I sleep in the living room? It is another one of my perfect arrangements to keep "things" in this household under control. When they get up I can watch what they are doing. When Mr. Nice gets up, I make sure he does not forget to feed and brush me. When the Mrs. makes the beds I am right there sitting by the bedroom window. Then we go downstairs, she fixes my food, puts my collar on and I am allowed to leave. When they take my collar off, I have to stay indoors. That's easy to understand, isn't it? They have all kind of smart ideas, but they are starting to make sense.

Week 5 I had to be alone in the house for a few days during the day because Mrs. Nice was in the hospital. I watched her pack her suitcase wondering what was happening and could tell she was sad and I didn't leave her alone much on this day. Now she's come back home and I am happy I've got all my family together again. I can come and go as I please during the day and don't have to wait for Mr. Nice until the evening.

Here's another nice picture of me. Mrs. Nice says, I am the perfect garden decoration, don't you agree?

I know how to walk on the fence now. Check me out! Here is a collection of snapshots. Click to enlarge the image.


More next time. I hope you enjoyed my little summary.

I am getting ready .....

.... to hit the road, Jack, but I am coming back.

Look at what Mrs. Nice got for me! A red collar. My registration number** is attached to it and an annoying bell. Right now I am wondering how I am supposed to catch any birds with a bell around my neck. We'll see if I will keep wearing it.

When Mr. Nice comes home I get to go out by myself - BY MYSELF!!

What do think of me wearing a red shiny safety collar? Be honest. I posed especially nice
** I have a chip implanted behind my ear. If I get lost or hurt, the chip can be read. Mrs. & Mrs. Nice registered me with TASSO. They do all kinds of stuff for animals.

Week #3 or Training Mr. & Mrs. Nice continued

Thank you for the nice comments you left in my blog and the warm welcome I have received. I was overjoyed and hope you will return.

This was a tough week for me because I have had to put all my efforts and wits into training Mr. & Mrs. Nice. You would not believe the week I have had. However, let me start at the beginning.

I have told you last week that Mr. & Mrs. Nice have noticed that I was loosing hair on one ear. Conscientious as Mrs. Nice is about my welfare it was decided that I had to go to the vet. She checked with the neighbors where they were taking their cats and decided I had to go to the one the nice lady across the street uses. Tuesday was the day for the visit.

I hopped into my new colorful carrier. Just as we went outside to the car this downpour of rain started. Mrs. Nice opened the garage, put me in the car and we drove to the next town. We got there too early, so we went off for another spin around town. We were the first ones to be in the waiting room and the vet asked us to come into the examining room. He was really nice and I had to sit on this shiny table. Mrs. Nice asked all kinds of questions about my health and my shot records. He checked my ears under this ultraviolet light, gave us medicine for it and told us to return in 2 weeks if it did not clear up. Mrs. Nice took along some nasty worm medicine, too, because I am due to take that in 2 months again. I was really afraid he would give me a shot, but Mrs. Nice told me not to be scared and I felt safe and believed her. Then we drove home and since then I get medicine on my ear twice daily. Mr. Nice said it is getting better and I may not have to go back.

All week I have been taken out on my leash. I must not tell you that I am getting veeeeeerrryyyyy tired of that. We went for interesting walks, though. All around where we live I discovered the neatest things. There is a creek nearby and the biggest field!! Beautiful! Do you think Mr. Nice would let me run around there by myself??? Oh no!! When I try ... he picks me up and back to the house we go.

Then Mrs. Nice took me on a walk up the creek. She helped me cross this little bridge. I really didn't want to go across it, but she encouraged me and you know what? It was not scary after all because so many new smells, plants and even another cat was there. I just looked at her, though. At the time I felt it was better to walk with Mrs. Nice; didn't want to scare this cat. :-)

As the week went by I started to push the issue of going outside more seriously. They are at the point now where they are getting tired of having to stop what they are doing to take me outdoors. I have got a feeling that is the status right now. I am allllllmoooost where I want to be. My road to personal freedom.

It is a drag how hard I have to work on that. At night it irritates them really bad. They want to watch TV and I abuse the window and screen. Remember when I wrote that Mrs. Nice is stricter? Well, I think she and Mr. Nice have a had a conversation about my upbringing. He is STRICT now as well!!! He sprays me with the water bottle when I do something that annoys them badly. But guess what ... he plays with me, when I keep doing it to keep me from being bored. That's a good one, isn't it? Wouldn't you know that I'll remember that? :-) He takes me hundreds of times to my scratching post when I scratch the window or the screen. My original thought in doing that was that they would let me out, but it is not working. My first impression that they are smart people seems to be correct. Instead of opening the door I am taken to the scratching post and being told that this is where I am allowed to scratch. Let me tell you in people words: IT STINKS!!

This is how I start to get them to take me out. What do you think? You may want to show your cat, because it works sometimes.

I walk to the window, hear their sigh in the background, "She wants to go out. Who is taking her?" They are trying to ignore me, because they are really not ready to interrupt what they are doing, but I can tell they're watching me out of the corner of their eyes.



I place myself right in the middle of the room. They HAVE to see me THERE! Still no response from Mr. & Mrs. Nice. Sometimes I believe they think I will evaporate and put my needs behind theirs. Are you kidding me, Stella-The-Cat? I am not a dog!




Ok, one more elegant (but begging) look back to see if I see a reaction on their faces and I have to think about the next strategy.






Ok, here I go! I am going to the front door? Will you take me out there?






I'm REALLY going to the front door, you better believe it!







It is not working!! They are still ignoring me, but I'll get them.







That should get them NOW. They do not like for me to be on top of furniture. I have been wanting to sleep in my carrier since we got back from the vet. Mrs. tells me it doesn't fit into her livingroom, but I could care less. It is considered a piece of furniture now.

NOOOOOWWW I've gotten their attention. They are taking me off the carrier. One last try now.

I am walking towards the dreaded balloon that's supposed to keep me from scratching the window (which I have managed to work around now. Tell you later about that.) THEY ARE WATCHING MEEEEEEE!




I DID IT!!! Can you tell what this is? My little harness to get outdoors. The hands you see are Mr. Nice's hands!! He is a softie .... I am VERY good!!





I am telling you a secret now. Don't tell Mr. & Mrs. Nice I know, though. They are giving up on making me a 75% house cat I've overheard. Once I get a little collar next week, they are allowing me to hit the yard BY MYSELF. It will be difficult to hold back my excitment until then, but WORLD GET READY, HERE COMES STELLA-THE-CAT!

On a more personal note: You will have to show mental support for Mr. & Mrs. Nice. It will be like cutting the umbilical cord for them and letting another child out into the bad world. They just don't know at the moment that I will love them just as much.

The other side of the fence and other things - Week #2

During the second week I have been getting used to the routine here.

I wonder why they won't take down the balloons at the entry way door, the terrace door in the livingroom and their bedroom? Don't they trust me? It must be the yearning I have in my eyes when I sit on my scratch post or when I stand up against the window looking outside. As much as I have thought about it, there seems to be no way around these balloons.

I like to follow them around the house. THEY get to go outdoors anytime they want, but THEY don't allow ME to go outdoors every time with them.

In this house livingroom, diningroom and kitchen are connected. Between the livingroom and the kitchen there is a sliding door. From the kitchen and livingroom the hallway can be entered. Guess what they did? Mr. & Mrs. Nice put the door handles upright!! Don't they know that I cannot open the doors like that? One would think they'd have given this much better consideration and thought about my needs!! When Mr. Nice mows the lawn and Mrs. Nice works in her flower beds, they trick me. Quickly they lure me into the entry way and they shut these two doors. Then I have to stand against the doors, make the most miserable sounds, waiting for their pity ... but to no avail. I am not allowed back in until the yard work has been completed and I can go outdoors on a leash with them. That's not fair, Mr. & Mrs. Nice! You better believe me, I will remember when they use the trick on me next time. I am wondering this may have something to do with my first Saturday here when Mr. Nice had to climb through the kitchen window?

Mrs. Nice noticed I was loosing some hair on my right ear. It worried her. She is always worried about me, my (now) beautiful shiny coat, that I drink enough, and eat enough. Something else that she cares very much about is cleanliness. My scratch post is being vacuumed every other day. She says, even though I don't shed as badly as her old shorthair cat Streaks, she does not want my hair everywhere. When she vacuums I watch from a distance. As strong as this vacuum cleaner is, I am surprised it does not suck the carpet up as well. When she is done, I get right back up on my scratch post. As you see, I have my personal maid as well. That's a life of luxury. They didn't do this in the animal shelter.

Mr. Nice always told me during the first week, that he doesn't care to walk along the fence in the yard all the time. He likes to sit in one spot and cuddle. Doesn't he know that I am curious about what's past this fence? Who cares what he likes? My needs are important!

Mrs. Nice started taking me past the fence on the leash. Now I know what the front of my house looks like. It is very sunny there in the evening. Mrs. Nice and I sit there on a pretty bench. She gives me enough leash so I can go across the street to the other neighbor's fence. I smelled another cat there, too. There is a nice lady with a husband and another set of twins living there. They came out to welcome me to the neighborhood and warned me about some of the mean cats around here. There is Tommy, another cat in the neighborhood, who watched me during my first outing on the other side of the fence. Mrs. Nice tried to make him leave, but he kept following from a distance. I've got to watch out for this fellow. We even walked to the creek which was neat. I wonder what comes after the creek?

Here is where we sit when we go out front.

When I get tired of being on the other side of the fence, I walk back into the garden with Mrs. Nice. It is usually time for me to eat something and get some rest.

This is the view I get. Now tell me, would you run away from here?


This all I have to tell you about my second week in my new home.

Taking it nice'n easy

I finally met the missing member of the family. He's not home much, but I guess that's normal when you are his age. He has a twin they tell me, who has already moved out. I guess young Mr. Nice is the one I need to wrap around my paws if I want to sleep on a real bed every once and while.

Do you think he would mind when he is not home or at work if I laid down there a little? Look at the picture of him and myself. He likes ME, Stella-The-Cat. I greet him when he gets home from work with Mr. Nice and cuddle with him just like I do with Mr. & Mrs. Nice.

Mrs. Nice is at home at the moment because she is not feeling too well, so I really need to enjoy the time while I have her for company during the day. She's told Mr. Nice that I am like medicine for her - whatever that means. I just love that I get held, my coat brushed and attention whenever I need it.

Mrs. Nice is busy in the house and doesn't always have time for me when I want it, but I have learned to get her attention. I just jump up into her lap and make room for myself. Who could resist when I do that and when I purr like I do?

Mrs. Nice is stricter than Mr. Nice and she tells him about the little tricks I use. She caught me jumping on the diningroom table and I reeeeaaaly got fussed at for that. I better not do that again. As it is with everything in life, you have to try something to find out if you are allowed to do it or not.

I don't jump on kitchen counters either. Mrs. Nice thinks I have really good manners. On the couch I have a soft blanket where I am allowed to sit. My favorite spot is on Mr. Nice's belly. Here is a picture Mrs. Nice has taken when I do that. Mr. Nice thinks this is pretty funny how I demand attention and compares me to the cat his family used to have.

Approximately during the middle of my first week at my new home, I felt good enough to start talking to my family. Now I meow and they talk back. At first, I wouldn't do that and they thought this was strange. Don't ask me why, but talking to them makes things much easier. They seem to understand what I am telling them.

The very first Saturday in my new house Mr. & Mrs. Nice worked outdoors in the garden. Hey, I wanted to go there, too. The door was only pulled shut. I jumped up, but the door did not open. Terrace doors seem to work differently than the regular doors in the house. You should have seen all the excitement escalating outside. Suddenly I hear someone working on the kitchen window which was on tilt and here comes Mr. Nice through the kitchen window. He is no small fellow, you must know. Pretty smart, don't you think? Going out the terrace door and coming back in through the kitchen window. The next time I went to my terrace door there was a balloon hanging there. What a surprise! It looked so inviting and I jumped against it. Have you ever heard a balloon pop? Surely, you have, but you don't know the effect it had on me. It really scared me. I wonder why they did that?

One night I wanted to play with Mr. Nice, but he was in bed already. Mrs. Nice was at the computer. Naturally, I went upstairs, jumped on the door handle, grabbed it with both paws and my weight opened the door with a loud sound. That must've scared him! Quickly I was put back into my basket in the livingroom by Mr. Nice. I don't think he was too happy about me waking him up. The next day they had a balloon on the bedroom door handle as well. I am scared of balloons, so I've decided not to try that one again.

I can't complain, though. Every day I get to go outdoors. Early in the morning, Mr. Nice brushes me before he is off to work. When Mrs. Nice is up I get more food, more loving and lots of attention. I think I will try not to upset them and mind them. Looks like I am the one being trained, doesn't it?

That is a summary of my first week in my new home. The story of week #2 follows soon.

My First Visit Outdoors - Day #2

On Monday, May 21st, I must have made a face sad enough to soften Mr. & Mrs. Nice's heart. I was sitting at the window, looking out, looking at them, walking to them, going back to the window numerous times. Hey, it worked! Mr. Nice said, he would take me outdoors! World, here I come!

Well, it was not "World, here I come". It was "World, here I come, as far as this leash he puts on will let me." It is better than nothing, right? You have got to see this garden. Lots of green grass, beautiful roses and other flowers and a Swedish garden house. Can you imagine how it feels to sit inside on your scratching post and to be exposed to a view like that, only guessing how it could feel to be out there? No, you probably can't since you get to go outdoors all the time, but TODAY I GET TO GO OUTSIDE WITH MR & MRS. NICE!

Mr. Nice put my little harness on and this expandable leash. I will forgive him for this one since the leash is for dogs, but he means well. They take a lot of pictures of me of everything I do. Sometimes it bores me, but it makes them happy.

Here I am leisurely enjoying the grass.

There are more pictures of me outside. I think I will show them to you. The leash really isn't too bad. At least I get to go outdoors. They tell me I will have to wear it on all my outdoor visits until I know where I belong now. When I do I get to go outdoors by myself. Mrs. Nice said I will have a curfew and not allowed outdoors at night when they are in the house. They are trying to train me to be a 75% house cat. We'll see how that will work. I am sure I can change that. Just got to work on my training. :-) Mr. Nice doesn't want to be recognized, but I had to show you this picture. He allowed me to sit on his shoulders. Anything that makes Stella-The-Cat and Mr.&Mrs. Nice happy.

Here is another one of me just loving the peace and quiet. You will only enjoy this kind of life if you have been inside an animal shelter for a while. I know what I am talking about. Mrs. Nice keeps saying she would hate for me to run away from their house and that she already loves me so much. Running away will be one idea I won't even give any consideration.

This is the end of the story of how I got Mr. & Mrs. Nice to take me outdoors.

Putting their mind at ease

More Day One ....

Of course I wanted to know where my toilet would be located. After all I am a clean cat! You wouldn't believe Mr. & Mrs. Nice, though.

I was given a walk through my new accomodations. Guess, where they took me first? You guessed it, my bathroom. It is located in the basement where the washer and dryer are. Off it went to the two other rooms in the basement where Mr. Nice keeps his tools and another huge room they call "The Hobby Room", whatever that is. Looks more like the place where they keep everything they don't really want upstairs.

On the first floor I already knew where the living- and diningroom, kitchen and guest bathroom ("Off limits" to me I overheard them say) were located. I dine in the kitchen near the refrigerator out of three brandnew bowls. One for water, one for dry food and one for canned food. As you can see, I am not lacking anything. I've overheard them talking that they have bought different dry and canned foods in case I was a picky eater. "People! I've lived in an animal shelter! You eat what you get there or you will go hungry!" Well, I won't spoil it for them since they have so much fun spoiling me, Stella-The-Cat.

Now you tell me, can life get any better than that? Three bowls, my choice of food and grass!! This is like eating in a restaurant.

Then we went to the second floor where three bedrooms and the master bathroom are located. Not bad, I thought. I guess I'll stick around for a while. Wonder if they will let me sleep in their bedroom sometimes. Oops, just heard Mrs. Nice say, that sleeping in the bedroom is a "no no". Oh well, someone else sleeps in this house. His room is on this floor, too. I can work on him when I meet him. Then there is the third bedroom which is used for a guestroom. Mrs. Nice said, I can go in there, but not sleep. I guess she is afraid I will claim it for myself and not let any visitors sleep in there. We'll see about that. :-)

The third floor has a huge bedroom that they are working on at the moment and another room where Mrs. Nice has all her painting and craft materials.

In conclusion, I must say, I am going to like it here very much and I am glad I got out of this raggedy joint at the animal shelter.

Do you remember my previous post where I told you about my fuzzy coat? Well, I am looking pretty good now. I have got this neat little brush and comb all to myself and it sure is nice having someone helping me with this long hair. I love being brushed and combed.

This is my new life. Now I have got the difficult task ahead of me of training Mr. & Mrs. Nice.

Oh, before I forget it. They took me about five more times to my bathroom in the basement. Like I am stupid or something! Well, to make life easier I used it and they could rest easily that night.

Ready or not - here I am

Day One Continued ....

I had to go on a scary ride in the car. Who knows where they were going to take me? During the ride Mr. & Mrs. Nice were talking in the car about their plans for me, i.e. like not being allowed outdoors for the first few weeks without leash. I started to wonder if I really picked the right couple. The ride did not take too long and we arrived at my new home. Since I had to sit in the carrier I couldn't see my new house when we got out the car.

I heard the door open and being locked with a key. Riiiiight, they remembered - I OPEN DOORS! Pretty smart Mr. & Mrs. Nice! They must have the memory of elephants.

In the livingroom my carrier was opened where I peaked outside. "Looks pretty nice", I thought and got out. Then I looked for the new stuff - toys, scratching post and sleeping basket WITH a soft pillow. They must know about cats. But why on earth is the scratching post next to a couch and not near the window? THAT has to change. I've got to take it nice and slow though. First I must make an impression on them.

Here I am looking around my new place.

Not bad, tiled floor. Don't mind my fuzzy coat please. They didn't brush me very often at the shelter. You can't be too picky at a place like that. I am going to change this at this house. This place is like an oasis! I must have picked the right couple.

Check out the basket! Pretty neat, isn't it?

Hey, this is a house with a view! A garden!


Well, Mr. Nice came to me begging, "Stella, the scratch post was quite expensive, why don't you use it?" I wanted to say, "Dummy, there is no view where you've placed it now." But Mrs. Nice said, "The cat doesn't care what you paid for the thing. Move it to the window." "Pretty smart Mrs. Nice! I think I am going to like you!"

So, here I am on my expensive scratch post. Satisfied, Mr. Nice?


After all this excitement it was time for a nap. I will tell you more soon.

How I picked my new owners

On May 19th, 2007 this really nice couple came to the shelter where I have been living for several months. They were looking for a kitty because they had been without an animal for a long, long time.

They were telling my caretaker that they wanted to look at a BKH-mix they had seen on the web page. What they didn't know was, that I reaaaaly wanted to be with them. I took the first opportunity available and jumped on the lady's shoulders. When Mr. Nice stood close, I went right to him, too. I must have done a really good job because they went nuts about me, stroked me and gave me lots of love.

Then I heard my caretaker telling them that I was a really good cat and liked only myself and the people around me. Nevertheless, they still wanted to look at the other cat. I decided to go outdoors while they were looking, but imagined that my chances were pretty good that they would end up coming back to my room.

Patience pays off! They came back to MY room and THEY wanted ME! ME! ME! There were some hurdles to get past, though. My caretaker is a careful one and she told my prospective can openers that she would not allow me to live near a busy street and she wanted to see the house where I was going to be living. She also told them that I knew how to open doors. Why did she do that? Couldn't they find out themselves? Then I heard the nice couple tell her that they would go to the store and buy a new scratching post, food, a sleeping basket and toys. It sounded like they really wanted me and were willing to spend some €€€€ on me, Stella-The-Cat.

Another long night passed and the next morning on Sunday, May 20th, 8 a.m. they arrived with a new carrying case for ME, Stella-The-Cat. My caretaker put me in there. Then I had to wait and put up with this obnoxious terrier mutt sniffing at my new case while my new friends had to sign adoption papers.

Off I went to my new home!