Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Bitch Slap Cat Update
How are my little dears doing you ask? Why, they're doing very....(enter shit load of galloping feline sounds here)
...very well, thanks.
When I researched how best to introduce cats to one another, I was advised both by the internet (here and here, among other places) and by my new vet that I should TAKE.MY.TIME and not let them come face-to-face for an entire MONTH. That's four (4) weeks, people! Well, I kind of fudged that timeline a bit because we're going to Colorado for a week and I wanted Neville and Cambridge to kind of, like, be COMPANIONS while we're away. That was kind of the whole point of getting him after all. This doesn't mean that I went nuts and forced them together, I just let them steer the ship is all. When they continually batted each other under the door and then tried to get through it whenever I happened to open it, I just let them meet. The first few times were noisy (i.e., hissing and growling by our sweet, speak-only-when-spoken-to, little girl), but got better. For the first several days I only allowed them to be together when one of us was home so that nobody would get hurt. But after Neville woke me up two nights in a row crying to be let out of isolation, I gave in and let them be. They've been co-existing ever since. Here are some photos of how they've progressed:
1. Distant
Cambridge happily slept on her couch...
as long as Neville was on the other.
2. Unintentional Closeness
Neville was completely passed out by me on the couch (Now, don't get your PETA panties in a bundle, but he was resting so heavily because we had him front declawed. We wouldn't have done it, but Cambridge was all-four(!) declawed when we adopted her and we wanted to protect her $2,300 belly in the event of a rumble with him.) and Cambridge jumped up unaware that he was there.
Of course, this only lasted long enough for me to take a few shots, then she turned her head and noticed she was (brace yourself) about a foot away from The Intruder and quickly fled the scene.
3. This was yesterday. I'll call it Almost in Love.
I came home from work and found this endearing scene.
Cambridge's stretch in the opposite direction of The Intruder shows that she's not quite comfortable with him yet, but she's getting there.
4. Bitch Slappage
Which brings me to a few minutes ago. Cambridge is now called The Little Terrorist because she has regularly been instigating trouble with the new boy. He was lying quietly in the carrier when she decided to go "BANZAI!" on his ass:
She also likes to chase him all around the house (hence the galloping noises mentioned above) and to ambush him as he exits the cat box. All in all, though, we think they're doing awesome, especially considering that we've had Neville for a week and two days!
(If that wasn't enough photgraphic evidence for you, you are welcome to see the rest here.) |
