A new friend
Meet Tilney. He's a four-month-old kitten, super sweet and very mellow; I think he'll make a wonderful buddy for Knightley.
To continue my story, last week I started going to the different shelters looking for Bingley. I kept seeing all these wonderful little kitties that I wanted to bring home--at least one in every shelter. The Foothills Animal Shelter was the cleanest and nicest of the shelters I visited. The animals all looked pretty healthy and they provided large glass-walled cages or walk-in rooms that they called "condos" to let the cats socialize, although they did have penned cats also.
The kitty I saw on Thursday was a little ragamuffin guy with two different lengths of fur sticking out in funny tufts all over his little body and head. So Saturday, when I finished my run of the Denver shelters, I decided I was going to go back and pick up this little guy. I called my sister on the way, and she Googled to find a PetSmart that was practically in my path. So I bought a couple of cat beds and dishes and a big condo for Knightley so he could be king of the castle (and also have a perch of escape in case the little guy got too rambunctious), and set off for the Foothills Animal Shelter.
When I got there, I played with the little guy in the orientation room. He was extremely playful, but a little skittish; he didn't want to come close to be petted or held. I worried that Knightley would not take too well to an overly energetic companion; when Bingley was young, Knightley occasionally got fed up with his antics. He was relieved when Bingley got a little older and calmed down.
So I decided to look at a girl cat. Supposedly the two different genders accept each other more easily. There was a lovely seven-month-old gray calico who was playful and alert. I played with her for a while, but again she was fairly skittish. I decided to go back to the boy cat and make the best of it.
I was actually in the process of checking out little ragamuffin when the young man at the desk told me that this was Buddy Month. That means you get two cats for the price of one. I wasn't particularly keen on getting two new cats, but I read that kittens can keep each other company and keep from vexing your older cats too much. So I went back into the adoption area to try to find someone else to fall in love with.
I noticed this little cute gray and white kitten with longer fur, but I had initially passed him by because he had matter in his eyes; he didn't seem as healthy as the first cat. He also had an occasional sneeze, which made me worry about upper respiratory infections. In any case, he was the next most likely candidate. I took him into the orientation room, and he really didn't want to play. He kind of walked around a little listlessly, which made me wonder even more if he was ill. Then I pulled him on top of my lap and he immediately started purring and cuddling. He just loved being held. After five minutes, I knew that this was the right cat: someone who was mellow and loving, not too rambunctious. He'd make a perfect pal for Knightley--or at least a much better match than ragamuffin, who I could see really getting on Knightley's nerves after a while.
So I took him home! He's a darling little guy, so sweet. My first impression was a little incorrect; he is in fact playful, just not as rambunctious as the other guy. I'm hoping I can get him into the vet on Monday just to make sure he doesn't have any illness that might be transmitted to Knightley. But his appetite is good and his BM normal, so that's encouraging.
In preparation, I read all about how you introduce two cats to each other. I played it by the Internet script. I got home, carried Tilney (still in his carrier) straight up to my office, which I was planning to use as his isolation room. Then I shut the door and left him there. Went down, greeted Knightley as normal (okay, with excessive glee), and brought in my stuff from the car. I then went upstairs to find Knightley sitting outside the closed door of my office. He was perfectly calm, and gave me the same look he would give me when Bingley had shut himself into a closet or room-- like, "Mom, there's a cat behind this door. You gonna fix that?" Then I petted and praised him, and he stretched luxuriously and started to purr. I felt so relieved; not only was Knightley not anxious or reluctant about the new cat being here, he seemed actually content. I think my instinct that Knightley was getting lonely and preferred another companion was right on target.
I got Knightley distracted with his new condo downstairs, then went back up to release the kitten into his new environment. The instant I opened the carrier door, little Tilney started purring up a storm. He hasn't stopped. He's so happy to be here! And I'm happy he's here, and I believe Knightley is also-- or at least interested. Tilney is such a cute little guy. He likes to explore his environment, but he's really quite content to stay in his little cat area and sleep. Every time I've come into the room after being out, he was asleep somewhere-- on his fuzzy blanket or in the little cat condo that I brought up from downstairs. He doesn't meow or try to get out, he just sacks out. Also, he eats like a horse! I fed him some high-grade kitten food after he'd had a chance to calm down after moving, and he wolfed it like a starving beast. Poor guy-- he's got that longer fur, but I can feel his little ribs underneath it. At this rate, he'll be filled out in no time.
So that's what's going on in my house this weekend. I spend 10 minutes or an hour in Tilney's room, playing with him and cuddling him and using the computer, then I'm out into the rest of the house playing with Knightley and praising him and letting him know that he's still number one cat in my heart. I think it's working well. Knightley hasn't changed his habits; he still eating regularly and sleeping on my bed. I think next week, after I get the go-ahead from the vet, I'll be able to introduce these fellas and have them get along just fine. I'm certainly going to try for that.
So it's much happier here in my house. Bingley's absence left such a hole. I think Tilney has already helped soothe that hurt. I'll let you know how it goes. Next exciting event, planned for Monday: swapping blankets for mutual cat-smelling! Don't miss it!
To continue my story, last week I started going to the different shelters looking for Bingley. I kept seeing all these wonderful little kitties that I wanted to bring home--at least one in every shelter. The Foothills Animal Shelter was the cleanest and nicest of the shelters I visited. The animals all looked pretty healthy and they provided large glass-walled cages or walk-in rooms that they called "condos" to let the cats socialize, although they did have penned cats also.
The kitty I saw on Thursday was a little ragamuffin guy with two different lengths of fur sticking out in funny tufts all over his little body and head. So Saturday, when I finished my run of the Denver shelters, I decided I was going to go back and pick up this little guy. I called my sister on the way, and she Googled to find a PetSmart that was practically in my path. So I bought a couple of cat beds and dishes and a big condo for Knightley so he could be king of the castle (and also have a perch of escape in case the little guy got too rambunctious), and set off for the Foothills Animal Shelter.
When I got there, I played with the little guy in the orientation room. He was extremely playful, but a little skittish; he didn't want to come close to be petted or held. I worried that Knightley would not take too well to an overly energetic companion; when Bingley was young, Knightley occasionally got fed up with his antics. He was relieved when Bingley got a little older and calmed down.
So I decided to look at a girl cat. Supposedly the two different genders accept each other more easily. There was a lovely seven-month-old gray calico who was playful and alert. I played with her for a while, but again she was fairly skittish. I decided to go back to the boy cat and make the best of it.
I was actually in the process of checking out little ragamuffin when the young man at the desk told me that this was Buddy Month. That means you get two cats for the price of one. I wasn't particularly keen on getting two new cats, but I read that kittens can keep each other company and keep from vexing your older cats too much. So I went back into the adoption area to try to find someone else to fall in love with.
I noticed this little cute gray and white kitten with longer fur, but I had initially passed him by because he had matter in his eyes; he didn't seem as healthy as the first cat. He also had an occasional sneeze, which made me worry about upper respiratory infections. In any case, he was the next most likely candidate. I took him into the orientation room, and he really didn't want to play. He kind of walked around a little listlessly, which made me wonder even more if he was ill. Then I pulled him on top of my lap and he immediately started purring and cuddling. He just loved being held. After five minutes, I knew that this was the right cat: someone who was mellow and loving, not too rambunctious. He'd make a perfect pal for Knightley--or at least a much better match than ragamuffin, who I could see really getting on Knightley's nerves after a while.
So I took him home! He's a darling little guy, so sweet. My first impression was a little incorrect; he is in fact playful, just not as rambunctious as the other guy. I'm hoping I can get him into the vet on Monday just to make sure he doesn't have any illness that might be transmitted to Knightley. But his appetite is good and his BM normal, so that's encouraging.
In preparation, I read all about how you introduce two cats to each other. I played it by the Internet script. I got home, carried Tilney (still in his carrier) straight up to my office, which I was planning to use as his isolation room. Then I shut the door and left him there. Went down, greeted Knightley as normal (okay, with excessive glee), and brought in my stuff from the car. I then went upstairs to find Knightley sitting outside the closed door of my office. He was perfectly calm, and gave me the same look he would give me when Bingley had shut himself into a closet or room-- like, "Mom, there's a cat behind this door. You gonna fix that?" Then I petted and praised him, and he stretched luxuriously and started to purr. I felt so relieved; not only was Knightley not anxious or reluctant about the new cat being here, he seemed actually content. I think my instinct that Knightley was getting lonely and preferred another companion was right on target.
I got Knightley distracted with his new condo downstairs, then went back up to release the kitten into his new environment. The instant I opened the carrier door, little Tilney started purring up a storm. He hasn't stopped. He's so happy to be here! And I'm happy he's here, and I believe Knightley is also-- or at least interested. Tilney is such a cute little guy. He likes to explore his environment, but he's really quite content to stay in his little cat area and sleep. Every time I've come into the room after being out, he was asleep somewhere-- on his fuzzy blanket or in the little cat condo that I brought up from downstairs. He doesn't meow or try to get out, he just sacks out. Also, he eats like a horse! I fed him some high-grade kitten food after he'd had a chance to calm down after moving, and he wolfed it like a starving beast. Poor guy-- he's got that longer fur, but I can feel his little ribs underneath it. At this rate, he'll be filled out in no time.
So that's what's going on in my house this weekend. I spend 10 minutes or an hour in Tilney's room, playing with him and cuddling him and using the computer, then I'm out into the rest of the house playing with Knightley and praising him and letting him know that he's still number one cat in my heart. I think it's working well. Knightley hasn't changed his habits; he still eating regularly and sleeping on my bed. I think next week, after I get the go-ahead from the vet, I'll be able to introduce these fellas and have them get along just fine. I'm certainly going to try for that.
So it's much happier here in my house. Bingley's absence left such a hole. I think Tilney has already helped soothe that hurt. I'll let you know how it goes. Next exciting event, planned for Monday: swapping blankets for mutual cat-smelling! Don't miss it!