Orange Tabby...He Stays and His Name is Finn (Update with Videos Dec 31)

[ShrekDawg]

I think there may have been two cats here. DH said the one he saw at first that ran off the deck and sat by the bantam coop was skinny. But it was just a few minutes later when Finn caught this gray cat on the deck and he was pretty large. So, I doubt the cat my husband saw first would have then come back up on the deck at that point. Anyway, Finn was not having any of the trespasser, period. He seems to be a pretty tough cat! And of course, though Finn came to us at over a year old, he's been here for over three years now and he obviously was never a true inside cat, never a litter box type of cat. He always asks to go out to potty, has never used the bathroom in the house, never gets into the garbage himself, very well-behaved, but very used to being independent and on his own. So, he's very street smart...and territorial, even without his family jewels, LOL.

That makes sense! So maybe Finn tolerates the other cat? Or simply forgot about him? I wonder if the other one will be back.

And WOW what a smart cat! He almost sounds like a dog! Lol I didn't realize cats could be trained to ask to go out!! Let alone just doing it themselves without being trained to. Smart kitty!

And haha that's funny he's still so territorial even fixed! Maybe he knows he's found a good family and knows how tough it is on the streets and doesn't want to share you with any other kitty cats.

 

[speckledhen]

That makes sense! So maybe Finn tolerates the other cat? Or simply forgot about him? I wonder if the other one will be back.

And WOW what a smart cat! He almost sounds like a dog! Lol I didn't realize cats could be trained to ask to go out!! Let alone just doing it themselves without being trained to. Smart kitty!

And haha that's funny he's still so territorial even fixed! Maybe he knows he's found a good family and knows how tough it is on the streets and doesn't want to share you with any other kitty cats.

I have no idea why he tolerates certain cats and this one, he really wanted gone, enough to fight him all the way down the mountain.

Last night, I was jarred awake by a cat screaming at something on my deck, again! But, Finn was sound asleep in the house. Maybe the other cat came back up here, the first one we saw and ran into yet another cat or a possum or raccoon, not sure. But, DH said that Finn went to sleep with me, then he took him out of our room and put him on the couch, where he has not budged since, not even with fighting cat sounds on the deck. He was bushed! I've never heard so much cat drama in one night, good grief.

Yes, Finn is an outside cat at heart, a real gentleman in the house (except that he continually tries to sneak into my craft room to get on quilts or into the big clothes closet). We lucked out in the cat department when he showed up. Got to get him into the vet this week for his yearly shots, especially if he's going to do battle that way.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, we found his lavender colored flea collar! We traced the battle path down the hill to the perimeter fence, didn't see it, then followed the fence, thinking he may have jumped through it, not being as careful as he usually is, but it wasn't laying by the fence. It was about 10 ft into the pasture, just laying there. I think the other cat's hind feet, the way they fight, just ripped it off his neck.

Something that occurred to me is that maybe he as simply familiar with the other cats; after all, he was about a year and a half old when he came to us and no idea how long he'd been out there before deciding to stay here. Could be that these other cats were recently dumped. If they were formerly indoor cats, they are not all that great at fending for themselves like Finn is, so may have been looking for food around the house. I think when older relatives die, some of their heirs may just dump their animals. The local Humane Society is always full of cats so they cannot always take them and some people would not take the time and make the effort to properly rehome cats or dogs that belonged to their deceased family member. They think cats can hunt, but if they are indoor cats, they are not experienced hunters.

 

[speckledhen]

Game camera download showed several cats here. Of course, the orange tabby is Finn. The last picture I believe is my across the street neighbor's cat, but he/she usually doesn't cross the driveway gate to come in here since Finn ran it 20 ft up the oak in the driveway when they first began letting it roam. That first one I've only seen this once. It has a brownish color to it. I'm not really sure which cat he was fighting last night, but it seemed a dark gray color, lighter around the eyes. May be none of these on camera.
I'm going to set the camera up on our deck for awhile, maybe on video rather than photo setting.

 

[speckledhen]

Robo-Kitty is on his way to the vet for his annual shots, which were due two weeks ago, but we were both sick so we postponed them. If he's going to be a true Livestock Guardian Cat, he needs those shots!

 

[N F C]

Robo-Kitty is on his way to the vet for his annual shots, which were due two weeks ago, but we were both sick so we postponed them. If he's going to be a true Livestock Guardian Cat, he needs those shots!

Hope you're feeling better Cyn and the shots go well for Finn!

 

[speckledhen]

Hope you're feeling better Cyn and the shots go well for Finn!

We're a lot better, but not completely. This is a really awful bug and we're both still having periodic coughing fits.

Finn was perfect at the vet's. He let them do anything they wanted with him. He did yowl the entire way there and back, of course. And he had tapeworms, as usual, from eating all that wild game he eats. I worm him but the stuff is for roundworms, not tapes. He weighed the same as he did last year.

 

[N F C]

We're a lot better, but not completely. This is a really awful bug and we're both still having periodic coughing fits.

Finn was perfect at the vet's. He let them do anything they wanted with him. He did yowl the entire way there and back, of course. And he had tapeworms, as usual, from eating all that wild game he eats. I worm him but the stuff is for roundworms, not tapes. He weighed the same as he did last year.

There's been some real "stick around" kind of bugs happening this winter...come on summer!

Sounds like Mr. Finn is doing well

 

[speckledhen]

There's been some real "stick around" kind of bugs happening this winter...come on summer!

Sounds like Mr. Finn is doing well

Dr. Fran said he looked really good.

 

[N F C]

Dr. Fran said he looked really good.

Excellent