Wednesday 27 May 2020

It's a miracle!

I finally had walkies with Cinnamon. He's been reluctant, until Monday, May 25th. I've missed my walkies with Daisy.

I went down to the trailcams. I was standing here, admiring my work on clearing the path with the lawn tractor, when I heard meowing behind me. The path leads to the empty duck box.



He's been to the pond alone. I've captured him on the trail camera focused on the dock. I knew he'd been down there.
Nutmeg still isn't comfortable being petted outdoors. We spent the winter keeping them indoors. I brought her a piece of wild catnip, called her, no way, and threw it towards her. She ran off. Cinnamon helped me find the lady slippers. He was so happy.



One lone male mallard duck on the pond. Now that the one duck is settled into her nesting box, the other two boxes are empty, we can walk around the pond again.



The pond is full of tadpoles!

tadpoles from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.




I just read an article on kitten socialization. You'll recall our two were found at the side of a road, sleeping and huddled together. The vet, who sold them to us, estimated that they were about 4 - 6 months old at that point. It's no wonder their fears are huge.

Socialization Tips For You and Your Kitten
Kittens have a prime socialization window which occurs at 2-7 weeks of age but can extend up to 14 weeks. During this time, the kitten is most receptive to new experiences. ...  After the window closes, unfamiliar people, objects and experiences are approached with caution, and the kitten may become fearful. In fact, the most common cause of fear and aggression is lack of socialization.



I had trouble with focus, because of my cataracts, but once I remembered I'd had it on manual focus, I did better. sigh. There were only two. We've had 4 or 5 in previous years. Thanks to Eileen, who showed photos of her captures, as I'd forgotten about them. They are so rare, and last such a short period of time.



The Lady Slippers grow on the edge of the wetland.

 

I called him, whistled, patted my leg, and by the time I turned around, he was roaring up the hill in front of me.

9 comments:

Tom said...

...I don't think that I will have the opportunity to see lady slippers this year, THANKS!!!

Anvilcloud said...

I don't know if I will visit Purdon this year as I cannot make Wheelers a part of my trip.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

The lady slippers are pretty, great find! Take care and have a great day!

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Oh was that N in the video the other day? I thought it was a much larger cat!!! Yes, the kits will have developed survival strategies in those early weeks which will account for C's hunting prowess. YAM xx

RedPat said...

It is nice to have a cat companion on your walk!

Nancy J said...

What a treat, company on a walk, and the beautiful flower.Cool morning here, 4 Celsius, fire lit and even the heat pump is turned on for a brief spurt.

Christine said...

Glad you had a nice outing with Cinnamon!

Powell River Books said...

Our good friend Jeanne across the hall adopted two older feral cats. They have become used to her but are never seen by visitors. I helped her a while back by cleaning the litter boxes and putting out fresh food while she was away and never saw either of them. - Margy

Lowcarb team member said...

Nice to have a companion, especially a cat on your walk :)

The lady slipper is a pretty plant.

All the best Jan