Even as I began drafting this on Thu more arose to speak of with the UFO--things move fast around here. But it's time for another mini-thread update/collection of thoughts on our friend

Very noteworthy updates here, amidst my blathering.

(Photos included! More to follow!)

As I said Wed, this week marks only 5w since I first saw him. 5w ago, I couldn't approach any nearer than several meters away, & he ran if I even approached the glass doors to the deck.

Now, he eats from my hand, often comes if he senses me, & lets me scritch his noggin.*

I'd forgotten that one of the vets I work with spends some of her free time working with strays, and I talked about that with her before. And now of course I've mentioned the UFO to her (and some of my other coworkers)(not all, because I barely see most of them anyway).

I find myself at a bit of a crossroads, & I've discussed this with her as well: that I've been carefully working to build the trust of the UFO, & I'm making fantastic progress--progress she also finds marvelous. At the same time, the longer he's outdoors, the longer he's at risk.

So the question becomes: do I continue to build that trust, to closer interaction? Or seize what is already forged & snatch him so I can get him out of... well, the outdoors--& to the vet?

The former prolongs the time he's at risk. The latter may threaten the trust I've built.

My vet CW's suggestion was that, considering how much progress has already been made in such a short time, to give it another week or so, and see where we are at that point. It's hard, knowing he's still out there, but at this rate, success may come much sooner rather than later.

I know I've stipulated before that there are many imponderables in this, & no guarantees to any possible outcome. The only definitive goal for the moment is building trust, enough to find a way to get him to the vet. From there? It's much too soon to tell. https://twitter.com/I_Ailurophile/status/1258402164407500800?s=19

Now, to back up for a moment: The very first time I saw him, at the top of the bigger UFO thread, I reflected that, not knowing, he may easily be a stray, an indoor-outdoor cat, or lost. The good money was on stray then, & now at this point I've no reason to believe otherwise.

Other possibilities aren't fully ruled out, but they're very unlikely. Intact; skittish around people (note: sample size of 1); consistently outdoors for at least 5w at all hours; & appears with dirt, seed pods, & small bumps that suggest he's been outdoors for quite some time.

I'll note here that previously, I only saw him in daylight. In this past week, he's been coming even at night. In my mind this further solidifies the notion that he is & has always been a stray. Here's a photo from Thu-Fri night. At 0200. #CatLife #CatsOfTwitter

Per the plan I QRTed, ofc I'll do all I can to check that he doesn't actually have a home somewhere. But if he does, that person has been grossly irresponsible, whether deliberately or not, if he's Indoor-Outdoor. If he's Missing, then he's been missing since kittenhood long ago.

So, again, the good money is on Stray.

Also, side note, may I just say: there's been a consistent pattern for at least the past 3y, without fail. Yes, I basically always have cats on my mind. But if I so much as make an offhand comment, jokingly mentioning Another Cat, one will fall into my lap. Almost literally.

But that's neither here nor there--cart far, far before the horse. First things first. I need to gain this handsome boy's trust. And the results so far have been very promising indeed.

I think it's worth a note: to date, I haven't heard one peep from him. It's been said cats meow to communicate with humans, not with each other. If he's a lifelong stray, that seems to confirm; I may well be the first person he's had sustained contact with. & he hasn't meowed.**

(**MID-THREAD UPDATE: Thu morning, I observed him open his mouth, while looking at me & my cats through the glass doors, in a distinct way that told me he had meowed. Of course, at the time, I didn't hear it.)

Stoicism aside, he's definitely shown other feline behaviors we know well. When he visited Wed night, he was dancing on my deck, chasing bugs through the air. He rolls back & forth, exposing his belly, as he grooms & stretches.

& he's so very gentle when he eats from my hand

Here, too, is a good place to note: While I absolutely wish to respect his boundaries, I'm also purposefully testing them, as part of the process of getting him used to me, and building trust. It's quite possible he's no lap cat, or one who would ever want to be fully petted...

...but, *MID-THREAD UPDATE :

Considering that Thursday morning he allowed me to not just scritch his noggin but to altogether pet the back of his neck***, I'd say there's a strong possibility of his acceptance developing further.

***WE INTERRUPT THIS MID-THREAD UPDATE TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER MID-THREAD UPDATE

Thu-Fri night. 0200. Eating from my right hand, and more video thereof.

During this time, he allowed me to GENTLY BRUSH MY LEFT HAND DOWN HIS BACK #CatLife #CatsOfTwitter

(Another side note, I only just realized that there's an actual flying saucer / UFO emoji That would have been quite useful at any other time in the past 5 weeks! )

Despite good intentions, I think this thread is about to go in circles & take a turn for the unproductive. So let's start to wrap up just by saying, again, things have been moving fast in the past 5w, faster than I can tweet. As I think the mid-thread updates demonstrate here.

The UFO has made such stunning progress in the past five weeks, and I'm very proud of him, which I tell him every time we hang out. I think my vet co-worker is right, and despite the prolonged risk of him being outside, something even more magical is going to happen very soon.

Ironically, by seemingly hanging around of late closer to my house specifically--which was, ofc, a midway goal--that itself reduces some of the risk he faces by being outside, if he were to wander more openly. But again, that's only a half-measure to getting him off the streets.

We're getting so close.
Just a little bit longer, buddy.
You're doing so well.
Stay safe, friend
#CatLife #CatsOfTwitter