Cat Report (7/1-22)

(Molly, front and back views at same time)

 Friday JULY 1st 2022. 12 noon to two o'clock

 

Full house: adult bonded pair, adult solitaire, adult mother-son bonded pair, mother cat with three kittens.

 

 

 

JOSHUA and OLIVE, our black and white adult bonded pair, have settled in after all this time and become comfortable with the room. They came out to explore, did an inspection, and passed judgment. It wasn't too long before they went back into their cages. There they gloried in attention inside their cage, alternating games with petting sessions. 

Note: looks to me as if ears need cleaning, but that might be a two-person job.

 

Next was ZITA, chirpy as ever, our other veteran who's been with us a while. She particularly enjoyed the string game today, Seemed so relaxed and confident that I took her for a nice walk, about ten minutes. She generated a lot of comment. Then back in for more games. She loves the smell of catnip. She dislikes being picked up—perhaps it's uncomfortable for her? One of my cats, the late lamented Rigby, had a separated sternum, which meant we had to be careful when picking her up not to lift with a hand on her chest.  If Zita has a similar sore spot we might be able to move her more comfortably.

 

Our other adult bonded pair, newcomers  MALIFICENT and SKREECH, are a big black mother-and-son duo (weighing between fourteen and fifteen pounds each). He's the one with all the long black fluffy fur and she's the slightly smaller smooth mostly black one with some highlights on the face. Both very friendly. He was so relaxed and friendly that I thought I'd try him for a short walk, but he made a squirming motion that got him right out of the leash before I cd get it properly on him. Then he very gently nibbled on my hand—which I took as a pretty clear message how he felt about that. For her bit, after playing and exploring some she went back in the cage, where she head-butted me (head-to-head).

 

That left MOLLY, the new mamma kitty, and three very energetic kittens. She's not much larger than the kittens. Quite shy and prone to panic but went from hiding in her cat-cave when I arrived to doing a thorough but wary exploration of the room. She was on top of the cat-cave when I left, rather that inside as when I arrived, which I took to be a good sign.

 

The three kittens loved being out, playing all the games and tearing around the room. They're not fond of being picked  up but think will wear off as they get more socializing. It's difficult to describe, but they'd jamming one of their toys in such a way that it blocked movement between sections of their cages.

The kittens got a lot of attention; don't think they'll be with us long.

 

--John R.