Monday, April 8, 2013

A to Z Challenge: Gorgeous Gracie Gets Gregarious

Gracie is one of only two, out of the six kittens and one mama kitty I rescued, that I was not able to tame before having her spayed. But as she recovered from the surgery, she became fairly tame within just a few days.

Gracie recovers from surgery
Before, she would run when she saw me. Now, she allows me to walk right up to her and pet her. The trick was simply to get my hand up to the side of her face. As she rested in the cushy covered bed I had created for her in the heated bathroom, I decided to just start scratching her behind the ear. All the kitties love that!

So, after over 24 hours of not eating or drinking anything, I just reached my hand up and began scratching her behind the ear. She loved it more than I ever could have imagined. In fact, she loved it more than any of the other kitties, actually leaning against my hand so hard that she fell over on her side.

Gracie looks like a pointer as she spots my dog
Soon after that, I was able to feed her. She would not eat out of her dish, however. She would only eat the food if I fed it to her directly out of my hand. I had to resist the urge to throw up in my mouth as she licked the wet food -- which looked a bit like poop as she slobbered it all over the place -- from my hand.

Luckily, the fact that she ate the food also meant that she was getting her pain medication. I had felt like such a bad kitty mom when I couldn't get her to eat the food that I had injected with the medication for a little more than a day. The poor baby must have been in so much pain! My only consolation was that she slept off most of those 24 hours.

Gracie tries to catch a birdie toy
I originally thought that Gracie was actually Grayson, because she seemed like she may grow a little larger. She is the largest of the female kittens, although she does not seem as heavy as Cheetah. I think Cheetah must have more muscle in her teeny, quick-moving body, while Gracie's small frame has a little more fat.

She had actually just gone into heat when I took her to be spayed. That really surprised me, because she was so young. As the largest female, I guess she just matured faster than the others.

Gracie looks camouflaged
in the pear tree
Unfortunately, the tom cats had just started hanging around about two days before I was going to try to catch little Gracie, so I had to get through the weekend by bringing all seven cats inside. That was a really tough weekend, but I got through it. I was able to catch Gracie in the trap on my first try on the Monday after.

Gracie plays with mama kitty by shoving her
in the face with her foot
It's too bad that she was feral at the time, because it means that they notch the ear, as you can see in her photos. There was just no way to know ahead of time that I would be able to tame her so easily. Now that she's tame, however, I'm considering taking her in to be micro-chipped.

She's really a darling, sweet cat. I'm just glad we never have to go through the spaying process again. She can just run around and play with her brothers and sisters and mama kitty in the backyard, free as a bird.

"Is that a doggy in my yard?!"

25 comments:

  1. Gracie looks so cute, love the story about her having to eat out of you hand. Do you watch the cat daddy programme with Jackson Galaxy on TV? about cats from hell, its brilliant how he always manages to sort the cats out.

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    1. No, I've never seen that. Thanks for letting me know about it; I'll have to check it out.

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    2. you should do ...... its good tv if your a cat lover. i think a new series starts soon.

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  2. Kudos to your kindness. Just stopping by for the A-Z Challenge. Please check us out and sign up to follow if you like what you see. Juliet atCity Muse Country Muse

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    1. Aww, thank you. I'll definitely follow you. I follow and comment on everyone's blogs if they comment, as long as I can find their blog. :)

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  3. Oh my gosh! What a darling cat and great story! I am a cat lover too and had six at one time. I am visiting you from A to Z. Found your link on Tami's Thrift Store blog. Following you now.

    Sunni

    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you so much! I just followed you too, and will be commenting soon! :)

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  4. What a beautiful Kitty. As always I love seeing the pictures while reading the story.

    Dark Thoughts Blog

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    1. Thank you! She's a sweetie-pie too. Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. I think the notch makes her look like a "badass" cat...Badassness is so popular these days! ;-)

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    1. LOL, you're right! She can be a bit of a badass at times, but she's a sweetie with me, so that makes me happy. :)

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  6. Gracie has such a beautiful color and a nice face.

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    1. She's such a sweetie too. :) Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. She's a beauty! Sometimes the best cats come to us a little wild. I keep telling myself that every day with Rocko and Spunky.

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  8. What a sweet cat! Gracie is adorable and you are so sweet to take these kitties in as you have. :)

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  9. Funny how interconnected our lives can be with animals. It's great to see how you've made her life so much easier and happier with your patience and by doing what's right. Writer’s Mark

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    1. Thank you. I love all these babies, they're all so innocent and needing of love. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Aww. She looks sooo cute.
    Sorry I couldn't return visit earlier.
    Happy A-Zing! :)

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  11. Goodness gracious. Gracie is one cute kitty! :)

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    1. Isn't she? She's such a sweetie pie too! :) Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. Gosh!
    Grace's gaze is frightening yet striking
    U hav got bful pets

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    1. Haha, yes! She can get that scary look on her face, and she can also curl up and look like a sweetie. :) Thanks for stopping by.

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