Lora Lee Panda
Read about the Resident kitties, Kracken kitties, and Cat House kitties.
The final installation of meeting my clowder of cats is here. And some would say that I saved the best for last. Today, we will meet Panda. Panda is a 14-year-old black and white cat that came with the house that we bought 2 years ago, because of course I buy a house that comes with a cat. If taming the Cat House cats was a test in patience and persistence, then getting Panda to trust me was the final exam. And, boy, did I pass with flying colors! This was socialization at its finest.
Panda’s old caregivers left me his backstory when we moved in. He was born in the Spring of 2008 to a little grey cat that had wandered up to the house. They called her Mimi. He did have a brother that they called Panther. They were able to successfully trap all three and get them spayed and neutered. Mom Mimi stopped showing up in 2012. Brother Panther stopped showing up in 2016.
That just left Panda. They continued to feed him and provided him with shelter outside. They attempted to socialize. He would come into the laundry room to eat, but that was the extent of his interest indoors. The wife was able to pet him while his was eating in the laundry room. However, she had never been able to pet him outside. They were very insistent to NEVER APPROACH HIM FROM THE FRONT TO PET HIM!
When they decided to downsize, they tried to figure out what to do with Panda. Panda did not want to be an inside cat. Being that they were only moving a few miles away, taking him to live outside at their new home would not work either. Panda would travel to come back to the only home that he has known. But they did not have to worry about Panda. I was ecstatic that our new house came with a cat. And what a handsome cat he is.
Socialization Begins
We bought our house in 2020. Right at the beginning of the pandemic. We had gone virtual with school, so I had time to get things organized in our new home. As the weather got warmer, I started spending more time outside and Panda was always watching. He would only get close enough to watch my movements, but far enough to run if needed. Very cautiously, he would wait on the laundry room porch for his meals but run down the stairs hissing when I went out to feed him. He would wait at the bottom until I went in and then slowly come to eat. Our socialization process was slow.
I would constantly talk to him whenever I was outside. I started calling him my Panda Bear. Not a day went by that I did not sit somewhere near him and just talk to him. Ask him about his day, where did he go, what did he see? Tell him that he was my buddy. That he was handsome and such a good Panda Bear. Every day for almost a year. The sucess to socialization is patience.
One day in March of 2021, almost a year after moving in, Panda finally gave me the ultimate gift. He meowed to come onto our screen porch. I obliged and he rubbed against me legs! Frozen in shock, I tried desperately to contain my excitement. Luckily my husband was on the porch, and he was able to get video of this long-awaited moment. I was able to pet Panda!!! He was still very cautious and ready to take leave if needed, but I was able to pet him. And it felt wonderful. Better than winning the lottery!!
The Reward of Socialization
Over the next year, Panda and I have grown closer. He comes when I call his name. He knows the sound of my car and is waiting at the steps when I pull up. Panda follows me everywhere when I am outside. He absolutely LOVES to be pet. Whether it is outside or inside. I can love on him and give him kisses on his head. He has the loudest purr.
At this point, Panda does not want to be an inside cat. He enjoys his freedom and needs to take daily perimeter checks to make sure that his kingdom is secure.
However, because he will be 14 in a couple of months, I did not like the idea of him being allowed to roam overnight. So, we bought him a little heated house and he now spends the nights safe on our screen porch. He has a litter box, which he has taken to remarkably well. My little shadow goes out to the Cat House with me each day to say hello to his friends. This senior kitty is still an amazing hunter and will often bring me his catch of the day. Panda is still agile enough to climbs trees and young enough to want to roll around in the dirt. He is an amazing cat that I feel blessed to care for and love.
“The way to get on with a cat is to treat it as an equal – or even better, as the superior it knows itself to be.”
– Elizabeth Peters
