Along with the four cats I knew (MOLINNI, TAWNY, MAEBE, and BUXTER) I found the three new cats: PERRY (who's v. friendly, and a great walker) plus the bonded pair BAYOU (a beautiful cat, friendly but still shy of the new surroundings) and ALEXI (a brown tabby terrified of her new surroundings).
Started the morning by giving five of the cats walks, but only Perry-the-Winkle really seemed to enjoy it. She'll be a great walker once she gets to know the lay-out of the store. As it was, she explored and got her bearings, covering the quiet half of the store. She's something of a talker, with a little squeaky mew; reminded me a bit of Pigeon Squeaks from when I first started volunteering. Once the walks were over and I opened up all the cages, Perry committed the faux pas (as Tawny saw it) of getting in Tawny's favorite spot. While Perry snoozed happily, Tawny hovered, checking several times to see if the intruder had gone. Since Molinni had claimed her usual spot in the basket, and Buster and Maebe had taken the top spots on the cat-stands, I made a kind of cave for Tawyn by draping a blanket around the cat-stand she was on (the one near the cabinet), converting its mid-level into one big teepee cave for her. She seemed to like this, and stayed there the rest of the morning.
Both Maebe and Buxter were relaxed and mellow. Neither minds being petted, and doesn't mind the other cats about so long as they all keep a respectable distance. Since we broke them up as a bonded pair I'd thought Maebe was fine with being on her own but Buxter seemed a bit depressed. Doesn't seem to be the case anymore; guess they've both made the transition.
Molinni, who I suspect is the smartest cat in the room (certainly the most strong-willed and independent) played a little with the laser pointer but mostly wanted to divide her time between her basket and the area around the door.
Of the new bonded pair, Alexi is in terrified revert-to-feral-cat mode. She let me pet her but it was like she was a million miles away. She sniffed food I put next to her but aside from a lick or two of the wet food didn't seem to eat. I cleaned the cage around her so as not to upset her more than minimally. She was so passive she had drool hanging out of the side of her mouth. Thought about pulling her out and just holding her but decided to not risk upsetting her on what after all is just her second day in the new surroundings.
By contrast, her partner Mr. Bayou is friendly and already starting to settle in. He slips out, explores a little, then gets startled and scurries back into his cage. Then a little while later he does it again. He didn't like being out and exposed atop the cat-stands, but he was much admired by visitors. I'm not surprised: think he's the most beautiful cat I've seen in quite a while.* When he discovered I had CATNIP, all his suspicions of me melted away.
Health concerns: Mr. Bayou sneezed a mighty sneeze twice or maybe three times. Molinni suddenly threw up just as I was leaving. Alexi is lethargic. Other than that, they all seem okay.
Thanks to Shari for covering my shift while I was gone, and then gone again.
--John R.
*and huge. Mustn't forget how huge he is -- he's so long it looks as if there were an extra half-cat inserted between his front and rear sections. Or how funny it looks when he tries to make himself small and comes out as an enormous flat puddle. Or how he wags his fluffy little stump of a tail when happy. Think he's a blue-point Himalayan Manx, a combination I've not seen before.
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