Meet Doormouse
May 27, 2017 10:57 PM   Subscribe

 
I hope she has a good cardiologist, because that lady's heart is gonna burst with that much love in it.

What I really needed to know when I was a kid was about toilet training. Which is why when I came home from school and asked where the cat was, the stray I found and begged to keep, they 'ran away' and they weren't really a 'housecat' anyhow. What probably happened, the cat defiled something way beyond the line.

Otherwise I loved this, and good luck Doormouse!

it's spelled Dormouse in the book
posted by adept256 at 3:41 AM on May 28, 2017 [3 favorites]


After a rather stressful Southern family dinner, at which I found myself having to both - to a rather unreceptive audience - defend the need for LGBT political action AND explain the inappropriateness of "celebrating Southern history and heritage" by selectively commemorating heroic statues of Civil War leaders, I slept terribly last night.

I awoke at 2am from a nightmare about my family, really depressed and upset, and logged on to MeFi to clear my head. I found and followed the story of li'l Doormouse. I needed that like I can't even tell you. Thank you, adept.

Yay for Doormouse! The little kitty who learned to love again!
posted by darkstar at 5:36 AM on May 28, 2017 [18 favorites]


Right? Kitten videos are literally the only thing keeping me going these days. News news news KITTEN VIDEO DETOX.
posted by double bubble at 6:17 AM on May 28, 2017 [10 favorites]


Reading the kitten's signals is absolutely required for success in something like this. I worry a little that setting up something that looks like a prescribed sequence could lead some people, especially youngsters, to try to do what's depicted without taking into account the specific reactions and needs of the kitten(s) they're dealing with.

This looks otherwise pretty good. Thanks for posting.
posted by amtho at 6:18 AM on May 28, 2017


I worry a little that setting up something that looks like a prescribed sequence could lead some people, especially youngsters, to try to do what's depicted without taking into account the specific reactions and needs of the kitten(s) they're dealing with.

From my experience with feral kittens, this self-corrects extremely quickly. Also, I cannot think of how it would be possible for a child to catch, much less attempt to tame a truly feral kitten without some adult supervision.

Related to kitten taming, I have been really excited about the possibilities of these vests. They would not be appropriate for a kitten as large as Doormouse, but they look pretty perfect for smaller ones. One of the recommended methods for taming kittens is to wrap them up in purritos and spend time with them like that. The downside is that you pretty much can't do anything but sit and watch television. Something like those vests would allow your hands free to do other things--though you might need modifications to make it more difficult for them to climb out the top, and it's not going to work if your kitten is going into full-on freakout mode.
posted by Anonymous at 8:11 AM on May 28, 2017


it's spelled Dormouse in the book

Let's not get all hung up about how names are spelled, OK?
posted by thelonius at 8:23 AM on May 28, 2017 [2 favorites]


As someone who just recently rescued a feral kitten and is in the process of integrating her into a household with two other cats, this is great. And delightful.
Obligatory photos: Awake, Asleep in her favorite spot
posted by Superplin at 8:25 AM on May 28, 2017 [13 favorites]


Ooh, and another note: frequently foster groups will not advocate trying to tame cats over 12 weeks, or even cats over 8 weeks, so this video is pretty encouraging. Though part of the reason is that it can take much more time and experience, and often you have so many cats to deal with that you end up having to triage the ones that won't tame quickly. :/
posted by Anonymous at 9:00 AM on May 28, 2017


Superplin--our 15 pound 10 year old muppet cat still sleeps on Spouse's shoulders like that. but now he needs a little support to keep from sliding off. He's like a rice pack that causes neck cramps, instead of helping them.
posted by crush at 9:35 AM on May 28, 2017 [4 favorites]


it's spelled Dormouse in the book

And in the dictionary, and in the videos.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:41 AM on May 28, 2017


My error: I ascribed the link to adept, but of course it was from Deoridhe.

Thanks, Deoridhe, for this very uplifting, feel-good story about little Dormouse! :)
posted by darkstar at 11:32 AM on May 28, 2017


Oh, the sweetness!

My dear, departed Nellie was the last cat I tamed as a feral kitten and then kept for the rest of her life. She always kept a little bit of a wild streak in her, though. Like, being easily spooked and hiding at stressful moments or when someone she didn't know well was in the house.

I lived most of my life near large feral colonies, so it kind of came with the territory. My family worked with the SPCA to TNR the last colony, and last I heard it's down to two or three elderly neutered cats.

Dormouse is preternaturally cute!!!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:16 PM on May 28, 2017 [5 favorites]


I was sort of disappointed that "Kitten School" wasn't something I could leave on the TV while I'm gone for the day so my cats could learn a thing.

My Surprise!Kitten wasn't feral but he was bitey and still is. I wish they had a lesson on clipping Dormouse's claws.
posted by AFABulous at 5:50 PM on May 28, 2017 [6 favorites]


Well I guess there is a nail trimming video, but there's nothing useful in it for me. I'd be a bloody mess.
posted by AFABulous at 5:54 PM on May 28, 2017


Yeah, I've had cats who only get their nails trimmed during vet visits.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:01 PM on May 28, 2017


I needed a reminder that there are good people in the world. Thank you!
posted by sleepingcbw at 6:52 PM on May 28, 2017 [2 favorites]


Yeah, my aforementioned kitty (brought by the Easter Bunny) also had her nails trimmed by the vet at her booster shot appointment this morning. It's easy to forget she's feral most of the time, but she does not let me trim the talons.

Her origin story: I saw a post on NextDoor, Easter Sunday, headlined "Kitten Stuck In My Dashboard." The guy had found her wandering around a nearby supermarket parking lot and the adjacent McDonald's drive-thru, and managed to corner her against a wall long enough to get her into his car. Where she promptly burrowed into the dashboard and got stuck, to the point where he had to dismantle it the next day to get her out. Thus her name is Dash, short for Dashboard Kitty.

I didn't plan to adopt her. First, I just wanted to help by taking her to the vet and getting her checked out/vaccinated (she was only seven weeks old, and weighed less than a pound). Then, I realized I didn't feel comfortable taking her back to the finder's place, for various reasons, so figured I'd just foster her until I found her a good home. Which, uh, turned out to be mine, I guess.
posted by Superplin at 6:36 PM on May 29, 2017 [6 favorites]


« Older What book of the Bible is that from?   |   Medieval fantasy city generator Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments