Cat-Sitting Lexi
We has a basement cat now.
There was a lady in lasvegas who needed someone to catsit for a few months, and since we've been thinking about getting another cat, we figured it would be a good way to see if Everett would get upset, and if we have the patience for a cat who doesn't sleep for 21 hours a day.
Lexi is about a year old, appears to never sleep, enjoys rubber bands and being in front of whatever you're trying to read.
It took a couple days to get them in the same room without hissing. First we kept her in my room, then we used a baby gate in various sections of the house to let her explore without having a confrontation. He comes up curious, but she gets upset if he gets too close. We don't leave them alone yet, but we're slowly making progress. I'm giving it a few weeks to see if they can coexist peacefully. I don't want to leave the gate up all the time.
We've established my bedroom as her safe zone, so when she gets stressed she can hide under my bed amongst the old issues of Communication Arts and blank canvases. The first day she spent a lot of time under there, but treats and toys do wonders to coax her out. She's slowly figuring out she's safe and loved, even if it's only for a few months while her owner works out living arrangements that allow cats.
Everett is a peaceful old guy, and probably thinks this bitch be trippin'.
It's strange having a young active cat, since Everett doesn't jump or run due to his breathing problems. Lexi climbs everything - tables, counters, curtains, kitchen cabinets ... you name it, she investigates. When I'm sitting at my computer, she'll jump on the desk and stand over the keyboard, and let's face it -- it's impossible to be annoying when you're cute.
Wait, strike that. You can be annoying, especially when you've discovered where I store the rubber bands and I look over to see a hundred of them scattered on the table. ^_^
I've always been the kind of person that doesn't allow pets on tables and counters. I know plenty of people who do, and it's cute to let cats sit on top of the fridge, or to have them sit on your desk while you're working. But it seems unsanitary1, yo. Would you eat off the floor? I've been shooing her off the kitchen surfaces and allowing the office ones, until I decide what I'm comfortable with. Everett's allowed on the bed and couches, as was Feex before him.
Poll Cat Surfaces
1: The parasitic protozoa Toxoplasma gondii, which normally lives inside healthy cats, can also infect humans. Once infected, you carry it for life.
Toxoplasmosis, researchers have found, might make people more likely to be schizophrenic, and can change personality in subtle ways. One researcher found that infected men were more aggressive and jealous, women were more outgoing, and perhaps more seriously, both had slower reaction times and were in more traffic accidents. Studies also show that when these parasites infect rats, they manipulate the rat's brain to lose its fear reaction of cats, making it more likely to be eaten, thereby getting the parasites back inside their preferred host to complete their life cycle.
Thus as any zombie-fearing citizen worth her salt already knows, Toxoplasma gondii is one of the Top Five Most-Likely Causes of the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse.
There was a lady in lasvegas who needed someone to catsit for a few months, and since we've been thinking about getting another cat, we figured it would be a good way to see if Everett would get upset, and if we have the patience for a cat who doesn't sleep for 21 hours a day.
Lexi is about a year old, appears to never sleep, enjoys rubber bands and being in front of whatever you're trying to read.
It took a couple days to get them in the same room without hissing. First we kept her in my room, then we used a baby gate in various sections of the house to let her explore without having a confrontation. He comes up curious, but she gets upset if he gets too close. We don't leave them alone yet, but we're slowly making progress. I'm giving it a few weeks to see if they can coexist peacefully. I don't want to leave the gate up all the time.
We've established my bedroom as her safe zone, so when she gets stressed she can hide under my bed amongst the old issues of Communication Arts and blank canvases. The first day she spent a lot of time under there, but treats and toys do wonders to coax her out. She's slowly figuring out she's safe and loved, even if it's only for a few months while her owner works out living arrangements that allow cats.
Everett is a peaceful old guy, and probably thinks this bitch be trippin'.
It's strange having a young active cat, since Everett doesn't jump or run due to his breathing problems. Lexi climbs everything - tables, counters, curtains, kitchen cabinets ... you name it, she investigates. When I'm sitting at my computer, she'll jump on the desk and stand over the keyboard, and let's face it -- it's impossible to be annoying when you're cute.
Wait, strike that. You can be annoying, especially when you've discovered where I store the rubber bands and I look over to see a hundred of them scattered on the table. ^_^
I've always been the kind of person that doesn't allow pets on tables and counters. I know plenty of people who do, and it's cute to let cats sit on top of the fridge, or to have them sit on your desk while you're working. But it seems unsanitary1, yo. Would you eat off the floor? I've been shooing her off the kitchen surfaces and allowing the office ones, until I decide what I'm comfortable with. Everett's allowed on the bed and couches, as was Feex before him.
Poll Cat Surfaces
1: The parasitic protozoa Toxoplasma gondii, which normally lives inside healthy cats, can also infect humans. Once infected, you carry it for life.
Toxoplasmosis, researchers have found, might make people more likely to be schizophrenic, and can change personality in subtle ways. One researcher found that infected men were more aggressive and jealous, women were more outgoing, and perhaps more seriously, both had slower reaction times and were in more traffic accidents. Studies also show that when these parasites infect rats, they manipulate the rat's brain to lose its fear reaction of cats, making it more likely to be eaten, thereby getting the parasites back inside their preferred host to complete their life cycle.
Thus as any zombie-fearing citizen worth her salt already knows, Toxoplasma gondii is one of the Top Five Most-Likely Causes of the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse.