The inevitable cat update
Our new cat seems to be settling in. After spending no little time behind the stove, he was finally persuaded to visit the larger world, and has been more friendly and outgoing as the days pass. Last night he actually got up on the bed for awhile, though his favorite place still seems to be one of Sophie's shelves in the closet.
We have named him Ubaid - an Egyptian male name, meaning "Faithful".
Ubaid's injury, a bad hip apparently, is not terribly noticable. It manifests mainly in a stiffness in one of his hind legs, and poor traction (not sure yet, but I think that because of the angle at which he holds that paw, his claws don't get purchase). His back end is a little wobbly if you know what to look for, and because of this, his tail will sometimes flick back and forth, making him appear agitated when really he is only using it as a counterweight. I wonder if this is the feline equivalent of tourette's syndrome? In addition to the leg injury, his right ear is clipped, indicating that at one point he was trapped as a feral, neutered, and released. The lady who had him up until now says she rescued him from a trailer park after the 2005 Klamath flood. While he does not have as thick a neck as some toms I have known, but he has upper fangs that are like daggers - I would NOT want to get bitten by this cat. His claws, I should mention, are also quite big.
So far Valentine seems somewhat confused by Ubaid's presence, but he has an amazingly sunny disposition and I think that the two of them will co-exist peacefully. Eurekatous, of course, hates him as she hates all other cats - as well as most other things in the universe.
Last night was a rough one for us, as all three cats started jockeying for position on the bed. Eurekatous took up her position of privilege in the space between our pillows, and periodically woke us by hissing or growling at the other cats. Valentine just wanted to cuddle, as usual. And Ubaid was still trying to find his proper spot in the pecking order. All in all I probably slept about 4 hours max.
We have named him Ubaid - an Egyptian male name, meaning "Faithful".
Ubaid's injury, a bad hip apparently, is not terribly noticable. It manifests mainly in a stiffness in one of his hind legs, and poor traction (not sure yet, but I think that because of the angle at which he holds that paw, his claws don't get purchase). His back end is a little wobbly if you know what to look for, and because of this, his tail will sometimes flick back and forth, making him appear agitated when really he is only using it as a counterweight. I wonder if this is the feline equivalent of tourette's syndrome? In addition to the leg injury, his right ear is clipped, indicating that at one point he was trapped as a feral, neutered, and released. The lady who had him up until now says she rescued him from a trailer park after the 2005 Klamath flood. While he does not have as thick a neck as some toms I have known, but he has upper fangs that are like daggers - I would NOT want to get bitten by this cat. His claws, I should mention, are also quite big.
So far Valentine seems somewhat confused by Ubaid's presence, but he has an amazingly sunny disposition and I think that the two of them will co-exist peacefully. Eurekatous, of course, hates him as she hates all other cats - as well as most other things in the universe.
Last night was a rough one for us, as all three cats started jockeying for position on the bed. Eurekatous took up her position of privilege in the space between our pillows, and periodically woke us by hissing or growling at the other cats. Valentine just wanted to cuddle, as usual. And Ubaid was still trying to find his proper spot in the pecking order. All in all I probably slept about 4 hours max.