Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Cat Report (W.5/22-13)


Quite a difference the addition of those four new cats make; the room's suddenly much less, well, roomy. Nine cats in ten cages, but some with personalities to make it feel like it's even more.

EDNA JANE
LEMURA
BUGSY
*ZENA MEOW (alternating grey and grey-tan stripes) -- well named!  [new]
*CHECKERS (little black cat with white paws) [new]

*MOREO (black, longhair; has white whiskers and individual white toes) [new]
*MARLIE (dark grey, half-tail) [new]
BOOGIEMAN
TATTOO

No walks today, since needed to get a feel for what the new cats were like and also the new room dynamic as they sort out favorite spots, the pecking order, allowable proximity, and the like. Three cats stayed in most of the morning: Edna, Moreo, and Boogieman, while all the others came out and either claimed favorite spots (Tattoo, Lemura) or searched around for new ones (Zena, Checkers, Marlie). Bugsy was probably the most active cat in the room -- wish he'd taken better to the collar when I tried it on him last week; think a walk outside wd do him good.

Poor Edna Jane stayed in all morning and didn't budge. She's seen this sort of thing (a roomful of cats) happen before, and I think is waiting for a few of the newcomers to get adopted before she'll feel safe coming out again. She should be better in a week or two. I'm beginning to suspect that she could tolerate being half of a two-cat home, since she tends to avoid trouble rather than seek it out: so long as it was a large enough place that didn't force both cats into too much proximity, think she'd just go her own way and let the other go its.

Lemura was in a playful mood, enjoying the string game, the stick game, being petted, mouse-on-a-stick, and of course cat-nip. She stayed on cat-stand #1 all morning, and was quite put out when finally made to go back in (though as usual she didn't hold a grudge and was soon letting me pet her again). She's another who could be in a multiple-cat household, I think: she's pretty mellow most of the time about the other cats, so long as they don't get in her face.

 Bugsy had been working hard but so far unsuccessfully to establish himself as the boss of the room the last few weeks, somewhat stymied that neither Lemura nor Penny were in the least afraid of him (and poor Boogieman is hardly a challenge; Tattoo kept laying low so that he forgot about her). Now there are so many hissy girl-cats anywhere he goes that he pretty much gave up and headed for the hills: I put him up on the cage-tops, which he loved -- it gave him a feeling of being king of the mountain without having to actually defend said position. 

Boogieman didn't want to come out, so I cleaned up and straightened his cage around him. He did venture out two or three times later in the morning, but each time he ran into someone who hissed at him and he quickly retreated back to the safety of his home ground again. Poor Boogieman, who just wants somewhere he can feel safe, plop himself down in a big cat-puddle, and relax as only a cat can. 

Sweet senior-cat Tattoo was unusually playful today: she got atop cat-stand #2 and stayed there, enjoying catnip (she rolled in it like a kitten) and a good long game of mouse-on-a-stick. Glad she was up high rather than down low, so visitors and passers-by can see her more. 

Her usual place under that cat-stand was taken by new cat Marlie instead, our half-tail kitty. Marlie may be a really smart cat; hard to tell yet. She went right into Moreo's cage to use his box, and he didn't seem to mind. Later she made herself invisible in the rondel below cat-stand #2 and avoided all the hissing. Came out from there a time or two to be petted and look about, then back into a comfy place. She might be a good candidate for walking.

Little Checkers's food dish was empty. She was very friendly, wanting lots of attention and coming up repeatedly to get it, then taking herself off again. Lurked in the bottom of the cabinet for a while, then settled in the small cat-stand on the bench not the basket but the other one). Seems to be quite a young cat, with still some kitten-like behavior. Doesn't much like the other cats, but does love games.

Zena Mew is well-named: she's a talker. Mew and she'll mew back to you; if you don't mew, she'll start up the conversation and carry it on by herself. She went high and crushed my hat by laying on it, then settled for a while in one of the beds up in cage-top land. Learned how to use the steps and went up and down a lot; has lots of energy she needs to burn off. Probably could have used more game-time than I had to spend with her; very sweet cat. Doesn't like other cats. 

Moreo (rhymes with Oreo, I guess) stayed in almost all morning, and when he came out to peer out the door he got trapped by Bugsy getting between him and the cube. They had a stand-off for a while: Moreo would try to move towards his (open) cage, which Bugsy thought was creeping up to attack him, so he'd hiss and Moreo would freeze. After a few rounds of this I got Bugsy to move, Moreo went in (gratefully, I thought), and all was well again with him. He likes being petted. Both of them watched a small dog that passed back and forth for a bit, more alert than alarmed. For all his disinclination to come out, seems to be calm and self-possessed; may try seeing if he'll come out when no other cats are out to disturb him.


health concerns: there was a little dried throw-up in Lemura's cage, and Bugsy threw up shortly after I got there (thin, watery digested food). Both seemed to be feeling fine; think his might have been nerves (i.e., excitement over about-to-be-let-out.

And that's pretty much it for this morning. Not a scratch or a bite, I'm happy to say, and no swatting of cat by cat (though there's certainly more than enough hissing to go round, and some growling as well. Nice to see the pictures of Seymour (et al.). And nice to know Rinaldo the Marvellous and little Maevis The Angry Mouse (the only calico persian I've ever seen) all found homes.

--John R.

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