excursions and alarums

[15_the_circle]

[OT from cottage renovations]

since the weather turned a few days ago Meg has been getting limited outdoor privileges.  the objective is to give her to chance to acquire at least some minimal homing instinct by the time she figures out how to use the cat door, else she'll go busting out through it and never come back. 

for her protection (which is to say, for my peace of mind) she has been equipped with a safety line and harness.  as a transitional arrangement it has been working out reasonably well, considering of course that she is the most stubborn animal on the face of the earth, though it seems unfair to arbitrarily exclude from comparison creatures who dwell in the depths of the sea (not that I think any are less ornery than she is). 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)

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if things go as expected it should be feasible to increase her cruising radius and to relax the hardware control with a view to dispensing with it entirely in fairly short order.  though she resists it until distracted by just about anything, what's really interesting is her sheer delight at being able to interact with the world.  her stance in the cat cam image above is a good representation of what it's like. 

Comments

[djaza.livejournal.com]

I'll bet Meg will do just fine without the harness. If you sit on the porch and watch her the first couple of times she is loose she will keep you in site and scent and even if she strays out of your site she will come by call.
Cats are amazing. Every time I have moved I have feared that my cats would get lost and it hasn't happened once yet.

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

eventually, yes, she will get there.  but she is completely unlike all the other kitties I've ever had over the years.  maybe it's because she's a tortie, or because she started out as a feral.  perhaps it's just who she is. 

[djaza.livejournal.com]

Maybe. I have tamed, let's see now, Katsu, Bebo, Sammi, Sailee, Tenzie, Shrimpie......they were all feral kittens, discarded in the neighborhood, who I heard crying in the ditch behind my cottage, caught and brought inside and tamed.
So Meg will stay around. The habit of a couple of meals provided daily as well as love and affection is a strong draw to stay around.