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In reply to the discussion: I need some advice from people who are cat savvy (UPDATED WITH PICTURES) [View all]Samantha
(9,314 posts)Last edited Wed Mar 6, 2013, 05:34 PM - Edit history (3)
First of all, thank you for all the information you volunteered. It is very helpful.
I got ready to let her in the house and out of snow, but she is ambivalent. It is in the mid-thirties now, but with the wind chill factor, News 4 reports it feels like 25. While the wind is not bad now, it is expected to get worse as day goes by. Four to eight inches of snow is projected, with the storm coming to an end late tonight. Tomorrow morning, temperatures will dip down to freezing or just below.
So I filled the litter box with litter last night, brought her igloo house in, sat out some food, picked up Cheyenne's food, got out the scratching rug, and covered the furniture. I opened the door, she looked inside and walked away.
I set my alarm for early this morning (4:00 am) to go check on her, and she was not even in her house, which I had moved back outside. So I have tried coaxing her several times and she has stepped inside, looked around and then turned back around to go back out. I will keep trying this today. She sees Cheyenne lying on the couch but she seems not to be bothered by her, having gone on the walks several days and sensing that Cheyenne, although a dog, is a "cool cat" in real life.
I think she is just intimidated for the whole concept of taking a dramatic step like coming inside. She wants to but she just doesn't know about the whole thing ....
I have decided it must be her decision. I think if I try to trap her in here, she will go ballistic from the unknown. So I will keep trying the rest of the day, and perhaps with worsening conditions she will summon up her nerve and take a leap of faith. I also tried moving her food inside as an enticement. She just sat at the screen door and kept eyeballing it.
If you have any suggestions or thoughts, I am all ears. Currently, she is running down and hovering under the bushes next to the house. I think she feels more protected from the wind there. I did see her cross the street this morning, and I could not help but wonder if she is crawling under my neighbor's foundation and consorting with the cats that have sought shelter there. I would be okay with that as long as I knew she was warm.
Sam