Just a simple 6x12in
for my Project Life album....
Blackie's daily antics....
His little wander in the garden
Basking in a sunlit spot in the lounge room
and then back at the backdoor... wondering about safety!
--------------------------------------------------------
A little background story....
How 'Blackie' came into
our family.
He was feral, he had obviously been abused maybe by humans??, but most probably dogs?, and even 15 years later there
is only one person he trusts...... me. The only time he climbed into my lap
was when I was on the computer (where the focus was not on him), he can no longer do this- to big, too arthritic. He knows when I'm sick and he knows when I need a
cuddle. He's lost many of his nine lives. I doubt if he has any left.
It was
Christmas morning of 2002 when we were unwrapping presents that a faint 'meow'
could be heard. The night before dh had nailed the last plank down of our new
back decking......and this tiny skinny terrified little black cat had been shut in and stuck
underneath. He was so lucky we heard him as that afternoon we were leaving to
go away on holiday and he would have surely perished horribly. We let him out,
I fed him, (much to dh disgust!) and when we returned off holidays, he was
still there, still skinny - he adopted me. It took him 18months before he would
jump up onto my lap and it took 2-3yrs before he trusted me. Up until then, he had sliced through my skin with his teeth and claws a few times with his 'fight or flight' instincts. It was to be expected - I accepted it and remained calm, spoke quietly, comforting and soon he realised, I didn't fight back. He would never dream of doing it now, though he always remains on high alert to sudden sounds or the feeling of being cornered without escape and very wary of visitors. The vet thought he was about 2 years old when he came to our house. The re-education
of a feral cat takes patience and years. We have an extraordinary relationship
that I've never had from a domesticated cat..
Scrapped back in 2008 - the photo (2002) is after we'd had him probably 6 months, had lots of vet visits and was starting to look well! Those big alert eyes have never relaxed to this day.
Would I do it again... you bet!
Have you a kitty or two or more to share ?
Grab this banner, link up and have some fun!
See you there!!
xx
22 comments:
Aw, this story had me tearing up. Very heartwarming - I love kitties so much! I am so glad you found him when you did as he would not have made it. I know you are glad he stuck around! He is a beautiful boy! It sounds like you have a very special relationship with him, not unlike the one I had with my first cat, whom I sadly lost about 11 years ago. Still miss him. I love, love, love your PL page - the photos are gorgeous and I love all the details and journaling you added. The second LO is simply beautiful! Thank you for sharing your wonderful Blackie with us!
I had one, too. What a perfect approach to gentling this sweet little beastie. Great reminder to scrap those pics from back in 1977? She always managed to find hidey-hole observation posts. Thanks for the memories!
Awwwwww what a precious baby!! LOVING the pages you have made for him!!!
That is an amazing story of resilience and patience....on both sides! And it was really nice seeing the 2 different pages...must say, I adore those black cat cut outs on the top one..... & this is from a DOG peep!!! And YUP! Deffo doing the Chrissy Daily [winks!!!]
Oh thats lovely, you found each other.. I love the layout with the pussy cat images, and yes his eyes sure are open wide in the second layout.. Cats really do have a sense about things..
What a great story! Our latest cat addition happened last Halloween, on a cold, rainy night, when a tiny black and white fuzzy wet mess of a kitty ran right into our back door and decided to stay! We named him Fuzzy! We are lucky he chose us too!
Take care!
Michele
you made great job!
love this pages!
Gorgeous! I've had so many cats and looked after so many ... all of them were strays... Bless you Mandy!
Beautiful layout for a beautiful cat. Love your story. My sister took in an abused (not feral) cat and he only trusts one person ... my niece.
What a wonderful story and great scrapping for such a lovely furry friend! I love the 'worrier' page. My friend had a cat from birth that acted similarly in spite of never having been feral. Guess nature and nurture affect our four legged friends the same as other 'people'. >^.^<
Love your layout. Sometime this winter I must do this. We recently lost our 21 year old kitty and I haven't the heart yet to do it. This is such a great thing to do.
Beautiful decorated scrap page with wonderfulpictures of the cats.
Thanks for the story.
Ah just love how you added the photos and I love the colors.
Oh! Such a wonderful story and you made a beautiful scrap page for him! Love these pics and love the color scheme on this beautiful scrap page!
As the former owner of a feral cat that I eventually tamed I understand completely what you mean when you say he never quite completely trusted humans, and yet became a beloved pet. Our Bailey was just a kitten when I lured him out from under our shed and wrapped him in a towel while he yowled and scratched and bit. He lived for 12 years but would only let me feed or touch him. He was the sweetest cat and our cutest one, as long as he was at waist level or higher. If he sat on the ground even I couldn't approach him. To this day I miss him the most of all our cats and I think it was partly because I had to work so hard to gain his trust. These scrapbook layouts of Blackie was true treasures. Love the fun little embellishments you used!
Aww, I love this post, Mandy! Your pages are beautiful and really make me smile! Love those black cat stickers and love the beautiful flower you made on the second page. But it's the story that really gets me! Love that story!!
Fantastic creation and what a fabulous story. He's a gorgeous kitty and thank you for giving him a fabulous life :-)
Hugz
IKE xx
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Oh, my goodness....what a gorgeous cat and fabulous story!!! LOVED LOVED LOVED reading abt how he adopted you. Blackie is a very lucky cat in so many ways!! Yes, I so well know how it takes extreme patience with one who has been so traumatized. Thanks for loving him.
I also love your wonderful LOs!!! Looks like some of those sweet cat embellishments came from one of our sponsors, Simple Stories! Yay!! Love the Cat SN@P collection. Their black cats are perfect for using with your Blackie!! What a wonderful "worrier" LO, too.....gorgeous texture and colors with the stitching and pretty paper leaves!!
Thanks so much for being a part of the Cat Lovers Hop!!!!
<3 J
jwoolbright at gmail dot com
HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com
CAT LOVERS HOP thru Oct. 30 at HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com!!!
Awww what a sweet story!! It is amazing how a little love can turn a feral animal into a beautiful friend! We have tamed several over the years and blessed with there presence. Love your pics of him ;)
Now your story really rang a bell with us too. Our Belle never really relaxed after being dumped and possibly hurt by another. We too had to be very quiet with her and it was only after a few years that she learnt to trust us and know we wouldn't hurt her. It took five years before she would come out from under the bed when we had visitors. I think we would do the same thing again - there is just something about cats that really touches our hearts. TFS Karen x
Your kitty Blackie looks like he is fun to have around!! Looks like he has a lot of curosity! Your project is so nice. I love your quilling on the flowers!!
Wonderful page and thanks for sharing the story of your cat. We have taken card of many wild cats.
slrdowney at hotmail dot com
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