So, every morning we go walking with Lerwick at a nearby park. Back in May, we were walking Lerwick, and a cat ran across the path in front of us. We only got a brief look, but I was pretty sure it was somebody's housepet, not a feral. She had brilliant white fur, with gray markings on her head and tail... her coat was way too clean for her to have been roughing it. She was also rather pudgy. It was unlikely that she had run away or gotten lost, because this park isn't really very close to any houses/apartments, and is bordered on all sides by busy roads and railroads. The chances of her crossing those roads safely was pretty slim. Unfortunately, over the past several months, we've come to the realization that this park attracts losers who like to dump their unwanted pets there. We've also run across a couple of dogs who have clearly been dumped here, alongside big piles of kibble. It always distresses me to no end when I see an animal in trouble.
Well, a few weeks ago, we saw the cat again! She was half the size she was when we saw her in May... and was just lying on the path. I looked her over for signs of injury or illness, but didn't see any. I petted her... and she was nothing but skin and bones. Fortunately, there is a creek that runs through the woods, so water was plentiful, but it was clear that she wasn't doing so well with hunting her own food. This kitty was going to starve to death.
Long story short (and the actual rescue is indeed a long story), we took her to the vet to make sure she was healthy (she is... and the vet also discovered she's already spayed), and now she's home with us. We named her Kiki. She is litter trained, and very playful... though not particularly cuddly, though that may change as she settles in, who knows.
Lerwick wants nothing more than to play with his new bestest buddy. Kiki, on the other hand, is not so sure about Lerwick, or Majo. Majo is also not sure about Kiki. We are fortunate that there haven't been any fights, but there is definitely hissing and growling coming from the cats if they unexpectedly find themselves in close proximity (the time when they both decided to jump onto the same arm chair was quite a tense moment). We've been following the suggestions on the Humane Society website about introducing a new cat to other pets, and for the first week or so had been keeping Kiki separated in her own private suite (the guest bathroom) and letting her out for supervised exploration of the house (with the other pets secured). That went well, so for the last few days, we've been giving Kiki the run of the house during the day. We have a baby gate across the guest bathroom doorway to keep Lerwick out, so Kiki still has a safe haven to escape to whenever she wants (Majo won't go in there... the cats are very mindful of each other's safe spots)... but poor Kiki, she can hardly take two steps out of that room without Lerwick locking onto her and trying his best to get her to play with him.
Well, yesterday and especially today, it seems she will play with him a little. She really likes to chase him and make him run all over with the zoomies (this is also one of Majo's favorite games). He just isn't allowed to come close to her, or initiate the play session, or she growls and her ears flatten. Of course, Lerwick doesn't know when to leave well enough alone, so when she does this, he thinks "yay, playing!" and starts doing the play-bow, dance-around-barking thing.
When Lerwick is calm, Kiki doesn't mind being around him... but he's so rarely ever calm. I was taking a nap today, and Kiki got up on the bed and lay on my leg. Lerwick was sleeping on the other side of the bed, and she didn't mind him there at all.
Mostly, however, she would prefer he stay at least 3 feet away from her.
Attached is a photo of Kiki the day we brought her home (she was exhausted... did nothing but sleep and eat for like 3 days), and a photo of Lerwick and Kiki I took yesterday. This is Kiki's preferred distance from Lerwick (and Majo... though Majo does not willingly violate the unseen barrier). Lerwick didn't know Kiki was there.
As soon as he spotted her, he tried to get up in her face, and she disappeared under the bed again.
We'll see how they progress as time goes on. It took Majo and Lerwick 9 weeks to get to the point where they weren't terrified of each other. We've bought a cat pheromone diffuser, and that does seem to be helping Kiki relax. Kiki may never be as friendly a cat as Majo (I think that's pretty impossible, no cat is as friendly as Majo), and may never get to the point where she's buddies with the other two pets... but if we can at least have peace, that will be good enough for me.
Kiki and Lerwick both have vet appointments on Wednesday, and I'm kind of dreading it. Kiki doesn't like to be picked up, and I can't imagine she'll be easy to get into the cat carrier (it was difficult enough that first day, when she was exhausted and half starved). Assuming we are able to get her to the vet, I'm going to make them clip her claws while we're there, because they are crazy long, and she won't let us do them. They are gonna earn their vet visit fee from us, that's for sure!
Well, a few weeks ago, we saw the cat again! She was half the size she was when we saw her in May... and was just lying on the path. I looked her over for signs of injury or illness, but didn't see any. I petted her... and she was nothing but skin and bones. Fortunately, there is a creek that runs through the woods, so water was plentiful, but it was clear that she wasn't doing so well with hunting her own food. This kitty was going to starve to death.
Long story short (and the actual rescue is indeed a long story), we took her to the vet to make sure she was healthy (she is... and the vet also discovered she's already spayed), and now she's home with us. We named her Kiki. She is litter trained, and very playful... though not particularly cuddly, though that may change as she settles in, who knows.
Lerwick wants nothing more than to play with his new bestest buddy. Kiki, on the other hand, is not so sure about Lerwick, or Majo. Majo is also not sure about Kiki. We are fortunate that there haven't been any fights, but there is definitely hissing and growling coming from the cats if they unexpectedly find themselves in close proximity (the time when they both decided to jump onto the same arm chair was quite a tense moment). We've been following the suggestions on the Humane Society website about introducing a new cat to other pets, and for the first week or so had been keeping Kiki separated in her own private suite (the guest bathroom) and letting her out for supervised exploration of the house (with the other pets secured). That went well, so for the last few days, we've been giving Kiki the run of the house during the day. We have a baby gate across the guest bathroom doorway to keep Lerwick out, so Kiki still has a safe haven to escape to whenever she wants (Majo won't go in there... the cats are very mindful of each other's safe spots)... but poor Kiki, she can hardly take two steps out of that room without Lerwick locking onto her and trying his best to get her to play with him.
Well, yesterday and especially today, it seems she will play with him a little. She really likes to chase him and make him run all over with the zoomies (this is also one of Majo's favorite games). He just isn't allowed to come close to her, or initiate the play session, or she growls and her ears flatten. Of course, Lerwick doesn't know when to leave well enough alone, so when she does this, he thinks "yay, playing!" and starts doing the play-bow, dance-around-barking thing.
When Lerwick is calm, Kiki doesn't mind being around him... but he's so rarely ever calm. I was taking a nap today, and Kiki got up on the bed and lay on my leg. Lerwick was sleeping on the other side of the bed, and she didn't mind him there at all.
Mostly, however, she would prefer he stay at least 3 feet away from her.
Attached is a photo of Kiki the day we brought her home (she was exhausted... did nothing but sleep and eat for like 3 days), and a photo of Lerwick and Kiki I took yesterday. This is Kiki's preferred distance from Lerwick (and Majo... though Majo does not willingly violate the unseen barrier). Lerwick didn't know Kiki was there.
As soon as he spotted her, he tried to get up in her face, and she disappeared under the bed again.We'll see how they progress as time goes on. It took Majo and Lerwick 9 weeks to get to the point where they weren't terrified of each other. We've bought a cat pheromone diffuser, and that does seem to be helping Kiki relax. Kiki may never be as friendly a cat as Majo (I think that's pretty impossible, no cat is as friendly as Majo), and may never get to the point where she's buddies with the other two pets... but if we can at least have peace, that will be good enough for me.
Kiki and Lerwick both have vet appointments on Wednesday, and I'm kind of dreading it. Kiki doesn't like to be picked up, and I can't imagine she'll be easy to get into the cat carrier (it was difficult enough that first day, when she was exhausted and half starved). Assuming we are able to get her to the vet, I'm going to make them clip her claws while we're there, because they are crazy long, and she won't let us do them. They are gonna earn their vet visit fee from us, that's for sure!
