Cats and flat
Well, after my last post I had a chat with the manager of the shelter and relocated Anya to my bedroom, where she has been most of the time ever since. Though she is showing some signs of annoyance, she takes it fairly well. She "tries" to escape most times I open the door, but is quite easily prevented and has only succeeded on a handful of occasions, and she keeps coming quite happily for cuddles and sleeping on the bed with me. Where people are concerned, she really is quite a stolid, unflappable little thing.
The introductions with Leo are still not going well. The manager advised me to keep them separate for at least two more days, so Kit and I waited until Saturday (from Wednesday) to have another go. On advice, I set myself up on the sofa with Leo and lots of treats and Kit ushered Anya upstairs from my room. However, Leo was distracted almost immediately by Anya and Kit coming upstairs and then Kit opening the living room door (we probably shouldn't have had it shut!). Anya hissed at him pretty quickly, but as Leo didn't immediately turn tail and run, just went and cowered in a corner, we decided not to take her downstairs immediately but watch them a bit longer. They hung out uncomfortably in different parts of the room for a while, and after a bit Anya climbed on the table. Then Leo decided to climb up on a chair, poked his nose up on the table and took Anya by surprise, she hissed and lunged at him, he escaped through his cat flap and Kit and I decided that was enough for that day and I took Anya back to my room.
Sunday, we tried again, this time with sardines... mmmm, guys, sardines!... put down on the floor simultaneously in different parts of the room. Well, this worked while the sardines lasted. Then Leo went outside, as he usually does anyway immediately after breakfast, and not because he was chased out. Anya got up on the sofa to watch TV with Kit and me. After a while Leo came back in, and when he came into the sitting room Anya growled at him -- really low and threatening in the back of her throat. He turned tail and fled again. What shouldn't have been funny and really was, was that after that Anya kept growling every time one of us tried to stroke her. She didn't turn, let alone try to swipe at us, but each time I ran my hand along her back she went "rrrrr." And again, "rrrRRRrrr." And again, "RRRRRRRrrrrr." So I picked her up and hauled her downstairs. "RRRRRRRRRRGRRROOWOOWOROORRORORORRRRR!"
Tonight was much simpler. I fed them their dinners together -- but on opposite sides of the sitting room, they both polished off their meals, Anya went out of the sitting room, Leo tried to approach her bowl, I picked it up and put it out of reach, Anya came back in and hissed at Leo, I took Anya downstairs. I've decided, subject to advice sought tomorrow, to carry on like that for a bit -- feed them dinner together, then remove Anya back downstairs as soon as she hisses so that, as Kit puts it, "She'll begin to associate hissing at Leo with being locked back up in the bedroom."
In other news, I'm advertising my room and have got a few responses, the two I've received since putting up photos seem tenable -- one more than the other. So we shall see if I manage to get someone in there before I leave for Canada on 5 October!
The introductions with Leo are still not going well. The manager advised me to keep them separate for at least two more days, so Kit and I waited until Saturday (from Wednesday) to have another go. On advice, I set myself up on the sofa with Leo and lots of treats and Kit ushered Anya upstairs from my room. However, Leo was distracted almost immediately by Anya and Kit coming upstairs and then Kit opening the living room door (we probably shouldn't have had it shut!). Anya hissed at him pretty quickly, but as Leo didn't immediately turn tail and run, just went and cowered in a corner, we decided not to take her downstairs immediately but watch them a bit longer. They hung out uncomfortably in different parts of the room for a while, and after a bit Anya climbed on the table. Then Leo decided to climb up on a chair, poked his nose up on the table and took Anya by surprise, she hissed and lunged at him, he escaped through his cat flap and Kit and I decided that was enough for that day and I took Anya back to my room.
Sunday, we tried again, this time with sardines... mmmm, guys, sardines!... put down on the floor simultaneously in different parts of the room. Well, this worked while the sardines lasted. Then Leo went outside, as he usually does anyway immediately after breakfast, and not because he was chased out. Anya got up on the sofa to watch TV with Kit and me. After a while Leo came back in, and when he came into the sitting room Anya growled at him -- really low and threatening in the back of her throat. He turned tail and fled again. What shouldn't have been funny and really was, was that after that Anya kept growling every time one of us tried to stroke her. She didn't turn, let alone try to swipe at us, but each time I ran my hand along her back she went "rrrrr." And again, "rrrRRRrrr." And again, "RRRRRRRrrrrr." So I picked her up and hauled her downstairs. "RRRRRRRRRRGRRROOWOOWOROORRORORORRRRR!"
Tonight was much simpler. I fed them their dinners together -- but on opposite sides of the sitting room, they both polished off their meals, Anya went out of the sitting room, Leo tried to approach her bowl, I picked it up and put it out of reach, Anya came back in and hissed at Leo, I took Anya downstairs. I've decided, subject to advice sought tomorrow, to carry on like that for a bit -- feed them dinner together, then remove Anya back downstairs as soon as she hisses so that, as Kit puts it, "She'll begin to associate hissing at Leo with being locked back up in the bedroom."
In other news, I'm advertising my room and have got a few responses, the two I've received since putting up photos seem tenable -- one more than the other. So we shall see if I manage to get someone in there before I leave for Canada on 5 October!