And so it begins...
Jun. 2nd, 2012 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
in_vulnerableIt starts with one stray cat, then a second one and before you know it you're that crazy cat lady with 100+ cats. :D
So, here she is, the little girl who decided that she wants to live with me. Safe in my bathroom, where she will stay until she and Nakatsu have become accustomed to each other. I plan to follow the instructions on how to introduce them to the letter. I don't want them to tolerate each other, with one of them on one side of the house and one on the other. I want them to be friends; I want them to keep each other company while I'm at work. That's why I'm going to take this as slowly as they need.
Not that I expect a lot of problems from her. She's got self-esteem falling out of her butt, to quote Abed. Nakatsu isn't so sure about this interloper, but he's already starting to come around. He was very skittish yesterday, was even scared of me and hid from me, and that was hard for me to take. But today, he's walking around with renewed confidence. The only time he gets skittish again is when she gets impatient and starts scratching at the door. The sound is enough to have him hurrying down the stairs again. Still, I'm hopeful.
Of course, that's assuming she's staying. There's always the possibility that she wasn't dumped. Maybe she's just lost and her people are missing her and desperate to find her. That's why I've looked through every forum for lost pets and when I didn't find any cats that matched her, I put her up there as found, in case her people are looking for her. I want to give her and her people every chance to find each other again.
That being said, I would LOVE to keep her. She is sooooo sweet and cuddly. Look at her sitting there on my lap. That was the morning after her first night in my bathroom and she trusts me completely. But she was like that even before she came inside the house. The second evening I fed her, I sat down on my doorstep and she leapt into my lap. I was gobsmacked. The same morning I took that photograph she sauntered into my bedroom, jumped onto my bed and lay down with a "I approve of this bed" confidence. She was immediately right at home.
Yesterday the vet gave her the all clear. She's completely healthy. YAY! \o/ She's got all her shots now and has had her flea treatment, so now she's allowed on my bed. This is easier for me too, because now I don't have to sit on the bathroom floor anymore. :) She snuggles with me and then falls asleep on the duvet. She is just so, so sweet. I can't imagine anyone would dump a cat this sweet.
And then there's that other matter. There's no immediately visible way to check if a female cat has been neutered the way there is with a male one. And if I'm going to keep her she must, underline, twice, MUST be neutered. I can handle the both of them, but I can not handle litters. That's why I decided for a male cat and he's neutered, because, although I wouldn't be stuck with the mess, someone else would be and the shelters are already bursting at the seams with unwanted cats. But as long as there's a chance she's reunited with her folks, I don't feel I have the right to take any decisions about that. She better not get herself knocked up in the meantime! :D
Finally, I had to settle on a name for her. It's no secret I look for names in my current fandoms and so considered a few (Britta, because she'sthe worst awesome! Or Olive, because Olivia is awesome!), but then I thought of a certain live wire, dirt-covered street urchin and I knew I had the perfect name. So, it's Arya. :D
Thank you so much,sparowe, for the advice! It was your encouragement that made me go for it! <3
So, here she is, the little girl who decided that she wants to live with me. Safe in my bathroom, where she will stay until she and Nakatsu have become accustomed to each other. I plan to follow the instructions on how to introduce them to the letter. I don't want them to tolerate each other, with one of them on one side of the house and one on the other. I want them to be friends; I want them to keep each other company while I'm at work. That's why I'm going to take this as slowly as they need.
Not that I expect a lot of problems from her. She's got self-esteem falling out of her butt, to quote Abed. Nakatsu isn't so sure about this interloper, but he's already starting to come around. He was very skittish yesterday, was even scared of me and hid from me, and that was hard for me to take. But today, he's walking around with renewed confidence. The only time he gets skittish again is when she gets impatient and starts scratching at the door. The sound is enough to have him hurrying down the stairs again. Still, I'm hopeful.
Of course, that's assuming she's staying. There's always the possibility that she wasn't dumped. Maybe she's just lost and her people are missing her and desperate to find her. That's why I've looked through every forum for lost pets and when I didn't find any cats that matched her, I put her up there as found, in case her people are looking for her. I want to give her and her people every chance to find each other again.
That being said, I would LOVE to keep her. She is sooooo sweet and cuddly. Look at her sitting there on my lap. That was the morning after her first night in my bathroom and she trusts me completely. But she was like that even before she came inside the house. The second evening I fed her, I sat down on my doorstep and she leapt into my lap. I was gobsmacked. The same morning I took that photograph she sauntered into my bedroom, jumped onto my bed and lay down with a "I approve of this bed" confidence. She was immediately right at home.
Yesterday the vet gave her the all clear. She's completely healthy. YAY! \o/ She's got all her shots now and has had her flea treatment, so now she's allowed on my bed. This is easier for me too, because now I don't have to sit on the bathroom floor anymore. :) She snuggles with me and then falls asleep on the duvet. She is just so, so sweet. I can't imagine anyone would dump a cat this sweet.
And then there's that other matter. There's no immediately visible way to check if a female cat has been neutered the way there is with a male one. And if I'm going to keep her she must, underline, twice, MUST be neutered. I can handle the both of them, but I can not handle litters. That's why I decided for a male cat and he's neutered, because, although I wouldn't be stuck with the mess, someone else would be and the shelters are already bursting at the seams with unwanted cats. But as long as there's a chance she's reunited with her folks, I don't feel I have the right to take any decisions about that. She better not get herself knocked up in the meantime! :D
Finally, I had to settle on a name for her. It's no secret I look for names in my current fandoms and so considered a few (Britta, because she's
Thank you so much,
sparowe, for the advice! It was your encouragement that made me go for it! <3
no subject
Date: 2012-06-03 12:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-14 09:25 am (UTC)And that's when everything started to go wrong. During one moment when I was distracted, they got into a bit of a skirmish. Not an all out fight, but I managed to break them up and immediately put her back in the bathroom. This was yesterday, so I thought I'd try again today. But now, because of the fight yesterday Nakatsu is terrified of her and the moment they were together they fought again. I even got caught in the crossfire. It could have been worse, just a scratch on my ear, and I managed to break them up again. She's back in her room and he's terrified and hiding under the bedcovers.
I thought I was making such great progress, but now it feels like I'm back at square one. Should I start the whole process from scratch, keeping them separated for a week again? That seems to be what the experts are suggesting.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-03 07:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-14 09:29 am (UTC)*sigh*
I never thought it would be easy. Nakatsu is too set in his ways for it to be easy, but I am getting a little discouraged.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-15 02:27 pm (UTC)I would start completely over, and I'd take the reintroduction even more slowly. When you get back to the point of introducing new areas, do it very slowly--and don't leave them unattended even for a minute. Maybe five minutes, then separate, her back to the bathroom. Try later, ten minutes, so on. Also, invest in a couple of squirt guns, because water is a very good way to deter a cat from a variety of activities.
Hang in there. *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2012-06-17 08:59 am (UTC)Hindsight is always twenty/twenty, but I realise what I did wrong. I should have let her explore the downstairs peacefully without Nakatsu around. She always walks around with so much confidence that I completely lost sight of the fact that it was her first time downstairs and she was scared in a new environment. And she took that fear out on Nakatsu. So that's something I've now let her do while they're separated again. I put Nakatsu in the spare room (his favourite hangout anyway) and let her come downstairs and take her time exploring.
So yeah, right now, I've got no choice but to start over. He was so scared that he hid every time I went upstairs to spend some time with her, even though there's a door between them and she can't get to him. And I have to lure her downstairs with treats when I've put Nakatsu in the spare room. It's going to take time before they feel confident around each other again. But he's been sniffing around the bathroom door again when she meows. It looks like his curiosity is starting to win from his fear. :D
Thanks so much! For your encouragement and your advice! I'm hanging in there. :) It's the dividing my time between them that's so time-consuming. I've got to spend enough time with her, but not neglect Nakatsu either. It's not so bad now. I've got a week off from work. I'll definitely take it extra slowly this time!
Thanks! <3
no subject
Date: 2012-06-17 12:14 pm (UTC)