My new kitten and I have a lot in common. For one, he and I both used to live in a giant pile of Jeep parts. Two, his favorite color is, naturally, orange, which happens to be the color of my favorite thing: rust. And Three, his grooming tendencies are quite similar to mine: They need work. Anyway, here’s an update on the Jeep Cat.
First, allow me a short moment to whine a bit about how expensive cat care is. I dropped $250 on the first round of shots for Jaws, who’s name results from a hole he put in my friend’s finger when she went to pull him out of my rare manual Jeep Grand Cherokee for the first time. He’s since apologized, as he’s a gentle-natured kitten, but his name remains.
The next round of shots will probably cost another $250. You add the litter box, cat carrier, food, and all the other stuff I’m having to buy, and this Jeep-cat is literally going to cost more than many actual Jeeps that I’ve owned over the years.
Those Jeeps, though, never ran quite this well, though:
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Socializing a feral kitten is tricky. Once it’s tasted the sweet, sweet nectar that is humanlessness, it tends to prefer to remain far away from The Most Flawed Of All The Species. I get it.
Luckily, Jaws is a mere nine weeks old, so there’s hope for him yet. I mean, just look at him idling at 650 RPM in the video above. Perfect air:fuel ratio, ignition timing dialed in! He’s come a long way from when I brought him home for the first time (shortly after the biting incident that he wants us to forget); he cowered in the corner and didn’t want to hang out with anyone:
Eventually he did start eating:
And when my friend and I took him to the vet, he was very kind — barely even meowed, really:
As the weekend progressed, Jaws became bolder and bolder, eventually exploring my apartment like he owned the place
After leaving two steaming piles on one of my blankets, Jaws figured out the litter box entirely on his own (I did place him in there so he knew it was there, but otherwise potty-training was insanely easy — borderline automatic!) [Update: NEVERMIND. He tried pooping on my blanket just now. -DT]. :
My friend and I gave Jaws a much-needed wash two days after applying anti-flea medicine; he smells a lot better. The pile of parts he’d been living in wasn’t exactly sanitary. Also, the possum that had been eating his food probably didn’t help, though I’m told those eat ticks and other bugs:
Anyway, here he is as of this morning — living the dream:
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He’s come a long way from living in here:
I’ll try to foster the other three kittens in the litter if I find them in the parking lot (they left the Jeep a few weeks ago). Then I’ll try to find them a good home. Until then, I’ve got Jaws to take care of. He’s a handful, but also not — an incredibly gentle, kind, fun little rust-colored furball without an ounce of aggression in his bones. He’s awesome.
Fun fact: Cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine. So maybe that’s why I like cats and diesels so much. :-p
I thought that was just Cat diesels.
Good on you to keep him! He’s a cutie. We found a little kitten in our backyard 3 years ago. We named him Sergio (after Sergio Marchionne, who had just recently passed away) and he’s since grown to be 17 lbs! He’s a fun cat.
17 pounds?! Wow. Bet the kids will love it!
My boy Polaris (a black Maine Coon mix with a little white puff on his tail) is 17 pounds as well! He’s also 3 feet long, so every time the vet checks him out, I hear some variation of “He’s a big boy… well, not big as in fat, but like, a big cat, you know what I mean?” I love the giant fuzzball to death.
I’m enjoying how so many autopians have cats with vehicle-themed names!
Litter box advice — while cats do like a nice, clean litterbox, it’s best to leave the most recent “deposit” in the box for a while until he gets fully accustomed to it. He’ll return to the scent and it helps for a habit.
Do be sure to get him neutered as soon as the vet advises. Male cats can begin marking quite early in life, and that’s a habit you don’t want to start.
The leavings on your blanket may be more of a scat-marking behavior, declaring you and your space part of his domain. This isn’t uncommon in feral and semi-feral cats, and it’s not directly related to sexual-maturity related spraying. Between reinforcing good litter box behavior and making him feel more comfortable and secure in your home, he’ll very likely stop entirely.
Once ferals bond with you, they will be very attached to you. My wife and I have two brothers from the same litter, from what’s probably a long line of ferals and barn cats. They’re socialized and quite well-adjusted to civilization, but their ties to us are not owner/pet, but rather more like equals in a colony/pride of cats. Cats are really only semi-domesticated at best, but it’s not every day you get to form companionship with an animal that’s more-or-less wild.
Yeah, when I trained kittens or feral kittens for that matter. I’d just get a piece of poop from my cats litterbox and put it in there, no accidents. All mine are rescues and social/affectionate. However, after my eldest cat passed away, one of them (Myka) became my biggest fangirl. She never leaves my side, waits for me while I shower, and I just adore her.
Of our two ex-feral boys, the orange one bonded with my wife, and he’s fully dedicated to being her fierce protector. She has a cardiac and circulatory condition — and he can sense when she’s having difficulty, and will come running for her to purr and soothe her. If she’s having a not-so-great day, he’ll park himself on or around her to keep her from overdoing it. He’s amazing.
Cats really are amazing. I love it how in tune they are with their humans. Some people say cats aren’t affectionate but it’s because you have to earn it. My cats are total lovebugs and always like to be close by to me. They are the best.
Rust colored. Yep, now it all makes sense.
Prrrurup, eaow? murruip squei meow meeeoaw moeep prrup Prrrrrum, ummm ummmm-preeao myrryupp yeaol.
Awwww. Congrats and I’m glad he’s taking well to your place. He seems pretty sociable already.
See, Tracy gets it. If you post an article about a cat or a dog you include plenty of photos/videos of said cat/dog. +1
Two words: Pet Insurance. Get it. Nothing worse than finding out your beloved pet has something curable but very expensive and possibly more expensive than you can manage. I use Healthy Paws, but there are several different places selling it now. You can adjust your deductible so that your premiums are lower (just like your Jeeps!).
Congratulations on the little dude! Former ferals will always be a bit spicy- my (recently promoted) wife has one named Diesel. He will love you in his own special way- gods help you if you try to pick him up or love him like pur other 2 cats (Fram, who crawled out of a running car engine at 3 weeks old at a gas station, and Lincoln who is just an orange idiot).
Also, all orange cats share 1 braincell. Some days they have it, some they dont. Sorry to hear jaws didnt today and tried to poop on the blanket! Get some cat attract for the litter box- it does wonders. Also could try dofferent types of litter if it continues.
When did you start painting your toenails?
The real story right here, and the jewelry. Since the insta is private I don’t expect Dave to reveal too much but I am much more shocked at a human female in his apartment than a feline!
Well, I’m not shocked, David seems like a genuinely caring and productive guy. I am happy for him; he seemed to want to focus on human socialization a bit more than when he was in Detroit.
So, just make sure she’s up to date on her tetanus shots, and I wish you both the best.
Good cat 10/10 would pet
Should have named him FeO2
Or even just Rusty.
Haven’t read the post yet, but feel compelled to advise two crucial things.
I’m sure you know lots of people with cat advice, but if you ever have any questions, we currently own four cats, three of which were rescued by us even before their eyes were fully open.
Also, please don’t declaw your kitty. Just imagine how you’d feel if your fingertips were amputated.
Great advice! Jaws only scratches when he’s really scared, and never on purpose — usually just instinctual claw-ejection when carried into a bath or into the cat-cage.
They really can learn that scratching hurts people to the point that they don’t even claw when scared.
Two play product recommendations:
Best Cat Toy Ever
Laser Thermometer (many uses, but mostly as a cat toy)
If strange Amazon packages arrive at your door (almost certainly while you’re away), don’t be surprised. 😀
PS: Everyone already knows this, but you are a really good human.
“Also, please don’t declaw your kitty. Just imagine how you’d feel if your fingertips were amputated”
I was horrified when I first learned this is what declawing actually is. I am even more horrified and disgusted knowing vets knew this all along and do it anyway.
As to the owners those who were mislead by unscrupulous vets are one thing, those that knew and did it anyway deserve IMO to have at least one of their own fingernails removed and see how they like it.
Pure Butchery IMO.
We’re gonna need a bigger box.
Ha, nope, you don’t own cats, cats own you. Good luck with learning to take care of lil’ Jaws. As for litterbox training, sometimes it does help if a kitten is able to observe other cats using the litterbox but the fact that Jaws has already used the litterbox is indeed a good sign. And possums are fascinating creatures good to have around, especially since they eat ticks & generally don’t carry rabies, so your cup indeed runneth over fauna-wise with the cats & the possum(s). Again, good luck with Jaws and also with the other kittens (& parent cats.)
Thank you! I’m also going to try to get the parent cat fixed. The colony is a bit large as it is.
Can’t wait for Jaws 2.
Jaws is not acting he owns the place, he does in fact own it and you are allowed to be his manservant.
If you find the others, let us know quite a few of us would be happy to adopt. My two cats can help socialize a kitten.
OK, I’d love to take you up on that! These three kittens could use a home! (If I can find them).
I would pay to ship them across the country, if your shelter can take care of fixing, cleaning, initial health check. 🙂 My wife would be happy to have a Jeep Kitten.
BTW I assume there would be an adoption charge that would cover the normal readiness, if you find them and are willing to work with me get them to the other coast 🙂 Delta has a terminal in LA for live animal shipments.
He’s gonna be a good one, you can just tell.
…Well by “good” i mean that all cats are at least 20% jerks, but they’re still worth it.
Awww! He’s adorable. And I’m sure the socializing is easier since you got him so young; our oldest cat, Mystery, was a found/feral kitten about six months old when we got her. It took several months before she warmed up to us (my wife actually slept in the basement for a couple months trying to coax her ou of hiding), but now she flops down on the bed and demands belly rubs.
And yeah, kittens are expensive to take care of, but once he gets a little older, he’ll be pretty maintenance-free. Food, litter, a once-a-year checkup and rabies shot, that’s about it.
Why didn’t you put jeep parts in his pen so he’d feel at home?
Maybe cut-out some of the floor carpet in the jeep and put it next to the litter box too.
After spending most of the night in the ER waiting for rabies shots for a cat bite on Friday I think I am going to revert to admiring them from a distance…but regardless this little one is a cutie and I’m sure you’ll give it a wonderful, if at times rusty, home.
Yikes, my friend got bitten too! And had to get a rabies vaccine, as well (but had such a hard time finding one that she got one 36 hours after). They so expensive and the information on whether to get one is SO murky.
Right? My wife is a nurse practitioner so the second I texted her to tell her what happened she said GO DIRECTLY TO URGENT CARE! When I got there the PA who saw me (and seemed very new to everything) was visibly anxious and asked me why I hadn’t gone directly to the ER because that was the only way to get the initial shots in DC. Of course I responded with a snarky “it’s expensive, that’s why” but he was not amused.
So off I went and like 5 hours later I got 5 consecutive shots in the ER. I’d heard that they were pretty painful but I wasn’t prepared for FIVE of them. What a way to spend a Friday. Anyway I have to get another shot today, one this coming Friday, and one next week then I’ll be good to go.
Fortunately I’m enrolled in a company plan that gives us access to a pot of money that covers like 90% of our deductible, but still…quite the experience. I still love our furry friends in all shapes and forms but I’ve certainly learned my lesson to stick to kitties that I already know.
Well, now that you’re vaccinated, you’re good! Pick up kittens with impunity!
Lost opportunity to decorate a box for Jaws like a Jeep.
We’re working on it!
Speaking of shark puns, was the name “Bruce” ever in consideration?
+1 movie industry inside joke!
Congratulations Dave!!!!!! What A cutie!!
David, Please don’t try to change the cat’s oil. Cats prefer to be taken to their certified technicians for almost all services.
In the same way one doesn’t own a Jeep, you can’t really own a cat. They own you.
Dogs have owners; cats have staff. 🙂
This. So much this.
And the service is never up to their standards.