Day 46

In the past month, Cat’s gotten x-rays and Bo’s gotten over his really really long cold.  Cat apparently has “shallow sockets” meaning it’s easier for his hip pop in and out of joint, which might explain the limp.  He has medicine he could take if it gets bad… kind of like us taking medicine for migraines, but with cat pain medicine… being a pharmacists daughter and sister, having meds to fall back on is always comforting

Updates:
Cat: 50% of the time wants to play with Bo, and 50% of the time meows a “geroff!!” when he’s attacked.  Spent 2 days this weekend hiding from Mike and Kir, then came out for 10 minutes to visit (miracle!!)
Bo:  Enjoyed the extra company of Mike and Kir, but started missing Cat and got all mopey until he came out.  Still likes people food.
Tom: “I always knew we’d spend a lot of money on those cats…”
Me: Still locks up the kitten in the study, cuts on the fan to drown out the meowing, and guiltlessly go to bed without interruption every night.  I’m a cold hearted soul.

Most of the cats’ playing still consists of Bo chasing Cat, but Cat really does seem to enjoy it lately… especially when he’s “winning” and sitting on Bo.  He’s not a morning person, so if the kitten tries to jump on him before 10am, it gets smacked pretty hard until Cat can retreat under the bed, but in the twilight hours, they’re buds.

So for those of you out there wanting to “introduce a new cat to the old one,” it’ll take TONS of patience and time, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how crotchety your old cat is .

Day 27

In Pine Level, I have a dog named Sophie.  When I lived there, I would roll up in my car and see Sophie laying in the shade watching a squirrel eat her dog food.  As soon as she saw my car though, she’d chase the squirrel away.  Cat’s kind of acting the same way (or, I guess, opposite).  When I walk into a room that both of the cats are in, Cat’s in the pounce position at the kitten, looking like he’s ready to play… but when he sees me, Cat jumps on to the furniture, gives a very pitiful “meow,” and starts licking his paw.  Bo pops out of his hiding spot to find his playmate, then playfully bats at him only to get smacked in the head by Cat and hissed at.  Ahhhh the behaviors of the feline.

Updates:
Cat: Got tackled by Bo jumping from the bed and is hobbling like a pirate with a wooden leg– not really limping, but still something we’re keeping an eye on… might have to call the vet later.
Bo: Likes Ranch dressing.  Will jump onto the counter and lick off anything that’s had Ranch on it.  Still sneezing- mostly on Tom
Tom: Reclaimed the office with my help.  I’m the heartless one that can easily ignore the crying kitten and lock him out so Tom can work.  Without me, he’s hopeless.  Bo attacks pencils, lays on documents he’s using, and snuggles with the computer trackpad.
Me: Glad school is back in session.  I stress way too much over these kittens and am learning that I’m worse than an overbearing and overprotective parent.  I’m an overprotective pet owner (my poor vet).  I’m not a Godwin girl without a little bit of stress in my life to keep me going, so I’m glad the time of the year has come that I have to spread my stress thin

They’re still not allowed to be in the apt “together” and alone, because frankly I think Bo will harass the fur off of Cat if he is allowed to play with him all day, but I’m thinking by about Day 400 they’ll be about normal

Day 18

They played! I mean it was play fighting, but I’m telling you they did it.  Cat was sitting on the end table, Bo underneath it, and they were batting at each other (no hissing or growling).  Finally!

Updates:
Cat: Affronted when the kitten was allowed in the bedroom tonight.  I’m planning on putting Bo up in his room later, since it’s only 9:30, but Cat doesn’t know that and is (once again) hissing at him.  The door is cracked and when the kitten leaves, Cat stands guard for a while to make sure he doesn’t try to come back in.
Bo: Yesterday put his head in Cat’s mouth while Cat was hissing at him- like he was smelling his breath.  Cat didn’t care.  Bo’s still sneezing, but we emailed the vet who said to give the cat cold some time to pass before we bring him in, as he might not need medicine.  Also, he’s learned to “play dead” when Cat has him cornered.
Tom:  Recuperating from having 4 wisdom teeth taken out, but hasn’t really spent a day in bed yet (that’s what tomorrow’s for).
Me: Now that I know that Cat isn’t using claws to bat at the kitten, I get a strange satisfaction when Cat smacks Bo.  I know the kitten will just keep coming back to “play” with his new friend, so it makes me laugh.

Meanwhile, I got a new MacBook Pro!! On top of saving $200 with a teacher discount and tax free, we got a free $100 iTunes card and a free printer! BAM!

Day 16

We’re letting the kitten roam free in the house for a few hours during the day.  His favorite pastime is sneaking up on Cat’s tail and running away, knowing Cat’s not going to chase him far (lazy old man).  Cat’s favorite thing is to sit between Bo and a room he wants to go into, and block his path, hissing at Bo if he comes within 3 feet of the doorway.  It’s like a teenager and his younger brother, torturing each other for fun.

Updates:
Bo: We think he has an upper respiratory infection.  His eyes have this nasty green mush in them, and he is sneezing more frequently.  He’s going to the vet tomorrow.
Cat: Hissed and growled at Bo all day except when Bo looked really sick.  Then he let the kitten sit next to him in peace rather than scaring him off.  Kind of cute.
Tom: Worked at the dining room table all day.  When he is finished with scrap paper, he crumples it up and tosses it across the room.  Bo fetches it.
Me: Worried Cat’s going to get sick now… cried when Bo looked really sick… decided one day I’ll be a very high-strung mom.

I think Cat is warming up to the kitten.  When Bo was sleeping it off earlier, Cat waited outside of his door for him to wake up (so he could hiss at him).  I don’t think Bo has ever NOT liked Cat.  He chirps the most when he’s near him.

Day 14

Up until today, it’s all been the same- separate kitties, giving each of them a chance to roam the house.  The only “event” was taking Bo to the vet (I love our vet!).  He got his last boosters, we “declared” him a birthday of April 13th (no idea why) and he is already proving to be different from Cat in personality.  Cat at the vet hides and tries to climb the wall to get away from the stranger.  Bo finished exploring the room by the time the vet came back so he stood at the door, waiting for a chance to roam the rest of the hospital.

Tom’s been manning the cats back at home this weekend, keeping them separated while I was at the beach with the folks.  When I got back today, Cat and Bo had their first face-to-face meeting, thus the new post.  Bo was in his carrier, Cat roamed around him.  Apparently we’re supposed to encourage the idea that Cat is the leader of the house, and the kitten beneath him.  Seems wrong, but I’m following instructions diligently.

Update:
Cat: Went from hissing, to growling, and is now snarling at the kitten.  He walked past the cage a few times and attacked it with his chunky paw, then ran away.
Bo: Seemed not phased by Cat’s rudeness.  Sometimes would provoke him by swatting at his tail through the carrier.  Had his first visit to our bedroom and officially has made it under every piece of furniture except the trunk.  Bo spent his time there pulling all of the toys Cat lost out from under the dresser and playing with them.
Tom: Is much better than this than I am.  I think he’s going to be ready to get his office back when all of this is over.  Tom also introduced me to River Monsters today.
Me: Found more articles online telling me about all of the fights my cats are going to get in while they’re getting used to each other.  Sunburnt- bad time to have clawed cats.

I think I’ve said it before, but Cat seems a lot happier since we got the kitten.  I mean he’s pissed on a lot of levels, but overall he’s coming out more to play, spending less time under the bed, and pretty much loving having something to harass through the day.  (Ahh to have ever been an older sibling )

Day 8: Meet Bo

We’ve temporarily named the kit “Bo” after my teddy bear.  I always told Tom I was going to name my firstborn child after Bo Bear, but he thought this was a better alternative.

Updates:
Cat: Only hisses when he hears or sees Bo in the study.  Otherwise he’s back to normal- eating, hanging out, and making sure he lays in the middle of the bed at night to push me or Tom to the edge.
Bo: He likes having forts made… blankets over furniture.  He will go into the fort, burst out of a corner, then run back under again.
Tom: Has officially moved his “office/rehearsal area” to the dining room because Bo’s craziest hours are between 10pm and 2am, Tom’s optimal work time.
Me: Was out running errands for a lot of the day, cleaned some (Bo didn’t like the vacuum), and just hung out in the room with Bo.

As promised, pictures to match the name.  Picture 1: Bo sleeping, Picture 2: Bo hiding behind the books in our bookshelf (last night he knocked a lot of the books off).  Cutie, huh?

Days 6 and 7

I’m a bad mom- I totally wasn’t home for these days in Cat and Kit’s life.  I spent it in Pine Level turning some of our home movies into iTunes movies (my dad got an apple TV).  We spent most of the evening last night watching birthday parties from the 80′s.  He then wanted to show off the Apple TV and brought up YouTube, where we watched clip after clip of this ventriloquist guy.  While I was away, Tom officially got the towel off the floor so there’s a nice 1/2 in gap for the cats to reach each other under the door.  Not much action on day 6, but day 7 was more eventful.

Updates today (Day 7):
Cat: Spent about 15 minutes hissing and growling (yes growling not purring) at the door while Kit was reaching his arms under the door trying to reach Tom.  Then he ran to the bedroom (for some attention) and wouldn’t leave our side for a long time.
Kit:  Didn’t stop purring while Cat was hissing on the other side of the door.  It was cute.  It was naive.  It was kitten.
Tom: Reprimanded Kit for being on his keyboard again.  Felt guilty about it.  Also cute and naive
Me: Officially has stopped cleaning the house since the kitten arrived (except for the litter box).  Trimmed Kit’s claws again (dude those things grow fast!)

Aside from Cat not really liking the kitten yet, he’s been much happier lately.  It’s almost like he needed a bit of drama in his life to appreciate the 10 hours of naps he gets in his day.  He’s more playful at night and spends more time in the living room (eyeing the door but content) than he used to.

Days 4 and 5

Yesterday I was at home most of the day so I could keep Kit company, but today we were out of the house a lot installing/playing with Lion (our internet was being super slow today).  Kit has learned, as Cat quickly did, that the best way to get our attention is to get between us and our computers.  Cat has a more pleasant approach by sitting on your lap between you and the computer.  Kit is more direct, running back and forth across the keyboard, sitting on the number 4, and turning on all of the annoying computer features like number lock, or that strange feature where it perma-zooms on your screen.  Mischievous as he is, Kit is still very very cute.

Two Day Update:
Cat: Off of his hunger strike, but still not eating like he used to (probably a good thing). He’s, overall, giving us more attention when we come into the room (provided he hasn’t heard the kitten meow in the past 20 minutes).  What can I say? I like a jealous boy.
Kit: Tries to escape every time we open the door.  Runs in circles around the room when he’s awake, and SLEEPS when he’s tired (there’s no waking him up).
Tom: Didn’t find Kit as cute today when he first experienced the computer run (he was trying to re-install stuff).
Me: Slowly taking the towel away from under the door so the cats can start pawing (or clawing) at each other.  Might as well get that part over with, eh?

It’s been 5 days, but I’m already dying to let Kit out of that room.  He doesn’t just chirp-meow when we have to leave him, but does those really pitiful long groaning “MEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeOOOOOOOOOOOOOOwwwwwwwwww.”  Tom just gives me a sad face, I laugh, and we go into the other room (bad parents).

Day 3 of new kitten

I spent my morning in divided time between hanging out with Cat and hanging out with Kit (still nameless).  Tom’s smitten with the kitten, and has even let him commence shredding on one of his stuffed particles (the Tachyon to be exact).  Kit had found a heavier particle on his desk (roughly twice the weight of himself) and would drag it to the end of the table and jump with it onto the floor.  He’d wrestle with it for a while, catch his breath, and attack again.  Our family update:

Cat: Didn’t start eating until 11:00 tonight- dry food and not much.  He has a new place under the bed that’s even further out of reach- on top of AND behind boxes, but came out to visit much more.  He sat outside Kit’s door a couple of times to day and didn’t hiss.  Once he even put his paws up on the door as if he was trying to get in and investigate.
Kit: Eating like a hog.  Online it says that he should just always have a full bowl to eat from, so we refill his mini-bowl about 5 times a day.  He prefers to drink water out of a plate.  He steps in it, shakes his foot, then drinks- standard procedure.
Tom: Has moved to working at the table rather than in the study (where Kit is), but can’t resist visiting when Kit starts crying for company.  He’s constantly worrying about little things being behind the desk that Kit can eat (thumbtacks, guitar strings…)
Me: Changing clothes every time I move between rooms so that Cat doesn’t hiss at Kit’s scent.  Cat is satisfied that I no longer smell like the kitten, and my bedroom is littered with laundry to be done tomorrow.  I’ve been pouring over online forums all day about what to do for Cat not eating, so since his recent nightly meal, I’ve closed out all of the “diabetes/cancer/liver failure” windows on my computer and returned to Harry Potter book 7

Follow the link to see a video of Kit attacking one of the stuffed particles (the Top Quark).  He’s adventurous…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-8FpeDz478

Cat 2 – Days 1 and 2

We decided to get a friend for Cat.  Right now he’s called “Little Cat,” “Kit,” or “Cat.2″  but I’m pretty sure he’ll get some sort of name eventually.  I’ve read a thousand posts about how to introduce cats to one another, and all of them say the same thing: 1) Separate Rooms 2) Swap Scents 3) Short Meetings 4) They will hiss at each other and possibly fight, but it’s “normal.”  I decided to blog about it, to see if all of the sites are right: follow the steps and it should be fine:

Day 1:
Cat: Oblivious.  We put his litter box and food bowl in our room for the first night so there’s no surprise attacks on the kitten.
Kitten: Sleeps a lot, especially upside down in your lap.
Tom: Loves new kitten, asks me to clip his nails
Me: Wondering if I should hide all the cords in the house, wishing Kirsten got a kitten too so we could compare notes

Day 2:
Cat: Found office where Kitten is locked up.  Hissed at door.  Bipolar to me and Tom the rest of the night.  Hisses 1 minute at how we smell like kitten, super attached and playful the next minute.  Possibly feigning sick (I emailed the Vet).
Kitten: Likes jumping- especially on the shredder, harddrive, and up the back of the chair.  Hasn’t eaten much, hasn’t had any water.  Possibly is full from eating the corner of a folder.  Flicks water at Tom.
Tom: Played baseball with Cat (Cat is quite good at hitting back balls thrown in the air to him), takes notice of unchewed chords in the office (where Kitten is).
Me: trimmed Kitten’s claws after he climbed up my leg, had a minor breakdown that Cat hissed at me, emailed vet about Cat’s squinting eye, baseball with Cat, fort game with Kitten.

Tonight I plan to give Cat and Kitten each a towel so they can “get their scents” on them.  Tomorrow night I switch the towels so that they know each other’s scents.  I promise to throw out any towels that are angrily peed-on in the process.