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Date: 10/21/2005 1:10:15 PM
Author: moremoremore
OK. Baby talk is in order:


Who has a gushy mushy bewwy? Baby''s got a mushy mushy bewwy...yum yum yum....grab that big fat juicy bewy (belly) LOL....
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Now THAT is too funny!!!!!
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I would''ve never imagined you in this light MMM!!!! Hee hee

Rascal...no...she WASN''T wearing her SoftPaws yet when I learned the hard way....fortunately her claws weren''t extracted...

They are still having their tiffs and scuffles...she''ll go after him and vice versa...but eventually one backs down and then they''re at "peace" again...for the time being anyway!!!

Glad you liked the pix!! Widget, If I get one of her bunny butt, I''ll definitely post it for you!!!
 
Date: 10/21/2005 1:10:15 PM
Author: moremoremore
OK. Baby talk is in order:

Who has a gushy mushy bewwy? Baby''s got a mushy mushy bewwy...yum yum yum....grab that big fat juicy bewy (belly) LOL....
Click to expand...
HAhahahahaha love it - I almost spewed my coffee it was so funny.
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It was quite funny...I''ve never seen/heard anyone describe Bunny''s stomach in THAT way!!! HEE EHEHHEHEHEHE
 
How about a "weekend update?"
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hehe
 
Hmmm....weekend update.....

Yesterday, I was gone for a big chunk of the day, but when I got home, Bunny was under the living room couch (her new sanctuary) and came out to see who had come home. She loves to play peek-a-boo from under this couch. Actually, it''s her place to hide from Smokey when he chases her around the house.

She has begun to sleep in our room we''re sleeping. She won''t sleep on the bed with us, but she wants to keep an eye on us I guess. However, as we were going to bed last night, she was laying under the TV console, when Smokey decided to trap her under there. It got a little ugly. Hissing, clawing, aggressiveness, so we got the water bottle and sprayed Smokey down to give her a chance to decide if she wants to leave. She stayed!!! So Smokey and her went to a round 2, which quieted down rather quickly. However, he kept provoking her and we wanted to go to sleep, so I put her back in the bathroom. About 2 hours later, I could hear her trilling/mewing from under the door, so I let her out...the rest of the night was quiet and both Smokey and Bunny slept in the room peacefully.

Today, Smokey kept chasing her under the couch, but no major altercations. We officially bought a nametag for her collar and she let us put it on without complaint. She and Smokey are co-existing tonight...which means she''s under the couch and when Smokey walks away, she''ll come out for love, food, etc. So we don''t see her as much as we did the first couple of weeks because of Smokey...

The cute thing is that she''ll stick a paw out from under the couch...Smokey will go after it and they play this little cat-and-mouse game with each other....relatively little hissing or growling, but that comes and goes....

The hardest thing is getting DH not to overreact when the cats are hissing, growling and batting at each other. He assumes it''s all aggressiveness. I try to tell him that you can definitely see a difference between annoyance and real aggression in Bunny''s yowls. When it starts to sound like a cat fight between feral cats, that''s when we step in, but otherwise, I told him all the whining and hissing sounds worse to us than it does to them...I''ve tried reminding him of how Smokey used to chase Sasha into her cat carrier, trap her in there and she would slice up his nose and face with her paws....where Bunny (pre-SoftPaws) has never left a mark on Smokey to date. It''s hard for him to remember this, but I clearly remember the scars on his face when we''d come home after a tiff between him and Sasha...

So...Bunny''s doing well..this week or next week I have to take her to the vet for her 3rd round of boosters. The ASPCA had given her the 1st and 2nd rounds before she was adopted...so all I have to do is get her third done....
 
Ok...so now I''m confused and need some feedback...

Smokey has been chasing Bunny under the couch (her new sanctuary) and another cat board told me that I probably introduced them too quickly. So now, I''m feeling guilty and bad that we may have to start the re-introduction process over again. Did I miss something? I thought we were doing really well here...

Today, she was out and sociable until I left for work. When I got home, she was under the dining room table and now the couch (until Smokey became a pain when I got home)...she''s locked in the bathroom for the night and I feel so bad because I can hear her little meow-trill wanting to come out...

I''m so confused...please give me some feedback and support.

Thanks in advance!!
 
OK calm down!!! You have done nothing wrong, there are different ways of doing this. As I have said I have done this many times and introduced quickly and whatever you do a lot of the time it will take as long as it will take. It is still very early days and you HAVE DONE WELL!!!! I know I am like a broken record with the early days but it is true!!!! Did you lock her away in the bathroom as Smokey was having a go at her? What exactly happened?
 
At a certain point, they may NEVER get along. We had that situation with our very first two cats. In the beginnig I would come home to something broken - obvious that they had a knock down drag out fight while I was gone. This went on for a year. They finally agreed to disagree & go there separate ways. Every once in a while one would bop the other. But, they clearly did not like each other. I wasn''t happy with the situation; but, wasn''t willing to give up one or the other.
 
As F and Ice says this could be a possibility, but the worse case scenario. If this was the case it may be a disappointment as you were really hoping they would be cuddle buds, but sometimes it does take a very long time. You still have two wonderful cats, like I said previously there are no guarantees with any cat you could have got and it could have been far far worse. It hasn''t even been a month yet? Still early IMO. We had a job with our deaf cat when we rescued him. This took about 3 months to settle him as the others knew he was different and were really horrible to him at times, sneak attacking and ambushing him. Poor little guy, he cries really loudly being deaf and I think he sends out odd signals to hearing cats. Some of the attacks were really spiteful and I was beginning to get to the end of my tether, but knew that eventually if he wasn''t accepted that he would find his place, which he has. This little guy is only 5 and he has had 5 homes before we got him, he has done so well. I can''t understand why no one wanted to keep him, he is a lovely affectionate cat, and that he is deaf makes him all the more special. Keep going, they will sort it out and are doing so, it doesn''t sound insurmountable to me in all honesty.
 
I don''t want to hijack this thread - but since so many knowledgable cat people seem to be responding - I thought I''d ask this weird question. Our cats get along famously with the dogs - when ever they are on the back porch the cats come to visit them. We have one cat the has developed the oddest "meow". It''s finally dawned on us that she is "barking". I''ve heard that they do make different sounds when baiting birds. It''s clearly an attempt to bark. It''s kind of like a gutteral "ark" sound. Am I crazy? If not, why would she want to do this?
 
I think you''re focusing too much on individual occasions, and not looking at how much total progress you''ve made...because you have made A LOT!! I think at this point you need to stop separating them. By intervening you''re taking time away from them figuring things out much more quickly. Every cat has a place in a household and you need to let them figure that out. I know it has previously been said, but the sounds they made sound much worse to us than they do to other cats! Look, you''ve left them alone during the day and there''s no blood! I''m half kidding and half not, they get along fine, from where I''m sitting. Sometimes my eldest and my youngest still fight. Usually it is the little demon just going up to the 17 yr old and totally being an instigator. But, they''re fine...they may not be cuddle buddies, but they have worked something out for themselves. At first it really bothered us, but we got over it and just realized that introducing cats is hard work! They are all so different from each other, like people, you can learn to tolerate each other, but everyone doesnt immediately become your best friend. In my eyes you have been extremely successful, so please don''t get discouraged! It takes a lot of time, as we''ve all kept repeating, hehe, but I know it is easier for us to say when we''re not living through it. You''ve done a good job...now just let them work it out between themselves!


Lorelai, I am always drawn to the cat that is injured or has some impairment, so I''m sure I would''ve taken in a deaf one in a heartbeat! I''m glad he has found his place in your household and that they''ve stopped picking on him! I can''t imagine 5 homes in 5 years, just mades me so sad, glad he has a permanent place with you!
 
Thanks Blue! We wouldn't give him up for the world! His sad history is that a couple of years ago, we saw him advertised and inquired but we were too late. A couple of months later, we saw another white deaf cat advertised, enquired again and it was the same one! I couldn't believe this and thought we must be meant to have him. We went to see him, the people that had him's child was very rough and unkind to him, being deaf it was far worse as he couldn't hear the child coming after him. He was 3 years old at the time and had 5 homes. That was it, I said to DH get the carrier and off we went with him, poor little man just sat in the carrier and couldn't have cared less it seemed what was happening to him. For the first few weeks, in between getting picked on by the others he slept all the time, I think he was adjusting and recovering. It took a long long time for him to come out of his shell, you could fuss him and he would take it quietly but not really respond. Only recently has he started to really enjoy himself and respond to us, if he sees us coming towards him, he throws himself on the floor giggling! He will play now the " kicky bitey" game as we call it, grab the belly and be assaulted by claws and teeth and he is altogether wonderful! He is a housecat as all mine are, especially in his case being deaf - he is easy to care for, the only thing we have to do is let him know we are coming as he startles easily. He really is no trouble at all, and like you Blue I am always attracted to animals who have a disability and enjoy making a difference in their lives. The reason for his deafness is being white - this can happen with blue and amber eyes, the white coat gene causes withering of the internal ear apparatus.

Fire&ice, is the noise your cat makes like a guttural chatter ? Maybe she is imitating the dogs, no you are not crazy, they can do the weirdest things at times!
 
Thanks everyone for your feedback...

As for putting Bunny away last night, Smokey was annoying her (just by presence alone, not actually taking any bops at her or anything...this is never the case) and it started to sound like a cat fight as we were going to bed. we didn''t have to keep getting up throughout the night, so we put her away...about 4:00 am this morning, he was plying under the door and driving us crazy, so I put him in his sanctuary as well so I could get some sleep!!!

I thought we were on the right road. I even bought a toy on a fishing pole and have used it a couple of times when Bunny was feeling too threatened by Smokey to distract Smokey. Smokey has never shown any aggression towards Bunny, just curiosity, but she isn''t able to distinguish the difference.

It''ll be 4 weeks since we''ve adopted her this Friday. She is such a sweet cat, and I know it''ll take time, I just feel (from this other board) that maybe we rushed the introduction process and now the 2 cats will always perceive each other as they are now. I don''t want this to be the case. I recognize that they might not be the best of friends and I''m okay with this...it''s better that there is 2 cats in the household, than a lonely, bored (hence destructive) cat.

Bunny is out and about today and was sleeping on my lap for a while earlier this morning...Smokey initially tried to investigate her again and the claws came out (she was sitting on my lap, so this wasn''t preferable)...I made Smokey lay down rather than his "creep up" stance...he laid down, Bunny stopped growling and everyone was happy...Smokey is now sleeping in one room and Bunny is sleeping in another....

Thanks again for all your support and feedback...I just wanted to make sure I wasn''t doing anything that could hamper the process.
 
Achio, don''t worry about what the other board said, I have never found this to be the case and I have done this many many times as you know. Taking a longer time to go through the introduction process may help things to go a little smoother, but in the end both know there is another cat in their territory and they have to go through this sometime. The squabbling is just about them setting boundaries and territory - they have to go through this before they can dwell amicably together, get used to each other''s scents and personalities. If BB is giving Smokey conflicting signals, I have been there with my deaf cat and things will settle down! You have done nothing wrong and they are getting there, BB is obviously feeling more at home. They won''t view each other differently due to the way you introduced them, so don''t worry about that at all. Keep on with what you are doing, introducing adult cats is always a challenging time for all involved, they may surprise you in a while, you might find them asleep close to each other! Interestingly I would love to know why it is that when I am getting ready to go to sleep, my 5 who have been asleep all day suddenly decide to wake up and thunder through the bedroom! You are on the right road, no doubt at all, when you feel bad look back on this thread and you will see how far you have come!
 
Thanks Lorelei for your response...

They''re doing well today, so it''s a good day...

It is funny how nocturnal cats are!! Smokey likes to start playing every morning about 3:00 am like clockwork!!! Usually his way of waking me up is to stand on his hind legs, and knock off everything on my nighttable!!! Annoying, isn''t it???
 
OK...I really mean this...LOL...I''ve said it a few times, stop locking HER up...that will add to the problem at this point imo.... Get some freakin baby gates
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LOL...and lock him up...let her get comfortable with the place. She can''t do that with him all over her. The gates will let her see him but be able to still explore and get used to him!!!! Get those damn gates!!!
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And I *totally* speak to my babies like that. It''s NOT normal LOL
 
Date: 10/25/2005 5:28:07 PM
Author: moremoremore
OK...I really mean this...LOL...I've said it a few times, stop locking HER up...that will add to the problem at this point imo.... Get some freakin baby gates
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LOL...and lock him up...let her get comfortable with the place.

And I *totally* speak to my babies like that. It's NOT normal LOL
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I did that this morning...I locked him up in his room and let her walk around the house for about 1/2 hour before I let him out. As a result, they are cohabitating better than usual. She's still cautious, but no hissing or growling this morning...I think (when I can) may start this ritual every morning to give her a chance to explore without having to (literally) look over her shoulder.

She was playing with her catnip mouse today and running all over the house from her "high." It was a riot! She slept (belly up) on my lap and is now resting under the dining room table...Smokey isn't harassing her today either...(yet
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)

As for the gates, we've tried something like that in the past and Smokey ended up being strong enough to push it over!!! When he's determined, he won't let ANY barrier (but a locked door) stop him!!! He's ruthless that way!!!


As for how you speak to your kitties...if they respond, more power to you!!!! I trill to Bunny and she'll come running!!!
 
Hmmm, I sounded a bit harsh! Sorry! LOL...It was the end of the day for me I think LOL... I think you should give her more than a half hour....keep him in there for a few hours...let her have the run of the house...it''s a shame about the baby gates b/c that *really* helps... Well, you have the patience of a saint!! The love you''re giving BB is really wonderful!!!
Head bonks!!!

And the baby talk only gets WORSE...LOL....They probably think I''m retarded or something...(oh geez, I hate that word....sorry to offend some...but I swear that''s what they think!!!)
 
Date: 10/25/2005 8:53:10 PM
Author: moremoremore
Hmmm, I sounded a bit harsh! Sorry! LOL...It was the end of the day for me I think LOL... I think you should give her more than a half hour....keep him in there for a few hours...let her have the run of the house...it's a shame about the baby gates b/c that *really* helps... Well, you have the patience of a saint!! The love you're giving BB is really wonderful!!!
Head bonks!!!
And the baby talk only gets WORSE...LOL....They probably think I'm retarded or something...(oh geez, I hate that word....sorry to offend some...but I swear that's what they think!!!)
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MMM...I didn't take your comments harshly at all!
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No apology needed...As far as the baby gate thing, many years ago while DH and I were painting the interior of our house, we put up a baby gate-like item (but it was higher than a baby gate as we know Smokey's jumping capacity!!) to keep him contained and not get into our painting project. To our surprise, we heard a terrible crash and went running, only to find that Smokey decided to jump over it and by doing so (he cleared it BTW), I knocked it over with his back legs.

We tried a second time and now he knew he could beat this gate and worked at pushing it over...succeeded there too!!!! What a brat!!!!

Until this evening there was no chasing going on....and they lived pretty harmoniously...the only 2 obstacles was when I gave them treats and when she was playing with her catnip toy. I offered Smokey treats and he ran with me into the kitchen. Bunny was already there and decided to see what Smokey was getting. She walked over and then swatted Smokey away from his own treats!!! What a priss!!!!
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The second incident, she was playing with a new catnip toy and got excited (that's fun to watch!). Smokey got excited as she ran around and chased her until she went under the couch....

So there's some playing and some teasing on both their parts....
 
I was going to suggest catnip - you can get kitty catnip candies here to see if that would make them chill out a bit, but yesterday sounds like an excellent day!!! I was worried with the catnip they might get too excited and go bonkers!Now that is excellent progress, the new BB quiet exploring time seems to be working
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Today, I got home from my workout and found both of them waiting for me at the door!! Usually she isn''t waiting for me, only Smokey...now he is chasing Bunny around the house, but I''m only hearing hissing...no yowling or growling...she''s annoyed by him it sounds like, but definitely not scared of him...
 
i haven''t read each and every post in this thread but i have been following it.....your experience just goes to reinforce my belief that introduction of a new cat into a household works if the household takes the time to make it work. congratulations on having two lovely fuzzy heads!

peace, movie zombie
 
Thanks MZ...

We''re not out of the woods yet, but we can definitely see light from the other side of the forest!!!!
 
two steps forward, one step back....but in the end, there is progress! and that light looks good, doesn''t it?!

peace, movie zombie
 
Date: 10/26/2005 4:54:49 PM
Author: movie zombie
two steps forward, one step back....but in the end, there is progress! and that light looks good, doesn''t it?!
peace, movie zombie
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It sure does!
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Hey AChiOAlumna, how are BB''s softpaws working???
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And it sure sounds like things are progressly, although probably slower than you would like
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. But it sure sounds like Smokey is happy having someone to chase around, even if BB isn''t quite sure she likes it yet
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.

Any pics of BB''s butt yet??
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Hehe, it just sounds so cute, I have to see it!!
 
Date: 10/26/2005 5:45:22 PM
Author: Rascal49
Hey AChiOAlumna, how are BB''s softpaws working???
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And it sure sounds like things are progressly, although probably slower than you would like
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. But it sure sounds like Smokey is happy having someone to chase around, even if BB isn''t quite sure she likes it yet
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.
Any pics of BB''s butt yet??
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Hehe, it just sounds so cute, I have to see it!!
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Hey Rascal....to answer your questions:

Yes, the SoftPaws work great!! 2 popped off the first 24 hours after Bunny decided to use her scratching post. I put new ones on and so far, so good!!!! I like the secruity of knowing if Smokey and BB get into a spat, Smokey won''t get scarred up...

Smokey is enjoying the cat-and-mouse games...Bunny still growls at him, but it never surmounts to much...when it looks like it''ll get bad, I''ve bought a toy on a pole and start to shake it to distract them.

No pix of her rear yet
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. That end of her is very shy....but I keep a camera out at all times "in case" something "rears" its little head.....
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Hi AChiOAlumni,


I''m joining this thread a bit late...sounds like you''ve got your hands full with introducing a new cat, but also sounds like you''ve done a great job with such a challenging task. I really agree MMM''s idea to let BB explore her new home without the worry of having Smokey surprise her. I also agree with MiniMouse''s comments... I think you have to let them scuffle a bit without it getting out of control to set the pecking order.


My BF and I have two Bengals. We had the male for a couple of years and then got a 3 mo. old female (this was a few years ago). We read all about how you''re supposed to introduce them slowly, but we ended up just introducing them right away. Maybe not the best way, but that''s just the way it worked out for us. The female wasn''t afraid at all of the male, but the male was hissing and batting her around. She would do the posturing thing... hop sideways with arched back and full, fluffy tail. It took a little less time than it has for you, but just so you know... they accept each other now and I would say they are friends, but these two still fight once a day. I don''t know if it''s their way of playing (it sure doesn''t sound like playing with all the yowling, growling, hissing and running), but that''s what they do. However, when the male is in trouble for something (he''s the troublemaker) she''s right there to find out what''s going on. And when he sulks off, she''ll go over and lick and console him. And once in a while, we''ll even catch them sleeping right next to each other or in the same kitty bed. So be patient (as you have been)... sounds like they have really made great progress.


BTW, they are both so adorable. Love the Bunny Butt name! I call my female Honey Bunny (her name actually is Haley) cause she''s such a sweetie... and sometimes just Bunny for short. She seems to like it!


Anyway, just want to tell you you''re really doing a great job! Patience is key! :)

 
Portia...

Thanks so much for your kind words and support...we''re at the point where were letting them roam the house 24/7. They need to fight there own battles and if we hear that it''ll become an all-out cat fight, then we''ll intervene. Otherwise, it''s every cat for him/her self!!!
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Achio, love the new BB avatar, she is famous!
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Excellent progress indeed, has it been a month today? It feels like much longer! That is great that you are letting them out all the time together now, nearly there!
 
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