Carter
When Carter first got here, Wiley-O was extremely jealous of my attention. I had to be careful not to let Wiley ever see me playing with Carter. After it was obvious that I wasn't going to ignore Wiley-O in favor of the "new guy", things calmed down.
It wasn't long before Carter had made some
progress with Wiley-O. They've been caught
sleeping together on occasion. Carter bugs Wiley
constantly trying to get him to play.
Here's Carter......... Where did he come from?
No one knows. He just appeared one day, out in the back of the shop. A healthy, friendly, 5 month old kitten who obviously had been well cared for and knew how to get along with other cats.
No one knows. He just appeared one day, out in the back of the shop. A healthy, friendly, 5 month old kitten who obviously had been well cared for and knew how to get along with other cats.
The other cats weren't so sure at first, but David and I loved him at first meeting. I did put the obligatory ads in the newspaper and on the internet in case he was missed by someone who had lost him by accident. But the nearest residential area is about a mile away. Seems unlikely that he "got lost". More likely is that someone dropped him off in the open space to fend for himself. Well, he's doing quite well at that!
He's named for my hero, President Jimmy Carter. Like his namesake, Carter the cat is a skillful diplomat devoting his life to making peace in the world. His goal right from the beginning was to make everyone love him. And he's willing to do as much compromising as he has to. First to be won over (after the humans, of course) was Raja. They play together like a couple of kittens.
Carter is a free spirit, wandering where he wants to go. He's also not a cat to "come when he's called". To keep track of him (and the big boys too), we outfitted all of the cats with locator transmitters. Often Carter will come out from his hiding place when he hears the receiver beeping. If he wants to. Since we moved to the new shop we've started bringing the cats in at dusk. Every night Carter leads me on a "merry chase" after him. When he's ready, he just stops and lets me pick him up! According to Carter, the optimum number of cats for any household is three. And that's why he's here!
He's named for my hero, President Jimmy Carter. Like his namesake, Carter the cat is a skillful diplomat devoting his life to making peace in the world. His goal right from the beginning was to make everyone love him. And he's willing to do as much compromising as he has to. First to be won over (after the humans, of course) was Raja. They play together like a couple of kittens.
Carter is a free spirit, wandering where he wants to go. He's also not a cat to "come when he's called". To keep track of him (and the big boys too), we outfitted all of the cats with locator transmitters. Often Carter will come out from his hiding place when he hears the receiver beeping. If he wants to. Since we moved to the new shop we've started bringing the cats in at dusk. Every night Carter leads me on a "merry chase" after him. When he's ready, he just stops and lets me pick him up! According to Carter, the optimum number of cats for any household is three. And that's why he's here!
The solution, Carter's idea of course, is for all 3 of them to play together. This is a game of Carter's invention, called "mole hunter". The equipment consists of a large paper bag, and a piece of newsprint. The "mole" is a flexible stick that is manipulated under the paper and bag (by a human).
A mole hunting cat pounces on the stick and shreds the paper as needed.
A mole hunting cat pounces on the stick and shreds the paper as needed.
Another favorite game of Carter's is the "Cat House".
He and Raja like to fish for each other through
the windows. Carter keeps working on Wiley-O
to play, too. It won't be long!
He and Raja like to fish for each other through
the windows. Carter keeps working on Wiley-O
to play, too. It won't be long!
Good Night, Carter!