Update: Cat Woes (Part 2)
Shima has been on her medication for over two weeks now and it really, really has helped to take the edge off. We of course had the vet give her a full work up before trying medication, and it only confirmed that there was nothing physically wrong with her -- she's just a super high strung, territorial, psycho-cat. * sigh * We were told that female cats, especially calicoes, are known for being high-strung and aggressive. Guess who's a half-calico female?
While Brian was home sick last week, we let Shima out of the master bathroom during the day, heavily supervised. I kept the nursery room closed as an extra precaution and had Ezri nap downstairs. She was very wary, but didn't spray or do her anxious-nervous-tail-twitch-tick (which had been a constant, before). She gives Ezri a wide berth, but no longer seems to get upset when Brian holds or interacts with Ezri. * phew *
Shiro, on the other hand, has been pretty great. We've had her out and roaming well before Shima was allowed loose. She never needed medication, as her only problem was Shima beating her up as her b*tch/stress-relief-object. Shiro has yet to have the courage to let Ezri pet/touch her, but she is more than content to curl up next to me while nursing or holding Ezri. She's even sniffed Ezri's hand a few times without making direct contact. It's a good start.
Both cats seem to instinctively understand that Ezri's play-mat/activity toy area is her territory and off-limits. I never had to shoo them away. They surprisingly leave the dangling toys alone. It probably helps that those toys jingle softly and make other sounds. Our cats always hated any toys that made sounds.
While Brian was home sick last week, we let Shima out of the master bathroom during the day, heavily supervised. I kept the nursery room closed as an extra precaution and had Ezri nap downstairs. She was very wary, but didn't spray or do her anxious-nervous-tail-twitch-tick (which had been a constant, before). She gives Ezri a wide berth, but no longer seems to get upset when Brian holds or interacts with Ezri. * phew *
Shiro, on the other hand, has been pretty great. We've had her out and roaming well before Shima was allowed loose. She never needed medication, as her only problem was Shima beating her up as her b*tch/stress-relief-object. Shiro has yet to have the courage to let Ezri pet/touch her, but she is more than content to curl up next to me while nursing or holding Ezri. She's even sniffed Ezri's hand a few times without making direct contact. It's a good start.
Both cats seem to instinctively understand that Ezri's play-mat/activity toy area is her territory and off-limits. I never had to shoo them away. They surprisingly leave the dangling toys alone. It probably helps that those toys jingle softly and make other sounds. Our cats always hated any toys that made sounds.