I ran into a group of soldiers Thursday morning on the Mall and asked if they were in town for the festivities. Their “yeahs” sounded way less than enthusiastic. It was very obvious that they did not want to be there.
"The loneliest feeling in the world is when you think you are leading the parade and turn to find that no one is following you. No president who badly misguesses public opinion will last very long."
Another thing you may consider doing for the cat, besides changing her name to something more feminine, is installing some pheromone diffusers like the one in the link below. We've found success with them.
Right now she's just afraid of you. I hope she's eating something. Cats in that situation often ignore food for up to three days, thinking you're trying to poison them, but if they haven't eaten in four days they can get serious organ damage. Put tasty food down that smells strong (tuna, for example) and leave her alone to explore it. Good luck. She might be a cuddle cat, given enough time (like three years).
Give Grandpa time. I took in mother and son cats from a neighbor who didn’t have time for them. They had been in a small room with little human interaction, so both were very skittish and didn’t want to be touched. Both now come for skritches and give me head butts and purrs. Who knows what poor Grandpa went through before you came into her life.
Another thought. Buy a wand toy with an assortment of attachments. Go into Grandpa’s room and move it around. Grandpa may not come out to play right away, but I’ll bet she will watch intently. If you do this routinely, she will come to associate you with the interesting movement, which is non-threatening and fun.
That sounds like a (perhaps) very good idea - and then again, I am not a cat. Also, maybe it would be good to spend a bit of time in the cat's space without trying to interact?
My only related personal experience is the following: I took in two adult male cats from the home of an elderly acquaintance who had died alone. I don't know how many days the cats were unattended - but they were quite nervous. They were seemingly used to being inside/outside cats, since they had access to an open basement window.
My vet told me to close them into a quiet bedroom with all their catstuff for a few days. I entered, only to feed them or to check their litterbox. After the better part of a week, I could sit down (with treats) and, eventually, one or the other would cautiously approach me - not to be touched but to eat the goodies I offered. The whole process took a few weeks and these were mature, adult cats - not a baby like Gene's Grandpa.
Thank you for taking in these two! You’re suggesting the same idea—don’t directly interact with the cat(s), but let the cats choose whether and how to interact with you.
You deserve the rest of the story. I had met the cats once before and knew their names. The deceased lady's son came down from NYC to settle his mother's affairs but he made it clear to me that he didn't have the wherewithal to deal with her cats. So I took them.
Tommy, the tuxedo cat. lived with me until he passed away. Tommy's buddy, Leadbelly, was a big, grey, independent thug of a cat. (You could hear his footsteps when he walked.) He did not enjoy being confined to my house and demonstrated his displeasure by backing up to my bookcase and spraying my books! I ended up giving him to my ex-husband who lived out in the woods where he lived happily ever after, chasing small critters and taking the place of honor in front of the woodstove.
As former readers of the newspaper whose name we dare not speak know (and AMOF, readers of this esteemed and soon to be revered, publication), satirist Alexandra Petri left the former and is now at The Atlantic, another esteemed and perhaps already revered publication. This is her take on the man who daily parades his ignorance and malfeasance and his obscene birthday present to himself with which he, of course, manages to tarnish a proud 250-year-old tradition. The link (a freebie) to it is via archive today. http://archive.today/ts4vu
Originally I thought the whole multimillion-dollar parade was a gargantuan waste of tax money -- ESPECIALLY right after declaring a Department of Government Efficiency. But now I recognize that the expense was fully justified as a set-up for Gene's incandescent, spectacular pun, "Parade on His Reign." Bravo, oh bravo!!!
The cat may warm up to your wife in about 3 months. Until then GLOVES !! Oh yes, the charade … was his creature Stephen Miller there? Loved your comments on the French parade. Why can’t we all get along?
I chose disgusting because everyone in this administration does only disgusting and cruel things. I’m hoping for Nuremberg type trials when this group is gone.
Disgust - but with the circumstances, not the soldiers.
Thank you for clarifying. The troops didn’t have a choice.
Of what I saw, It appeared the troops were half-heartedly half marching.
I ran into a group of soldiers Thursday morning on the Mall and asked if they were in town for the festivities. Their “yeahs” sounded way less than enthusiastic. It was very obvious that they did not want to be there.
Possibly in silent protest
I never knew schadenfreude could be such a powerful feeling until I saw Trump hating his own parade.
I kept imagining Kim, Vlad, and Xi laughing at Trump's failure.
Welcome to the joy of schadenfreude!
https://bsky.app/profile/sundaedivine.bsky.social/post/3lrsexfqr222h
I wish “Did not watch at all” was a poll option
All I have seen is a few photos in The Guardian.
"The loneliest feeling in the world is when you think you are leading the parade and turn to find that no one is following you. No president who badly misguesses public opinion will last very long."
--- Franklin D. Roosevelt
I wish you had made Pathetic a choice in the poll.
I wish "meh" had been a choice.
Another thing you may consider doing for the cat, besides changing her name to something more feminine, is installing some pheromone diffusers like the one in the link below. We've found success with them.
https://us.feliway.com/
Also, I recommend spending some time in the same room with the cat, but totally ignoring her while you are engrossed in some other activity.
Uh, maybe pretend to totally ignore her, but keep an eye on her and don't turn your back.
I am a veterinarian and I completely endorse both of the above suggestions. Feliway can be a huge game changer with horrified cats. Good luck.
Right now she's just afraid of you. I hope she's eating something. Cats in that situation often ignore food for up to three days, thinking you're trying to poison them, but if they haven't eaten in four days they can get serious organ damage. Put tasty food down that smells strong (tuna, for example) and leave her alone to explore it. Good luck. She might be a cuddle cat, given enough time (like three years).
I think you might pay some of us NOT to send photos.
Give Grandpa time. I took in mother and son cats from a neighbor who didn’t have time for them. They had been in a small room with little human interaction, so both were very skittish and didn’t want to be touched. Both now come for skritches and give me head butts and purrs. Who knows what poor Grandpa went through before you came into her life.
Another thought. Buy a wand toy with an assortment of attachments. Go into Grandpa’s room and move it around. Grandpa may not come out to play right away, but I’ll bet she will watch intently. If you do this routinely, she will come to associate you with the interesting movement, which is non-threatening and fun.
That sounds like a (perhaps) very good idea - and then again, I am not a cat. Also, maybe it would be good to spend a bit of time in the cat's space without trying to interact?
My only related personal experience is the following: I took in two adult male cats from the home of an elderly acquaintance who had died alone. I don't know how many days the cats were unattended - but they were quite nervous. They were seemingly used to being inside/outside cats, since they had access to an open basement window.
My vet told me to close them into a quiet bedroom with all their catstuff for a few days. I entered, only to feed them or to check their litterbox. After the better part of a week, I could sit down (with treats) and, eventually, one or the other would cautiously approach me - not to be touched but to eat the goodies I offered. The whole process took a few weeks and these were mature, adult cats - not a baby like Gene's Grandpa.
I wish him luck.
Thank you for taking in these two! You’re suggesting the same idea—don’t directly interact with the cat(s), but let the cats choose whether and how to interact with you.
You deserve the rest of the story. I had met the cats once before and knew their names. The deceased lady's son came down from NYC to settle his mother's affairs but he made it clear to me that he didn't have the wherewithal to deal with her cats. So I took them.
Tommy, the tuxedo cat. lived with me until he passed away. Tommy's buddy, Leadbelly, was a big, grey, independent thug of a cat. (You could hear his footsteps when he walked.) He did not enjoy being confined to my house and demonstrated his displeasure by backing up to my bookcase and spraying my books! I ended up giving him to my ex-husband who lived out in the woods where he lived happily ever after, chasing small critters and taking the place of honor in front of the woodstove.
As former readers of the newspaper whose name we dare not speak know (and AMOF, readers of this esteemed and soon to be revered, publication), satirist Alexandra Petri left the former and is now at The Atlantic, another esteemed and perhaps already revered publication. This is her take on the man who daily parades his ignorance and malfeasance and his obscene birthday present to himself with which he, of course, manages to tarnish a proud 250-year-old tradition. The link (a freebie) to it is via archive today. http://archive.today/ts4vu
Le jour de gloire est arrive' ! Qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons !
Man, do I want to see that sang impur abreuve from OUR sillons!
Originally I thought the whole multimillion-dollar parade was a gargantuan waste of tax money -- ESPECIALLY right after declaring a Department of Government Efficiency. But now I recognize that the expense was fully justified as a set-up for Gene's incandescent, spectacular pun, "Parade on His Reign." Bravo, oh bravo!!!
That is some scary cat. But my cats would never eat hot dogs. Just sayin'.
Grandpa is Best Cat, just as she is. I hope you keep her even if she never leaves the basement. ❤️
Trump's parade was hilarious. Troops were out of step, no one was there, & a band playing "Fortunate Son" to his face.
OMG, did a military band actually play Fortunate Son??
It did indeed. Right in front of him.
The cat may warm up to your wife in about 3 months. Until then GLOVES !! Oh yes, the charade … was his creature Stephen Miller there? Loved your comments on the French parade. Why can’t we all get along?
Ask Vlad.
I chose disgusting because everyone in this administration does only disgusting and cruel things. I’m hoping for Nuremberg type trials when this group is gone.