Day 7 - 160611

Today a very dear friend came home with me after work. Kirstie, an up and coming fashion photographer, came back with me for a few drinks and a movie... the guys at work had been taking the piss all day joking that Ralphy would like her better than me and I would be jealous. Guess what? She had him wrapped around her little finger within 5 minutes!!

When we got home, Kirst decided to look for Raz... as usual he was hiding somewhere and was no place to be seen. So, she started meaowing to see if she could get his attention. Lo and behold he appears, as if by magic, and starts meaowing back at her. Every time Kirstie spoke to him he replied - it was so cute. I tried and sure enough he replied to me too, it seems he is far more responsive to meaowing than to speech... who'd've thunk.

Actually got some great pics and even a video of him for a change. He's still scared of me though.

Day 6 - 150611

No change - he still hates me :(

cute!

Day 5 - 140611

When I got home from work I couldn't find Ralph anywhere. I spent half an hour systemattically checking under every item of furniture and in any space large enough to fit a small kitten. Nothing. After about half an hour, I started to panic... had I left a door open somewhere? Or a window? Maybe he had found some discrete hole in a wall I knew nothing about and escaped? The flat is not particularly big, so once I'd exhausted all the possible hidey-holes I pretty much convinced myself I'd lost him... terror started to sink in, my blood ran cold. Where could he be? Ok Adam, calm down... make a brew and sit quietly, maybe he'll reappear. I set about preparing a cuppa, went to the fridge for milk, looked down at the floor and what do I see? Inside the mop bucket, beneath the mop, I see a large green eye peeping up at me... Yes that's right, he was in the mop bucket underneath the mop and he was most disconcerted that he had been discovered! I turned to add the milk to my coffee, turned back to pop it back in the fridge... and he'd gone. Phantom cat strikes again.

Ralphy has an uncanny ability to covertly move around the flat with gay abandon, without being seen - it's quite a skill really. Mostly all I see is the last 2 inches of his tail as he slinks under something, or occasionally I may spy an ear peeking out from round a corner, or possibly a whisker poking out from somewhere. A streak and a blur, he's like a ninja cat... not like the famous youtube ninja cat who deserves a special mention, but he could be ninja cat's apprentice. Also, he does a very good Puss-in-Boots 'sad-eyes' whenever you find him!
     

That was the last I saw of him for most of the night - he was around but being particularly stealthy. By about 10pm I had finally decided he was not going to make an appearance, and was considering calling it a night and going to bed, when phantom cat made a curtain call... literally. Now, I have a rather large bay window in the living room which is about 10 feet wide, and the flat faces onto quite a busy road (Stockport Road in Marple). Razzle suddenly bounded up onto the window sill, bold as brass, and started meaowing at the cars outside. Next he ran from one side of the window to the other, apparently chasing a car. When he reached the other side of the window, he proceeded to chase a car from the opposite direction back to the other side of the window, then again, and again, and again, and again etc... Like some sort of crazy little banshee, chirruping every time he reached the edge. He was having a great time, and it was very entertaining, if a little nutty - it would seem he is fascinated by cars. That lasted a whole 10 minutes then he vanished once again, like a thief in the night. Gone... He still doesn't dig me.

Day 4 - 130611

When I got home from work Ralph was his usual pensive self, hiding behind the sink as he is so often wont to do. As he's been camping in the bathroom for the last couple of days, and seeing as how terrified he was of the toilet flush to begin with, it's been nigh on impossible to get in there to use the shower. By last night I was starting to smell like jail, so I made the decision to bite the bullet and just go for it. I thought it would be best to close him in his box and leave him on the bed where he could see what was going on, so he wouldn't be too scared by the noise of the shower pump. Well, you'd think I opened fire on the room with a machine gun! He did not like the sound at all, and frantically began trying to escape from the box. So, naked and covered in soap, I moved him into the living room whilst I finished off. He seemed much happier with that and when I put him back in the bathroom when I was done, his curiosity had piqued and he wanted out. So I left the door open.

The first thing he did was exit under the bed, so I went into the living room leaving all the doors open so he could have a full wander. After five minutes I noticed he was lay under the there, watching me. He sat still as a stone for 20 minutes, staring at me as if he was completely enthralled... whenever I looked at him and acknowledged him, he just slowly blinked and kept on staring. It was like he was getting revenge for the last few days of me going into the bathroom to look at him - his turn to watch me for a while.

He spent the rest of the evening prowling around the flat exploring every nook and cranny, all the while keeping low and out of sight whenever possible. He moves just like a wild cat, it's fascinating! With his extra long back legs, which are designed for jumping, he walks with a slightly crouched gait very much like an actual leopard. He holds his tail out low and straight, and for the most part kind of plods and slinks around. He's stunning, and so graceful. Whenever he thought he smelled anything interesting he was up on his hind legs like a meerkat sniffing the air, and if he spotted me watching him he'd freeze on the spot and stare at me with his huge green eyes. Eventually he seemed to tire of exploring and disappeared back into his box, so I went to bed.

No point in trying to sleep though - he spent the next few hours searching for his brothers and sisters, yowling and crying for them. It was heartbreaking to hear, he's really missing his little family, and he doesn't half have a set of lungs on him too. I hope I can be his new family soon enough, but right now... I still don't think he likes me very much.

I could only get one shot of him on the camera last night - he's very sly and never stays still long enough, and his big old eyes just look like headlights. The video is too dark to see his spots, but you can see how he moves... sexy little bugger!

Day 3 - 120611

So he spent his first night in the bathroom last night - for the most part it was relatively uneventful, although when I checked in there this morning it did look like a miniature hurricane had passed through the vicinity. Every single free-standing item in the room had been knocked over, including a large wooden floor mat that was rolled up in the corner. But he has eaten all his meat! And he has dumped and peed in the litter tray! Result.

He's still terrified I might try to eat him, or worse still, skin him alive. I don't know what is going through his little mind when I go in the room, but I'm sure it's not happy thoughts. Mind you, now that he's eating his food, surely it's only going to be a short while before he starts to chillax. It's all gravy baby.

So far he hasn't touched any of his dry food, but for now I'm quite happy to let him chow down on the meat while he settles in. He has started to peep out from his chosen hiding place when I go in there to top up his food too, but he still won't let me touch him. But he's clearly starting to realise I'm the food man, so I'm sure he'll start to like me soon enough - he also gets quite verbal in the afternoon when left on his own, although the minute I pop my head in he immediately shuts up and legs it. All signs of improvement I think... baby steps.

By the end of the day he had put away 3 pouches of kitten food, and taken 2 dumps and numerous wees, so he's definitely found his appetite now. Next hurdle is to be allowed to stroke him, and eventually pick him up and cuddle him. One day perhaps, but for now... he still doesn't like me.

Day 2 - 110611

This morning when I awoke, Ralph was still entrenched on the  window sill in exactly the same spot i left him in last night. He genuinely appears mortified at the concept of allowing me to come anywhere near him. I opened the curtains and left the bedroom door ajar so he could explore the landing; i remained in bed, as unthreatening as possible. He darted down off the window and straight out of the door, then he froze: dead end. Next he meowed in protest and proceeded to piss on the door mat and then exit back under the bed sharpish. Oh the joys.

He still hadn't touched any of his food this morning, and as evidenced by his most recent exploit, was still not entirely certain about where the toilet was located. So I decided to change tac... it occurred to me that with all the hiding places in the bedroom, and my regular presence, he wasn't able to settle and get comfortable. So I moved him.

Okay, so now Ralphy is living in my bathroom; it's nice and small so he doesn't feel too overwhelmed, with a comfy box to sleep and hide in, a heater and radio, and his food, water, and litter tray. I'm hopeful this new setup will help him calm down, its far more reminiscent of the safe space he had in his pen and everything is easy to find. Time will tell by whether he eats anything of course, because so far I'm pretty sure he hasn't touched a thing. I'll feel better when he eats then shits it out somewhere (preferrably in the litter tray). Then I'll know he's starting to relax and do normal cat things.

He is still hiding whenever I go in the room, which I've been trying to do every few hours, but at least he isn't shaking anymore so that's an improvement. So far he has hidden inside the box, behind the box, under the box, behind the door, behind the taps on the bath, in the sink, behind the toilet, under the radiator, and under a towel in the bath. He is certainly resourceful when it comes to concealing himself, especially in a room too small to swing a proverbial cat!

He has also been sleeping in the box, so he's definitely starting to feel more chilled than he was in the bedroom, and he doesn't seem to freak out when I go in there anymore; he just stay perfectly still wherever he may be - like I won't see him if he doesn't move a muscle. He's incredibly beautiful, I just can't get over how stunning his coat is from different angles, with his huge round eyes and big pointy ears, and those delicious spots and rosettes - I'm so desparate to pick him up and cuddle him, and adore him like he deserves, but alas... he still hates me.