Samson conquered his fears

Samson came to us from the local ASPCA about five years ago. He is a
beautiful large black cat with huge golden eyes that almost glow. I
call him my miniature black panther. I don't know what happened to
him before we adopted him, but I do know it wasn't all good. It took
three months before he trusted me enough to jump in my lap the first
time but he quickly became my lap cat. He learned it was ok for him
to get on the bed and the couch and chairs. Eventually he began
"talking" to me, starting with mournful howls from other rooms
whenever he couldn't see me. I quickly realized that he was happy if
I simply answered him by telling him which room I was in, then he
would stop howling and trot into my room and lay down where he could
see me. His "talking" has improved and he tells me a lot of things in
his kitty language, including "Please don't go to work.", "Oh no, I
can't find mousie.", and "The food bowl is empty." For a long time he
"talked" to me and the two girl kitties and sometimes to the birds
outside ("Hey bird, come a little closer to the window!"), but not to
the man of the house. Finally after about nine months he started
"talking" to my hubby too, and we thought that was as good as it was
going to get.

Little did we know. Samson was still learning to trust.

Long ago I realized that he had been beaten with a broom by someone in
his past, because if I picked up the broom to sweep his eyes grew
large and fearful, he dropped into a cowering sprint position, freeze
for a moment, then run. One day a little over a year after we got
him, he didn't run. Didn't cower. Didn't even get big eyed. He did
stand up and move two steps away. That was good because I needed to
sweep the spot where he was laying. When I was done sweeping that
area, he laid back in his spot and watched me sweep the dust into the
dustpan and pour it into the trash can, then put the broom back in
it's place about a foot away from him. He wasn't afraid that I would
hit him with the broom anymore!

The only fear I know he still has is a fear of something like a sheet
or blanket being thrown over him. I found out about that one by
accident one day while changing the sheets. I think someone used to
trap him that way often. Probably a child who could only catch him
that way. Maybe he will get over that fear too, but it's ok if he
doesn't. It's not like I throw sheets onto him on purpose. I'm just
happy I can sweep the kitchen without terrorizing him now.

Debra in VA
aka Samson's mom
Debra in VA

"Debra" wrote in message
...
Samson came to us from the local ASPCA about five years ago. He is a
beautiful large black cat with huge golden eyes that almost glow. I
call him my miniature black panther. I don't know what happened to
him before we adopted him, but I do know it wasn't all good. It took
three months before he trusted me enough to jump in my lap the first
time but he quickly became my lap cat. He learned it was ok for him
to get on the bed and the couch and chairs. Eventually he began
"talking" to me, starting with mournful howls from other rooms
whenever he couldn't see me. I quickly realized that he was happy if
I simply answered him by telling him which room I was in, then he
would stop howling and trot into my room and lay down where he could
see me. His "talking" has improved and he tells me a lot of things in
his kitty language, including "Please don't go to work.", "Oh no, I
can't find mousie.", and "The food bowl is empty." For a long time he
"talked" to me and the two girl kitties and sometimes to the birds
outside ("Hey bird, come a little closer to the window!"), but not to
the man of the house. Finally after about nine months he started
"talking" to my hubby too, and we thought that was as good as it was
going to get.

Little did we know. Samson was still learning to trust.

Long ago I realized that he had been beaten with a broom by someone in
his past, because if I picked up the broom to sweep his eyes grew
large and fearful, he dropped into a cowering sprint position, freeze
for a moment, then run. One day a little over a year after we got
him, he didn't run. Didn't cower. Didn't even get big eyed. He did
stand up and move two steps away. That was good because I needed to
sweep the spot where he was laying. When I was done sweeping that
area, he laid back in his spot and watched me sweep the dust into the
dustpan and pour it into the trash can, then put the broom back in
it's place about a foot away from him. He wasn't afraid that I would
hit him with the broom anymore!

The only fear I know he still has is a fear of something like a sheet
or blanket being thrown over him. I found out about that one by
accident one day while changing the sheets. I think someone used to
trap him that way often. Probably a child who could only catch him
that way. Maybe he will get over that fear too, but it's ok if he
doesn't. It's not like I throw sheets onto him on purpose. I'm just
happy I can sweep the kitchen without terrorizing him now.

Debra in VA
aka Samson's mom
Debra in VA

Debra, thanks for the story about Samson. Thank goodness he's learning to
trust in your love!

Hugs,

CatNipped

Debra wrote:

The only fear I know he still has is a fear of something like a sheet
or blanket being thrown over him. I found out about that one by
accident one day while changing the sheets. I think someone used to
trap him that way often. Probably a child who could only catch him
that way. Maybe he will get over that fear too, but it's ok if he
doesn't. It's not like I throw sheets onto him on purpose. I'm just
happy I can sweep the kitchen without terrorizing him now.

Even setting aside the possibility of past trauma, cats seem to
vary widely in their opinion of having a sheet thrown over them.
Zubie (RB) used to love it. If she caught me in the process of
making a bed, she would settle right in the middle of it so I
would have to throw the next layer over her. If it wasn't the
bottom sheet, I'd leave her until the final smoothing and
tucking. Sometimes I'd even find something else to do for ten
minutes or so, so she could have a little snooze in there.

She would also nose her way under several layers of sheets and
blankets on an unattended bed, and go to sleep there, even on a
hot day. Her sister Flicka (RB), on the other hand, never
wanted to be covered with anything.

Of my current two, Will wants to be involved in bed making,
purring up a storm while he 'helps', but considers his job to be
holding down the top layer and not letting it get away. He
doesn't panic if he gets covered, just waits for me to fold back
the cover so he can get on top and put his eleven pounds to good
use. (There is nothing quite so *immovable* as a sheet with an
eleven-pound cat on top of it.) Heidi is not very interested in
bed making at all.

--

Wayne M.

Early life with Smokey:

"Can I get on the couch? Can I, Can I?"
"Can I get in the bed? Can I, can I?"
"Can I get on the chair? Can I, can I?"

Three years later:

"Get off my couch loser, I'm poking here!"
"Whaddya mean I'm not allowed on the dining room table?"
"Got ham? Gimme!"

--Fil

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 17:10:10 GMT, Wayne Mitchell wrote:

Even setting aside the possibility of past trauma, cats seem to
vary widely in their opinion of having a sheet thrown over them.
Zubie (RB) used to love it. If she caught me in the process of
making a bed, she would settle right in the middle of it so I
would have to throw the next layer over her. If it wasn't the
bottom sheet, I'd leave her until the final smoothing and
tucking. Sometimes I'd even find something else to do for ten
minutes or so, so she could have a little snooze in there.

She would also nose her way under several layers of sheets and
blankets on an unattended bed, and go to sleep there, even on a
hot day. Her sister Flicka (RB), on the other hand, never
wanted to be covered with anything.

Of my current two, Will wants to be involved in bed making,
purring up a storm while he 'helps', but considers his job to be
holding down the top layer and not letting it get away. He
doesn't panic if he gets covered, just waits for me to fold back
the cover so he can get on top and put his eleven pounds to good
use. (There is nothing quite so *immovable* as a sheet with an
eleven-pound cat on top of it.) Heidi is not very interested in
bed making at all.

Trouble is my bed making helper. She doesn't hold the sheet down, she
prefers to hunt for stray bed mice in the fast moving sheets. Dives
right under the sheets with gusto. She also loves to snooze under
covers which can be a little troublesome. She will be under half of
the layers of covers on one side of your legs and Cleo will be laying
on top of the covers on the other side, effectively trapping your legs
between them. Add Samson (16 pounds) on your chest and you are truly
pinned down.

Debra in VA

On 15 Jul 2005 11:45:42 -0700, "Enfilade"
wrote:

Early life with Smokey:

"Can I get on the couch? Can I, Can I?"
"Can I get in the bed? Can I, can I?"
"Can I get on the chair? Can I, can I?"

Three years later:

"Get off my couch loser, I'm poking here!"
"Whaddya mean I'm not allowed on the dining room table?"
"Got ham? Gimme!"

--Fil

ROFL!! I love that Smokey!

--
CATherine

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 15:57:19 GMT, Debra
wrote:

Samson came to us from the local ASPCA about five years ago. He is a
beautiful large black cat with huge golden eyes that almost glow. I
call him my miniature black panther. I don't know what happened to
him before we adopted him, but I do know it wasn't all good.

I am so glad to hear he is over his fears. My Amber(RB) I think was
punished with a fly swatter. In the ten years I had him, he never got
over the fear of it. I couldn't swat flies with him in the same room.
It just breaks my heart to see pets so frightened of ordinary things.

--
CATherine

The only fear I know he still has is a fear of something like a sheet
or blanket being thrown over him. I found out about that one by
accident one day while changing the sheets. I think someone used to
trap him that way often. Probably a child who could only catch him
that way. Maybe he will get over that fear too, but it's ok if he
doesn't. It's not like I throw sheets onto him on purpose. I'm just
happy I can sweep the kitchen without terrorizing him now.

Debra in VA
aka Samson's mom
Debra in VA

Debra, thanks for the story about Samson. Thank goodness he's learning to
trust in your love!

Hugs,

CatNipped

Samson sounds like a cat with a lot of character, Debra. I'm glad he now has
such a loving, understanding Meowmie in you. =o) Poor guy, he must have a
had a hard time before you adopted him, though. But as you say, he is
conquering his fears one by one.

Melissa

Wayne Mitchell wrote in message
...
Debra wrote:

The only fear I know he still has is a fear of something like a sheet
or blanket being thrown over him. I found out about that one by
accident one day while changing the sheets. I think someone used to
trap him that way often. Probably a child who could only catch him
that way. Maybe he will get over that fear too, but it's ok if he
doesn't. It's not like I throw sheets onto him on purpose. I'm just
happy I can sweep the kitchen without terrorizing him now.

Even setting aside the possibility of past trauma, cats seem to
vary widely in their opinion of having a sheet thrown over them.
Zubie (RB) used to love it. If she caught me in the process of
making a bed, she would settle right in the middle of it so I
would have to throw the next layer over her. If it wasn't the
bottom sheet, I'd leave her until the final smoothing and
tucking. Sometimes I'd even find something else to do for ten
minutes or so, so she could have a little snooze in there.

She would also nose her way under several layers of sheets and
blankets on an unattended bed, and go to sleep there, even on a
hot day. Her sister Flicka (RB), on the other hand, never
wanted to be covered with anything.

Of my current two, Will wants to be involved in bed making,
purring up a storm while he 'helps', but considers his job to be
holding down the top layer and not letting it get away. He
doesn't panic if he gets covered, just waits for me to fold back
the cover so he can get on top and put his eleven pounds to good
use. (There is nothing quite so *immovable* as a sheet with an
eleven-pound cat on top of it.) Heidi is not very interested in
bed making at all.

--

Wayne M.

Heh heh, Wayne. =o) My Nina also appears to believe it's her duty to help
me put clean sheets on the bed. She makes sure the corners of the fitted
sheet know she's the boss. And she LOVES being covered by the top sheet--it
makes a great wrestling match partner! Pan was helping too, or at least he
was trying to tell me it was time for his post-breakfast nap on the sunny
spot at the foot of the bed, and would I PLEASE stop messing around with
the covers??? He and Nina had quite a play session when Pan was lying on top
of the fitted sheet, and Nina was tunneling under it and pounced on Pan's
tail thrugh the sheet. At least, Nina thought it was play. I think Pan
realized he really had to take this obstreperous child in paw and teach her
how to behave properly around her betters. =o)

Melissa

"Enfilade" wrote in message
oups.com...
Early life with Smokey:

"Can I get on the couch? Can I, Can I?"
"Can I get in the bed? Can I, can I?"
"Can I get on the chair? Can I, can I?"

Three years later:

"Get off my couch loser, I'm poking here!"
"Whaddya mean I'm not allowed on the dining room table?"
"Got ham? Gimme!"

--Fil


Aaaahhh. Bless his heart, it's so great when they get confident. I'm going
through the same process with Boyfriend. From fraidy cat to having
discovered the spare bedroom and the nice comfy bed that's in there. He
used to run downstairs if he was discovered snoozing on it, now he just
stretches and smiles if I go in there.
I've put a towel on the bed now, he always lies on that, what a good boy.

Tweed