Stitch

Stitch keeping me company while I water.

Stitch showed up in 2022. Initially he and his sister, Simba, visited to try and get the birds I fed in the backyard. My cats have all been indoor only. At first I wasn't sure if they had homes as Stitch was quite thin. Dave checked with one of our neighbors and found out they were his and that he had 5 outdoor only cats. Once I knew they had a home, I decided to encourage them to hang out there instead. We fortified our gates so they couldn't get in through them. That slowed them down for a day or so. I started yelling at them when they were in our yard. Stitch would just look at me with a puzzled look on his face. Next I put in a motion activated sprinkler. They just went to different spots where it couldn't reach them. Finally, I used an airhorn. I felt terrible when it scared Simba. She rarely visited after that. Stitch trotted a few feet and then turned around and looked at me with a questioning "why?". I finally gave up but vowed not to give him any attention or food or other reason to stay. I quit feeding the birds. That Winter he would sleep on our porch. I decided it couldn't hurt to just put a warming bed on the porch. He immediately claimed it. As it got colder, I thought, well he's here anyhow, so I put a house out there for him. By Summer of 2023, Stitch started getting in our laps when we sat outside and my resolve started to melt. He attended a big party we had for the FETCH therapy dog teams (he kept his distance from the dogs). He would greet us when we came home and follow us around the property. He became my gardening buddy. He was really thin. I thought maybe he was low on the totem pole at our neighbor's and didn't get enough food. I still didn't put food out. When Winter of 2023/24 arrived, Stitch was still here. I finally put a little kibble out. As it got colder, we adjusted the garage door so he had a small opening to come in and out. He loved the garage. We had an old couch in there and he loved to sleep on it. He seemed to appreciate every little thing he got. When I put an old cat tree out there, he instantly claimed it. The garage became his "man cave". However, he was still the neighbor's cat. In January of 2024 we had a bad ice storm. Stitch stayed in our garage and didn't leave for over a week. I was so glad he had a warm and safe place to be during that time. I started to wonder if he ever went home. Late that Spring, our neighbor asked Dave if he'd seen Stitch. They hadn't seen him for over 6 months and were worried about him during the ice storm. A month or so later, Dave and he talked and decided we might as well take over Stitch's care. He thought Stitch was afraid of the dog they had gotten and that was why he had left. Stitch liked Emmi but Emmi was really calm and good with cats. So Stitch became our cat. I made a vet appointment. I learned that Stitch was FIV +. I was glad he was in our care. I planned to ultimately transition him to the indoor life (we do have a catio for the cats to go outside). We slowly introduced him to GrayC and Christopher. We didn't want a fight especially with his FIV status. It's been a long process but Stitch is always in by dusk and spends the night in the house. He stays in 24 hours/day when we are gone. He and Christopher get along and basically ignore each other. GrayC has been more of a challenge as she picks on him and then gets upset when he responds but it improves daily. I am no longer worried about fights.

Enter Izzy. Stitch is not happy having a puppy with crazy puppy energy here. Neither is GrayC. I think it is helping them bond. Misery loves company and such. I am glad that it timed out that Stitch is comfortable indoors and all the cats are getting along. We are making sure the cats can feel safe and they can all slowly adjust to each other. Izzy is not loose in the house yet. I am doing everything I can to prevent Izzy from chasing Stitch which I think is what was happening at his birth family's house. Both GrayC and Stitch enter Izzy's pen when she is gone and smell everything in it. GrayC has even come in and sniffed Izzy when she is napping. Stitch also came in when she was napping but kept his distance. I am working on giving everyone treats near each other and rewarding Izzy for calm behavior when the cats are present. Last week, Stitch started joining us on walks on the driveway. Each day Stitch seems a little more comfortable with Izzy and Izzy is able to be a bit calmer with him. Stitch becoming a full-time indoor cat is on hold until he is OK with Izzy. Plans are in the works to add on to the catio. Baby steps.

Stitch was thin when he first started visiting.

Stitch getting in Dave's lap the first Summer he started hanging out at our house.

Stitch enjoying the indoor life.

Stitch on a walk with us. Izzy and Stich are both acting more comfortable.

Izzy sits calmly watching Stitch.

Izzy is not hyper-focused on Stitch and is able to turn away and sniff the grass. A good sign.