When you first got your pet/s

[Deleted]

I've never had a dog or a bird as an adult, but I was thinking how different all my cats were to each other when I first got them and how they've changed.  Or not, lol.

At the rescue lady's house Bubby tricked me by placidly cuddling up in my arms and not even flinching when she was micro-chipped.  I should have been warned by the fact that her brother had been adopted and returned because he was "too wild".  When we got home she eventually came out of the carrier but wouldn't come near me.  I wanted to take her to my bedroom for the night but when I picked her up she turned into a whirling dervish of teeth and claws and I still bear the scars.  So I left her in the kitchen and she cried all night.  She'd shut up when I went in there but not let me near her.  For the first two days I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and she started coming up, sniffing my toes and running away.  On the third night she decided to jump on the table to inspect my dinner and she let me touch her shoulder!  Boldly, I ventured to pat her and she looked at me like, "Why are you doing that?"  But then she realised it felt nice and went into a frenzy of delight, twirling around to present new bits for me to stroke.  And that was it, she loved me and had to be with me all the time or at least know where I was.

Lydia was a sweety from the start.  The guy who'd handed her in to the rescue lady had found her in his backyard.  His doberman was "playing" with her.  When we got home I sat in the spare room with her and read a book while she played quietly with some toys.  We kept glancing surreptitiously at each other but after a couple of hours she decided I was safe, jumped on me and started sucking my neck.  She's always been a sweety and in eleven years has only scratched me once, completely by accident.  She's an easy cat to neglect because she doesn't ask for anything and won't defend her food or her sleeping places.  It makes me sad that she's always so grateful for what she gets.

Kewpie Doll hopped out of the carrier and marched straight up to me for patting.  I was flattered but shouldn't have been because she's like that with everyone, she has absolutely no fear of humans, which worries me.

Lamington (Kewpie's son) hid in the far back corner of the carrier and when I dragged him out he freaked.  His mother looked to see if he was being hurt, decided he wasn't, and resumed rubbing against me.  Every time I picked him up he'd wave his arms and growl, which I thought was tremendously cute.  When he was still doing it ten months later it was less cute.  He never even rubbed against my legs for food until I had him desexed.  It took him ten YEARS to realise I'm the nicest one in the house because I won't bash him or bite his ears.  He does like being patted but only when HE wants it - he's not an obliging cat at all.  And picking him up, no no no.

So what did your pets do when you first got them home?  Have you ever returned an unsatisfactory pet?  I haven't, and wouldn't, but a lot of people do.  I have a friend who's had a few cats she didn't bond with that she gave to her parents to look after.  I think the most nerve-wracking thing would be a dog-cat intro.  Cat-cat intros are bad enough!

[Deleted]

My last dog, Nomad, was an 8 week old puppy that a friend didn't want. He just lost his lab and couldn't emotionally handle him. So, we ended up bringing him home. He was a lab so he was all licks and happily clomping around the house.

Flyer, my border collie, was adopted at 8 months. He happily went along with me. Very skittish around the house until he learned we don't have a lot of rules and that we're pretty nice. ha

My cats are all ferals. My lab helped me find four kittens out back, and they were about 4 weeks old. They were hissy - spitting things. I plucked them up and put them in a dog carrier. We fell in love with two of them and found homes for the other two. Now they're little lovers. Simon and Tory.

My third bad boy, Spencer, was a full grown feral when I found him. I do the trap - fix - release thing with all ferals. This one wouldn't let us touch him beyond his head. He was a serious hisser and swiper. Mean little guy. After the vets, and two days in my shed to recover, I gave him catnip. HA! He started rolling around drooling and then rubbing all over my leg. I was scared to leave him outside. I was afraid that he'd walk up to a coyote and start loving on him and become coyote chow. He meowed outside our door and window for a long time so I let him in. He hasn't left and Spencer is now the sweetest guy. He has the eat everything you can now syndrome ferals get, so he's overweight. I try to limit his food intake, but he's bound and determined to find and eat everything he can.

[allikat]

First bird to come into my house was Petey, he was about 3 months old at the time and had free run of the house. My MIL was breeding cockatiels at the time and DH was determined we would have one. I was initially not a bird person. I was pregnant with DS at the time we got Petey. Petey was a little skittish but loved flying around house and being free. I was taking afternoon naps because of the pregnancy and one afternoon, he flew over and landed on my toes as I rested he worked his way up to my neck and nestled himself in my hair and slept with me for a couple of hours. After this he napped with me every afternoon and became my best buddy. He is 26 yo this year and prefers now to stay close to cage, he is a talker.

Second birds in were a bonded pair, Mickey and Nicky, from MIL, she was snowbird and I took the birds in while she was gone they eventually just stayed all the time with me. Nicky passed away about 8 or 10 years ago. Mickey is still hanging in there and talking/whistling away, he turns 30 this year. He was the one I thought was going to die a couple of weeks ago. I was wrong, thankfully.

Third bird was Baby, she came from an abusive home and was handicapped, her one side didn't work really well. She lived a happy, spoiled life with us for about 3 years before she passed.

4th in was Sweetie Pie, she was caught outside and lived with a friend of mine for a few months until she got kittens and decided birds and kittens don't mix too well. Sweetie Pie mews like a kitten, lol. Sweetie also has extreme anxiety and plucks her neck feathers even after many many years with us, she still does it periodically.

5th in was Liberty, she was a lover and my favorite (ssshh don't tell the other birds) I was inconsolable when she died last year. I was so upset I scared DS and he called DH to come home. LIberty used to hang out all the time with me, shared drinks and food. Was quite the cuddler and kisser too. She had already out lived 2 owners and was only about 8 years old. Vet thought she had fatty liver disease and that is what shortened her life span. She died on the same day 5 years after her last owner died, very spooky coincidence.

6th in were Phil and Lil another bonded pair, they were the ones that produced Stinky the last one in and the spoiled rotten baby. Phil and Lil keep to themselves. Phil talks alot and Lil likes to have her belly kissed through the cage. Phil went through a really bad around of eye infections and he and I got pretty close as 3 times a day I had to either put eye drops in or give him oral antibiotics for about a year. But he never bonded with me really.

Last but not least was Stinky who is 1 1/2 yo, he was born to help Lil curb her excessive egg laying. It has helped a little but not cured the problem. Stinky has helped to fill the huge hole in my heart that Liberty left. Stinky hangs out with me all the time, helps cook and clean. I cannot leave the room with out Stinky whistling to check on me and call me back, lol.

I currently have 6 birds all cockatiels, several others have passed through and my heart and my cages always have room for another who needs rescued.

Wow that was very long winded, sorry.

[kritter]

I don't even know where to start.

[Deleted]

Yes, I thought you and Shirley might have trouble, Kritter.

Alli, until I read your post I'd kind of forgotten how sweet birds are. Petey sleeping with you was adorable!

I had a pet magpie when I was eight, it had fallen out of the nest. Mum gave me bread and milk to feed it and when it was a few weeks older we'd go out with a garden trowel where it was damp. I'd dig up the dirt and Henry would stand there and eat the worms as they appeared, lol. I used to have to get up early every morning to feed him and stop him squawking because it drove Mum mad.

Dantes, your pets have such cool names! Especially Spencer the cat. Was he completely converted by the catnip or did he still have feral episodes?