The Cat Report (3/10-23)

 

 

 

Cat report

Friday March 10th 2023

 

 

 

It was good to be back in the cat room after a few weeks away, and to meet the new crop of cats: Gemini and Aquarius, Luna and Lilly. We missed meeting Zero, who'd already gone to her new home by the time we got there for our shift at noon.

 

This was the first time of the new arrangement whereby Janice and I share a shift. The cats were certainly pleased at getting more attention, and it made it easier to let cats in or out for the walking.

 

Gemini and Aquarius, the calico sisters, were the first to come out. The one with white (Gemini?) asserted herself right away when they started playing the string game: she kept dragging the chain away towards her lair while the one with black (Aquarius?) kept swatting it as it got away. Later  they did much the same when back in their cages. I let them play with two little catnip sachets. The first kitten-cat wanted them all for herself while the other wanted a fair distribution. The upshot of which was that they reached back and forth through the little sliding door between cubes.

 

Both Gemini and Aquarius got brief walks. I got Gemini saddled up early on, only to have a sudden change of plans: I had no sooner opened the door and carried her outside than a group of folks came up with a large dog (a boxer I think). The dog was well-behaved, but the cat wanted nothing to do with it and asked to come right back in, which only seemed fair. Later I tried again with both the calicos. I could get them on the leash but each just crouched down on the cart just outside the door. Neither would explore so I let each back in after a few minutes.

 

All in all the calicos behaved like big friendly kittens: playful, full of energy, and fond of attention (offering up nose-boopery in return).

 

Luna and Lilly, the two black cats (Lilly being the one with a little white) took a while, but came out on their own towards the end of our shift. Once they'd decided it was safe they came in and out and in and out. They were affectionate but easily spooked, switching back and forth from huddling together at the back of their cage to rolling over and letting me give one a belly rub. Be warned that with these two easily startled cats it seems better not to try to restrain them when in panic mode but to let them retreat to safety; they seemed to have a quicker recovery time. The smell of Catnip was highly esteemed by them both.

 

Lots of visitors, including one who wanted to know the pricing of adoption; I couldn't find which price went with which age.

 

--John & Janice