Free Range Bosco!

Bosco has had free run of the house for a week or so now - his two chosen places to be are in the entry way, where he can see both the bedroom and living room, and the bedroom itself, as he's taken to sleeping on the bed when I'm in it. Which is both fantastic and squishy - three cats and two humans.

He's also discovered the joy of playing with toys - his favourites are a small plush tiger which he bats around the room and pounces on and a ball which both bounces and jingles. Fantastic fun.

Bosco is growing up quickly - I should post some updated photographs of him. I think he's going to be a handsome cat soon and he's seeming rather agile. He's been jumping the gates which are up for the puppy. He's also discovered and started using the litter tray without any prompting by us - smart cat!

It'll still be a few weeks before we take him out into the garden for the first time - I'd rather like to put some latticing up on the back fence to stop all of the cats jumping it, though I think it'll be a while before Bosco can get that high. He's got to have his second lot of immunisations before it's an issue anyhow - they're due in a week or so.

Having him here has been an absolute delight. He's affectionate and sits on my lap on the couch and loves scratches around the sides of his face. Occasionally I get a nose kiss in bed and he'll want a belly rub, but I think he's going through a bit of an adolescent wanting to be independent phase at the moment.

Oh - and his belly has spots, which is awesome. Much love for the Bosco.

Bosco has a belly.

Good news - after a week and a half of regular meals (plus constantly available biscuits), Bosco is now a healthy weight - no more protruding spine, ribs or hips. He gained weight surprisingly well and it's wonderful to pick him up and have him feel like a regular healthy kitten.

He's been wandering around the back end of the house on his own at night time, feeling brave enough to explore instead of hiding in the bathroom. He's still not too interested in playing, but he's found himself a voice, meowing when we walk past the bathroom door and rolling on his back for belly rubs. Bosco is a big fan of the belly rubs and ear scratchies.

We've uploaded a couple of new photos of him - two from when he was on my lap last night and one especially for the Holiday Picture Party. He's definitely growing and has a beautiful tabby face. His eyes are a little more green, too.

He's getting along very well with Chau, Klaus and Three, greeting them without any fear or aggression. Still a little bit iffy about Poppy the puppy though - which is fair enough, as Poppy is twice Bosco's size and full of bouncy puppy excitement. There's a gate up between the living room and the back of the house where Bosco roams though, so he doesn't have to worry about being jumped on unless we're with him to keep Poppy calm.

It's looking as though Bosco will be a permenant fourth cat living with us, which thrills me to bits. I've tried to be sensible about things and I respect my partner's hesitation (Three cats and a new puppy was a handful as it was), but I've got an inexplicable soft spot for cats who need homes and had completely fallen for Bosco.

There is officially a 'No Vacancy' sign on our front door now though. Any more and it would be too crowded and really starting to strain our energy and finances. So Bosco implores the world to take the need for spaying and neutering seriously.

Fish!

Fishtank! Fishtank is exciting to watch!

The human is pleased, as Three is the only other cat in the household who's ever shown any interest in the fishtank and when the human first set it up, she was envisioning a line of entranced felines sitting staring up into the water and batting at the glass.

Bosco is doing excellently - his spine and ribs are noticably less prominant already, so he's putting on weight well.

Well!

It's been a very busy week for Bosco the kitten.

He was wandering around a primary school when he was stalked by a human, who followed him when he bolted down a storm water drain and peered in at him crouched in a corner. Then a slice of turkey appeared at the entrance of the drain, which was gobbled up hungrily. More turkey dangled from above and just as he took a bite, he was suddenly scooped up by the human! Terrifying!

He was carried inside and soon put into a nice quiet box with some water and more turkey, which kept appearing throughout the day.

Then the box was moving and crouching was in order. Eventually, things settled down and Bosco emerged into a bathroom, with more water, some cat biscuits and a blanket made from a pyjama shirt.

The humans kept appearing and were a lot less scary after a short while.. they kept dispensing food and spoke in gentle voices. Bosco started showing them his belly and purring incredibly loudly when he was patted and rubbed. Clever Bosco even worked out that going to the toilet over the drain in the bath tub would be neatest!

After two nights of food, vitamin syrup, worming paste, cuddles, pats, meeting some other cats and being carried around a lot, things seemed to be settling down. More excitement was to come though.

Into a carry bag (the dog's carry bag!) and out of the house again! Not impressed.. Bosco handled it well and crouched quietly in the bag and waited. Out again and in a vet's surgery for a checkup... where Bosco completely won the heart of the vet on duty (who admitted to having ten (!!!) rescue cats at home). Bosco was incredibly affectionate and calm while he was looked at - and aside from a few fleas and being very underweight for his age, he was in surprisingly good health. Good news. He had a quick shot for cat flu and fiv and didn't even flinch, then carried on purring and rubbing up against the vet while she talked about flea control.

Back home again, there was more dinner, more belly rubs and just before bed, some flea medication.

Thankfully, things seem to have settled down again now.. he's spending more time around the house, though sleeping in the bathroom and away from the puppy seems like a good idea for a while yet.