Theo the Untouchable!

I am glad to report he (DEFINITELY a he!!) has settled in well, and is feeling better in himself.  Well enough, indeed, to start cleaning himself up and the "ginger paws" are now turning out to be white ones covered in clay staining . . .

He is completely litter-trained already - whether this by design or happy mistake I'm not sure, but it's a positive.  He has a very healthy appetite, but I should think I am feeding a barrel-load of worms and he has a lot of weight to gain.  Those worms will be dealt with once he has progressed from being an "untouchable".

I am dealing with that as I did with Miffy's boys (and indeed, Miffy herself) - by gently touching him with the fluffy plait on the end of my old schooling whip.  Desensitizing, as Monty Roberts does with horses using a "hand" on the end of a stick to touch them from a distance, so that they don't  realize they are being "stroked" by the human.

Yesterday, my husband left the front door open and he escaped.  I was not party to this fact until I saw him sitting on the sitting room window-sill, whilst the hail storm to end all hail-storms was taking place out there.  I had just been saying, "Thank heavens Theo isn't out in that" when I saw that he was!  I dashed to the front door to open it, startled him and he ran off into the storm.  I'm afraid my husband had a few sharp words from me, as I had expressly said to keep the door SHUT until he was tamer and "hefted" to the house properly.  Grabbing a jacket, I ran to the yard, to see him disappear from sight round a corner of the barn, and I couldn't find him anywhere.

I was despondent when I came back in, thinking he would be out forever, and soaked, cold, hungry, miserable, chased by the horrid tom etc.  I knew I wouldn't be sleeping well that night for worrying about him.  I had left the door open - just in case - and no-one was more surprised than me to see him sitting by his food bowl later, looking hungry!  So today the door has been left open and he's had a little stroll outside and then come back in again.

I peeped just now, and there was a Bank Vole in his food bowl!  What the heck?!  I can only assume that Lucy had returned and left it outside and he had purloined it and pretended it was HIS work!

Anyway, he has been people-watching whilst I've been making soup in the kitchen, and he came through and had a wander round before going back for some more cleaning-up (those feet are VERY dirty).

Leanne - that makes, ahem, 9 now . . .  We got back down to 5 at one point, having lost Tippy, Gypsy and Lucky in the space of 5 months.  I guess word got around that there may be vacancies!

DW - oh gosh, I'm surprised the welcome sign hasn't been washed away recently, but no - still shining brightly for pussums!

Marilyn - welcome.  As you'll have read, Theo is a male (he had a wash earlier and they were difficult to miss!)

Parsnip - yes, always another OMG moment, but sometimes they move on.  The big bad toms who turn up get actively chased away, but this one made himself at home before I changed my mind!

Em - I shall get a voucher for having him neutered/wormed/defleaed soon.  I think I will put one of the cat boxes in there so he uses it and it won't be such a shock when he suddenly gets shoved in one to "take a ride" .

MM & Denim - my heart went out to him.  Soooooooo thin, and JUST like our old Timmy.  Tam will love him when she sees him this month.

Vintage Jane - definitely a boy, and definitely HE chose US! 

AJ - no way could I turn him away.