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12/30/2003 Archived Entry: "As if life isn't interesting enough....."
As if life isn't interesting enough.....
During the time when we were last shuttling Zoey to and from the animal hospital, we saw and took a liking to a little male cat named Pippin. Pippin was adopted by one of the hospital employees, but she couldn't keep him because she was allergic to him, and back to the hospital he went.
Since we moved into the new house, we've been toying with the idea of taking in another animal, and today I drove over to the hospital and brought Pippin home.
Well.
Zoey is in a territorial snit over the new kitty, and my dog's maternal instincts have re-emerged with a vengeance. As a result, poor Pippin did Le Freak, to put it mildly. Since I got him here at about 2:45 this afternoon, he has managed to worm his way under the metal shelving we use for a pantry in the basement (necessitating emptying all 5 shelves of food and sundries in order to get him out from under the damn thing), and K and I just pried him out from inside one of the recliners we have in the living room.
I can only imagine where he's going to wedge himself next. Right now, K's upstairs bonding with kitty, and Zoey, the dog and I are in the basement, waiting to see if the Knicks can win 4 in a row for the first time this season.
Life's wacky, I'll tell ya.
Replies: 8 people speak up
ROFLMAO... sorry. I had 3 cats, 2 were siblings, that we got when our first cat was like 4 years old. Needless to say, I feel your pain, but goddamn, its funny tho.
Posted by djdissent @ 12/30/2003 10:28 PM NY
AM, You should take the little cat in your arms and hold him as you walk around from room to room. Talk to him while you stroke his face. Have K do this too, also when you are talking to the cat, look in it's eyes, and squeeze your eyes shut a little, this will tell the cat that you like it. It will tell him that he's wanted, and he'll get used to being with you in the rooms.
Find a quiet place where he feels secure, cats associate security with a location, right now he's feeling very insecure, so he's trying to find a place. I like the linen closet, all you have to do is make a little bed for him, and encourage him to go there when he's stressed. It helps if the other cat can't get into that space.
Once he gets used to the apartment, watch out for domineering behavior by your other cat, Zoey, and actively discourage this by giving them equal attention. Cats try to dominate by biting on the back of the neck, or more passively, by occupying the highest spot in the room. If they start hissing at one another, transfer each other's scent to the opposite cat by petting one, then walking over to the other and petting that one in succession. Back and forth, this will transfer each cats' scent to the other, and they will get used to each other much faster than if you just let them do it on their own, if they ever do, some continue to fight.
There's all kinds of things to do to help a cat get used to a space, but the biggest one is just time. Cats hate change, and they resist it vigorously. Give Pippin some time, and send me an e-mail in a couple weeks if he's not doing any better. You may want to segregate him with his own food, water, and litterbox for awhile.
Posted by Stentor @ 12/31/2003 07:35 AM NY
Pip isn't quite ready to walk about the house yet, but he is rather secure in the bedroom, currently under the bede. He was up on the bed with me for a while, quite content to be a lap cat and get his little kitty cheeks rubbed. I was going to try and walk him about, but he was in no mood for that, and started trying to get loose.
Last night, he stayed under the bed. This morning, I woke up to Zoey peering at Pippin, and making those "pidgeon noises" that cats make. I think we'll be ok. Still not going to leave the two cats alone together for a while though. Zoey is significantly larger than Pippin, and what was not mentioned in the original post is the Pippin has a bum leg.
Posted by K @ 12/31/2003 08:39 AM NY
We had a similar problem...we followed some advice that was given to us and it seems to have worked.
You should isolate the new cat to a room all to itself, perhaps your bedroom, this allows the new cat to feel connected to you...you need to do this for about a couple of weeks...the cats will smell each other under the door and get use to each other...
After a week or so we took the screen door off the sliding glass door and put it in the door to the bedroom, which allowed them to see each other without ebing able to get at each other....
eventually, we were able to open the door and our cats were more interested in checking out the room we didnt let them in than that old story cat that was busy checking out the rest of the house that we didnt let him in....
And spend plenty of time sharing out love....
Posted by Nazgul35 @ 12/31/2003 10:34 AM NY
K, he'll only want attention for a short time, then he's going to want to be alone, most cats in a new situation do that. But on the bright side, males are more likely to be snuggle bunnies. My male is much more affectionate than my little female, but they were raised in different circumstances.
If Pippin stays under the bed, make sure he doesn't worm his way up into the box springs past the silking (that cloth that covers the bottom. I have a foundation that doesn't have springs, just wood slats, but both my cats have absolutely ruined the silking that used to cover the bottom. They like to get up there and sit on it like a trampoline. The only problem is that their weight gradually distorts, and eventually rips it. Mine is totally shot, I'm going to have to rip out all the heavy-duty staples holding mine on, and find some way of getting it recovered. That also goes for furniture, my male has ripped all the silking off the couch and love seat.
There's a great book written by an animal behaviorist called "Is My Cat Crazy?". I don't know if it's still in print, I bought it at one of those stores with a closeout display. But it's one of the best books I've ever read about cats and their behavior. I've been able to successfully reprogram my female so that she's more friendly, and not so skittish.
Posted by Stentor @ 12/31/2003 07:06 PM NY
yah, its still in print. You can find it at PetCo and prolly PetSmart as well. Very good book..
Posted by djdissent @ 01/01/2004 01:10 AM NY
Heh heh. I just posted on BCN about how my pet cup suddenly runneth over. Took in a stray poodle pup. And oh, boy, is Tom "Serial Killer" Kitten p.o'd! He stayed out all day and all night yesterday, except for a brief foray or two into the house to smack the pup in the face and hide under the bed. OHHHH, he's mad! Heh heh heh.
The turtle seems to be taking all this in stride, sensible creature that she is.
Good luck with your new cat, and Happy New Year to you and K!
Now, where the heck is that ABB video? That's what I'm here for!
Posted by YellowDogJen @ 01/01/2004 12:25 PM NY
Happy New Year, Jen! I've always said that turtles have common sense (actually, I've never really said that....).
ABB vid? Cool idea!! Lemme re-read those words and see what I can come up with. :)
Posted by editor @ 01/01/2004 05:07 PM NY
