More Cat-Comingulation

[akirlu]

So, the new cats are installed down in the laundry room. Kitty (who will soon get a new name, possibly "Lefty"), the tiny gray tabby, is, as advertised, the loviest bundle of feline affection ever. She's also adjusting pretty quickly to the new environment, and has had a bit of food and explored the downstairs and spent a lot of time sitting in my lap in Hal's study getting patted and petted on. Neither Tinka nor Kitty seem much bothered by the existence or proximity of the other, even when I brought Kitty upstairs for a while, so the actual cat-mingling may not be that much of a hassle. Kitty is not, however, loving on the dog at all. She growls and climbs up me as far as she can get in Sarah's presence. She's lived with a pair of hyperactive Italian greyhounds, so I expect she will settle into it, but it's striking me as ironic that the big hurdle in all this may be adjusting to the new dog, rather than another cat. Go figure.

Tickles (who is also due post haste for a new name, possibly "Tibbles") the tortie is still at the stage of hiding under furniture and refusing to come out, so it's hard to gauge which aspect of the adjustment is going to be hardest for her. It is, after all, close to a worst case scenario for an outdoor cat: new people, new house, new dog, new furniture, and she's being kept inside in the midst of all this unfamiliarity. But she's been left in peace with tuna and water and a litterbox accessible, and we did bring along the cats' beloved scratching post and a familiar-smelling sweatshirt, and I reckon the rest is mostly a matter of time. I should probably pick up some Rescue Remedy at lunch tho, if I can.

Comments

Rescue Remedy?

[ladyjestocost.livejournal.com]

What is this? It sounds like good stuff.

Re: Rescue Remedy?

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Bach's Rescue Remedy is a homeopathic herbal thingie -- a mixture of flower essences -- that some folks think is good for helping calm frightened or distressed animals (including people). I didn't notice a lot of impact when I used it on Sarah, but I figure it's worth trying again, in case it does help.

yay, kitties

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

it's striking me as ironic that the big hurdle in all this may be adjusting to the new dog, rather than another cat.

ironic? :) dogs are predators on cats. your dog might have forgotten, but cats know it. unless they've grown up with, or been already socialized with a dog, they'll require some time to get used to this dog not being about to try and eat them.

all of our cats continue to fear the landlord's dog -- with good reason, because she's never been trained not to chase cats (or chickens or rabbits or turkeys or peacocks or goats -- the neighbours don't like this dog. it's not her fault. the landlords are incompetent to own animals.)

rescue remedy is a crock.

Re: yay, kitties

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yes, ironic, in that I just wasn't expecting much problem with the dog. The cats have been cohabiting with dogs for years. Bouncy, yappy excitable dogs, at that. And the previous two cats have adjusted to Sarah with nary a ripple. Maybe that's just Wegie sang froid, or something, but I've apparently been spoiled by cats that don't have much of an issue with dogs.

the landlords are incompetent to own animals.

I'm not wholly convinced of my own competence sometimes, but I Do So Know What You Mean. One of the world's tragedies is that far more people decide to keep pets than are ever fit to do so. The Chicago Tribune was, just today, reporting of another animal hoarder on the docket, with literally hundreds of animals in various states of starvation and disease confiscated, and the house condemned.

rescue remedy is a crock.

Very plausibly. But at worst, I don't expect it to do any harm.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I thought there were three new cats. But so far, things seem to be going okay.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I guess I can see why you may have thought three new ones, since I never explicitly said we'd get two of his three, but if we were adding three new ones we'd be quadrupling the number of cats in the house, not tripling.

Anyway, yeah, things seem to be going along pretty well. I had the tabby upstairs for a much longer time last night, and have seen the calico (who I was thinking was tortoiseshell, but no, really, it's calico) out of her hiding spot a couple of times now. Lefty (the former Kitty), has now taken to coming to the top of the cellar stairs voluntarily, and when she comes upstairs, Spike (the former Tickles) comes partway upstairs to look for her. The progress seems quite quick to me.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, that's moving along well.