Wonderful to see the pictures of Mr. Brothers relaxed and happy in his new home.
As if that weren't enough, news that adorable little Lady Claire got adopted as well made for another great Christmas present to us all.
Either of these were cats I'd have been happy to have in my home, were we not already at our quota (Rigby, Hastur, & Feanor -- the last and youngest of whom has just celebrated his tenth anniversary with us last week).
Today we have eight cats in the Cat Room: three stay-insides (Jane, Niko, Hottie) and five out-and-abouts (Ashwyn, Lemura, Tarah, and Lars & Linus).
Started off the morning by making much of ASHWYN, thinking this might get him in a good mood and help him put his best side forward for visitors. Put the leash on and walked him around the store, where he was much admired and fussed over. Most of the time I carried him, but he seemed to enjoy it -- all but the fish, which frightened him for some reason (maybe the sound of all that water). He's really not bothered by dogs at all, so far as I cd tell. He thoroughly marked my face as his territory through face-rubs, which was endearing. Back in the room he enjoyed some catnip and then went high, ruling the cage-tops. When he was ready to come back down, I persuaded him to use my shoulder as a stepping-stone. He then sacked out in the basket, only going back into his cage at noon with considerable reluctance -- had to lift the basket, carry him into the cage, and turn it opening down to get him out, and even then he went up on his hind legs and climbed back up into it. Still, he was pretty well behaved, so pampering him at the start seems to have worked.
Note: there was throw-up in his cage, mostly in his food dish (hair mixed with digested food). Suspect hairball is at work. Poor Ashwyn!
Also out and about a lot was LEMURA, who explored, played the string game, enjoyed the laser, thought a bit of catnip was v. nice, and generally acted like she owned the room and the other cats were more or less invisible. Late in the morning she surprised me by asking for a walk, so I obliged, but it didn't last long. She walked around to the front of the room and then tried to jump through the glass onto the cat-stand. Poor Lemura! Don't think it left a bump, but she was surprised and not at all pleased by window technology.
TARAH was her usual quiet, self-contained self. Came out, went to her favorite spot, hung out there till time to go back in, accepting a little petting now and then. Went in quietly enough. Her main excitement of the morning was finding a cricket that had somehow escaped the lizards, turtles, snakes et al and somehow made its way into the cat-room. Which makes me think the God of Crickets isn't at all a nice god. Eventually Lemura took it away from her. Poor cricket! In the end it got away, with a little help from me. That was the second one today, but the first had the good sense to lie low when the cats were out.
The Brothers, LARS and LINUS, are gaining more confidence. Both hung around the cabinet end of the room, Lars on the second cat-stand (seems to prefer the mid-level) and Linus beneath it, and both joined in the string game (and Linus with the laser pointer as well). Later on Linus went into the back corner by the waste basket and then back in their cage, while Lars climbed up into the blankets on the cabinet's top shelf.
Having just five cats that like to go out and about seems to have put them all in a good mood: no swats, no hissing, only a growl or two.
Of the stay-ins, Mr. NIKO was Receiving At Home, on his very best behavior and at his most charming. Got much petting (mostly by me, some by visitors), which he enjoyed greatly. Even let me straighten and clean his cage around him without fussing. HOTTIE was more nervous than last week, so didn't try to make her leave her cage. If her kittens join her in the cat-room soon, think that might draw her out of her shell some. Gentle, quiet, really good at making herself small. JANE by contrast was the only hissy cat today: I made her get out and onto the top of the cat-stand by the door (covered with one of her own blankets), and she didn't like it. She was too wound up to pick up afterwards, so moved the whole cat-stand over and made her jump back in. Think I'm now in her bad books; I'll just let her stay in next time.
Walks: Ashwyn, Lemura
The string game: Ashwyn, Linus, Lars, Lemura, and Tarah
Laser pointer: Asnwyn, Linus, Lemura.
The cricket: Tarah, Lemure
In-cage petting: Niko
Throw-up: Ashwyn
Outside the Box (but not in a good way): Lemura
Note: Ashwyn really likes one of the other cats' food (Hottie's I think)
And that's about it for this morning. Fingers crossed that things work out for Mr. Niko.
--John R.
No comments:
Post a Comment