I’m wondering if I should even report this….(for fear of jinxing it!!)
As much as I’m not superstitious or try not to be, when Gerald’s whining is so “deafening”, I’m prepared to do anything or believe in anything, just to have some peace!
Since this morning, at 5.30am, he only whined a tiny bit.
Each time he did, I acknowledged it, and told him gently, it’s okay and that’s he is a good boy.
I’ve actually done this last time too, but he would continue whining.
But today, hmm….he’s been so quiet all day.
Almost 6 hours of no whining. Can you believe that?
Initially we thought it was a serendipitous solution, namely the “Smurfy Solution”!
This was what happened this morning:
Breakfast was peaceful in both sides. Then, the Monsters were allowed to over to eat grass.
Note: I just learnt from a very senior vet who strongly believes in the healing properties of the antioxidants in grasses and greens for cats.
Ginger and the Monsters came over and Gerald could not even be seen anywhere. I think he was hiding. But Misty was confidently sitting in plain sight, not at all afraid of the Monsters’ presence.
It was still quite dark, being very early in the morning. So as usual, after awhile, we chased Ginger and the Monsters back to their Catio. But I was very sure Smurfy remained behind and was hiding somewhere. I went over to the Catio to look for him and could not find him at all. Smurfy must be still in Bunny’s Place.
So, we decided to just let Smurfy be. Let’s see how Gerald would react.
Total silence all morning….
Until I decided to look for Smurfy again and guess what?
Smurfy was NOT in Bunny’s Place at all, I finally found him in the Catio.
So, it wasn’t the presence of Smurfy that had kept Gerald quiet all morning!
Or, was it because husband was at home?
But he’s gone to work now.
Where is Gerald? I was in two minds whether I should go check.
Ooh…he’s sleeping in his den.
Shh….
Ah, some peace and quiet.
I would like to thank the two readers who have written to me privately with ideas and suggestions on how to deal with Gerald’s whining.
Both suggests that perhaps Gerald has some deep-seated anxiety problem. One suggested, based on her vast experience in dealing with a similar rescue case, that Gerald is probably an abandoned pet who has been repeatedly driven out from his home.
That is possible, because based on my observation, Gerald cannot be a feral cat at all. He’s so incredibly human-friendly. Why, the first time I saw him in the neighbourhood, he was mating with Samantha (whom I absolutely could not catch at all at that time) and I could just pick him up, put him into the carrier and send him straight for neutering along with Creamy. So, both of them are most likely someone’s pets, whereas Samantha and Misty may have grown up feral. Just like Minnie and Smurfy; both of whom had grown up feral.
Poor Gerald, if it’s true that he is an abandoned pet who is pining for his home. Then, hopefully, an abundance of kindness would help him settle down. I hope he will and will be content to stay with his biological family here in Bunny’s Place.
Gerald mated with Samantha and that’s how we have Kai, Akira and Indra now. They are a biological family. It was after I tricked Samantha into the house so that she could give birth safely that Misty came to our porch to take her place. And thereafter, Gerald and Misty became the best of friends. All have been neutered now.
Still quiet….
It’s been seven hours now….quiet.
Leave a Reply