All winter long our 14 year old cat KiKi has stayed inside most of the time. But when the warmer weather comes around he's never inside.
I'm always astonished that he'll be outside under a bush on a hot 100 degree Summer day. All I want to do is run for the AC, and this little guy in his fur coat is luxuriating in the heat.
Since Ki went blind a few months ago we've watched him change his habits slightly. He still wants to go outside but mostly just to do his business and then he hangs out, sleeping on the chairs on our front porch. Which is dangerous if a stray dog comes by. We don't have much of that but every year a dog or two gets dumped in our neighborhood. That's how we acquired Casey. (Barely 2 months old and someone dumped her!)
SM saw him spray (outside) for the first time last month. Neither of us have ever seen him do this. I told SM that I think he's marking an area for orientation so he can find his way home. We've seen him running down the middle of the street clearly confused and then something (smell?) turns him around and he's home again.
Which is one reason why I'm glad to see Ki taking more of an interest in our backyard, specifically the back porch.
The whole time we've lived here Ki might come out on the back porch for a bit but it's always been the dogs domain so Ki would always migrate to the front yard for a bit of peace and quiet.
When the weather permits, I usually leave the back door open so the beasties can come and go as they wish.
I noticed this past week that KiKi spent Sunday and Monday on the back porch slowly exploring and familiarizing himself with the lay of the land. He hung out with SM on the swing. Slept for a time on one of the wicker chairs. Found a space underneath an end table for another nap and stretched out on the deck boards enjoying the heat.
This morning when I got up...No KiKi in his chair. I tried not to be concerned and opened up the back door to let the cool breeze in. I heard some scrabbling and lo and behold there was "The Wee" on the back deck. Seems he sacked out under the porch for the night.
Now I know that I can't protect him but I feel somewhat better knowing he's in our back yard. Perhaps some instinct told him that hanging out back here was safer than out front. Hopefully, this will be the new pattern for him. A safe haven for a handicapped kitty.
Bless him. And a cat with nine lives, and he can't see! He'll have a story to tell in Heaven one day :)
ReplyDeleteOh, oh, oh, oh! (Hold on a sec while I concentrate on getting the knot out of my stomach worrying about your blind KiKi.) Seems you're handling the situation in the best way possible. "Interfering" with his routine (what he deems most comfortable and safest) would only upset the little guy. Here's hoping he continues to make a safe haven for himself for the rest of his days.
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to hear about the kitties in my blog buddy families. I'm glad he's found a little place that's "kind'a" outside and hope he finds it more inviting than the "real" outdoors. So glad to find that he's adjusting to his lack of sight :)
ReplyDeleteKi sure is a beautiful cat! He doesn't look like he is 14!
ReplyDeleteMy bind cat Alvin also stays in the back yard. It must make them feel secure. Animals adjust to their handicap, whatever it may be, much easier then us humans do.