Kitty update
No pics, just a lot of chat catching up. With OT this week, holiday parties, and a new cat in the house, I'm just beat down to my socks.
Tilney had 2 bloody noses yesterday; not bad, but I'm wondering what's going on there. So,
9:30 this to the vet, who said he was just congested and sneezing too hard. So now I have nose drops to give him in addition to the antibiotic-- which is giving him loose stools so now he's on yogurt as well, hoping the cultures will give him that boost. Always tricksy, getting kitties well. His energy is good.
Knightley took it in
Excuse me, had to break off. There were crashing noises from the
bathtub. Tilney is playing with the Cat Dancer, the world's best cat
toy. It's a wand with a long, floaty string on the end, very billowy
and fun to chase. Tilney attacks it and rolls over and over, so the
string gets tangled around his neck or body or leg, then he runs--
with that wand clattering behind him. He thinks it's quite exciting,
but I don't want him to get stuck. He likes running across the
linoleum floor so the stick will clatter. Subtle, he is not. He also
likes to drag the "captured" Cat Dancer to the alpaca rug he likes to
lie on -- although the way that floaty string gets twisted around his
body, it's hard to say who's captured who.
Ahem, yes, Knightley took it into his own paws last night to meet the
kitty. I had the upstairs blocked off so Tilney could gallop around
like a maniac. As he ran by the stairway rail, I saw Knightley had
come to the top step, right to the edge of the barricade. I was
pleased that he'd come to investigate on his own, and congratulated
him. I even welcomed him upstairs, but he wouldn't come through the
gap I made for him. (I wanted him to feel that the kitty was part of
his life, not off limits.) When he refused, I went back to minding the
kitty.
I turned around and there was Knightley, on the landing. I don't know
how he made that jump-- over 2 feet, between the rails on both ends,
over an 8-foot drop. But there he was. Naturally I congratulated him
on being so sociable. He walked like a boss to his favorite cat toy,
obviously so I could entertain him in front of the kitty. I swear he
was showing off. I started to play with Knightley, who was certainly
going along, when Tilney, who hadn't read the script, decided he
wanted to play, TOO. So I had two cats on either side of this little
scratcher bridge, competing for the attention of a plastic wand.
Tilney crawls under the bridge; they sniff noses for a good 15
seconds. Knightley decides this is all he stand, and hisses. Tilney
shrinks under the bridge; then shortly pops out to sniff again.
Knightley stares, then lets out another nearly silent hiss.
I decided that was enough for today, and went to pick up Tilney. Poor
thing, he was so focused on Knightley, he jumped a foot when I touched
him! But he was very good, curled in my arms and purred all the way
back to his house (my office). I shut the door.
From that moment on, Knightley has been super relaxed. It's wild. It's
as if this little encounter, when I took _Tilney_ away from
_Knightley's_ space, helped him figure out he's king of this castle
and doesn't need to be nervous anymore. Last night he jumped up on the
bed again, as usual, and he's been very laid back today. When Tilney
escaped again this morning and trotted past him, Knightley didn't
blink an eye. He watched him, but didn't leave and remained relaxed
(of course, I removed Tilney promptly).
So, I think this will all work out. It's _already_ working out. I hope
the vet gives Tilney a clean bill of health, because I'd like for them
to get some more extended together time this weekend when I can
supervise.
LATER: Knightley is no longer happy. He spent the morning hiding in the basement, and just now hissed and growled at Tilney in his space. So I'm not sure what to do next: continue with the isolation, or encourage mingling? I want happy kitties, and one is certainly not happy.
==========
Notes from Thursday I never posted, here for reference:
Poor little Tilney had a bloody nose this morning-- just a drop or
two, but it has me concerned. The vet (over the phone) said that since
his energy is good-- and is it ever, zooming galore-- and he's eating
and drinking, just watch it and see. If it's still bleeding tomorrow,
I'll bring him in. He might have a kind of rhino virus.
The cat introductions continue very slow. Last night I brought Tilney
in his carrier onto the landing where Knightley sits, keeping watch on
the door. Knightley was able to handle a minute of looking at the
kitty while I petted him, then slunk down to the top step, then
decided he'd be happier on another floor altogether. I blocked off the
top floor with a big box over the staircase, so Tilney can zoom and
explore. Knightley seems quite content with his big cat tower on the
main floor-- what a good purchase that was-- so he goes there and
feels like the king again.
This morning I tried the carrier again, and Knightley instantly went
downstairs. I followed him down and he was perfectly content-- eating
his food, purring, playing under his condo and getting brushed. He
seems to be okay as long as he has his own personal floor. Meanwhile
Tilney is tearing up the town upstairs, galloping around and zooming
and tumbling into things and capturing mice and strings. Knightley's
like, no worries! He doesn't seem to mind the scent either when he
comes back up. It's like he's saying, I understand there's a cat here,
but as long as I don't actually _see_ him, I'm fine.
I plan to try a face-to-face this weekend, when I can take my time and
monitor it. My guess is Knightley will watch from a safe distance as
Tilney, who seems to ignore Knightley whenever he's out, explores the
environs. I think that will work fine-- provided Tilney is certified
healthy. I don't want to let them together if he might be infectious.
Very busy week; I had a couple of 10+ hour days
getting this emergency manual out, but that's all delivered and I'm
back to learning how to produce videos. *deep breath* Here's hoping
for a quiet weekend. The backlog of unopened mail is starting to
frighten me.
Tilney had 2 bloody noses yesterday; not bad, but I'm wondering what's going on there. So,
9:30 this to the vet, who said he was just congested and sneezing too hard. So now I have nose drops to give him in addition to the antibiotic-- which is giving him loose stools so now he's on yogurt as well, hoping the cultures will give him that boost. Always tricksy, getting kitties well. His energy is good.
Knightley took it in
Excuse me, had to break off. There were crashing noises from the
bathtub. Tilney is playing with the Cat Dancer, the world's best cat
toy. It's a wand with a long, floaty string on the end, very billowy
and fun to chase. Tilney attacks it and rolls over and over, so the
string gets tangled around his neck or body or leg, then he runs--
with that wand clattering behind him. He thinks it's quite exciting,
but I don't want him to get stuck. He likes running across the
linoleum floor so the stick will clatter. Subtle, he is not. He also
likes to drag the "captured" Cat Dancer to the alpaca rug he likes to
lie on -- although the way that floaty string gets twisted around his
body, it's hard to say who's captured who.
Ahem, yes, Knightley took it into his own paws last night to meet the
kitty. I had the upstairs blocked off so Tilney could gallop around
like a maniac. As he ran by the stairway rail, I saw Knightley had
come to the top step, right to the edge of the barricade. I was
pleased that he'd come to investigate on his own, and congratulated
him. I even welcomed him upstairs, but he wouldn't come through the
gap I made for him. (I wanted him to feel that the kitty was part of
his life, not off limits.) When he refused, I went back to minding the
kitty.
I turned around and there was Knightley, on the landing. I don't know
how he made that jump-- over 2 feet, between the rails on both ends,
over an 8-foot drop. But there he was. Naturally I congratulated him
on being so sociable. He walked like a boss to his favorite cat toy,
obviously so I could entertain him in front of the kitty. I swear he
was showing off. I started to play with Knightley, who was certainly
going along, when Tilney, who hadn't read the script, decided he
wanted to play, TOO. So I had two cats on either side of this little
scratcher bridge, competing for the attention of a plastic wand.
Tilney crawls under the bridge; they sniff noses for a good 15
seconds. Knightley decides this is all he stand, and hisses. Tilney
shrinks under the bridge; then shortly pops out to sniff again.
Knightley stares, then lets out another nearly silent hiss.
I decided that was enough for today, and went to pick up Tilney. Poor
thing, he was so focused on Knightley, he jumped a foot when I touched
him! But he was very good, curled in my arms and purred all the way
back to his house (my office). I shut the door.
From that moment on, Knightley has been super relaxed. It's wild. It's
as if this little encounter, when I took _Tilney_ away from
_Knightley's_ space, helped him figure out he's king of this castle
and doesn't need to be nervous anymore. Last night he jumped up on the
bed again, as usual, and he's been very laid back today. When Tilney
escaped again this morning and trotted past him, Knightley didn't
blink an eye. He watched him, but didn't leave and remained relaxed
(of course, I removed Tilney promptly).
So, I think this will all work out. It's _already_ working out. I hope
the vet gives Tilney a clean bill of health, because I'd like for them
to get some more extended together time this weekend when I can
supervise.
LATER: Knightley is no longer happy. He spent the morning hiding in the basement, and just now hissed and growled at Tilney in his space. So I'm not sure what to do next: continue with the isolation, or encourage mingling? I want happy kitties, and one is certainly not happy.
==========
Notes from Thursday I never posted, here for reference:
Poor little Tilney had a bloody nose this morning-- just a drop or
two, but it has me concerned. The vet (over the phone) said that since
his energy is good-- and is it ever, zooming galore-- and he's eating
and drinking, just watch it and see. If it's still bleeding tomorrow,
I'll bring him in. He might have a kind of rhino virus.
The cat introductions continue very slow. Last night I brought Tilney
in his carrier onto the landing where Knightley sits, keeping watch on
the door. Knightley was able to handle a minute of looking at the
kitty while I petted him, then slunk down to the top step, then
decided he'd be happier on another floor altogether. I blocked off the
top floor with a big box over the staircase, so Tilney can zoom and
explore. Knightley seems quite content with his big cat tower on the
main floor-- what a good purchase that was-- so he goes there and
feels like the king again.
This morning I tried the carrier again, and Knightley instantly went
downstairs. I followed him down and he was perfectly content-- eating
his food, purring, playing under his condo and getting brushed. He
seems to be okay as long as he has his own personal floor. Meanwhile
Tilney is tearing up the town upstairs, galloping around and zooming
and tumbling into things and capturing mice and strings. Knightley's
like, no worries! He doesn't seem to mind the scent either when he
comes back up. It's like he's saying, I understand there's a cat here,
but as long as I don't actually _see_ him, I'm fine.
I plan to try a face-to-face this weekend, when I can take my time and
monitor it. My guess is Knightley will watch from a safe distance as
Tilney, who seems to ignore Knightley whenever he's out, explores the
environs. I think that will work fine-- provided Tilney is certified
healthy. I don't want to let them together if he might be infectious.
Very busy week; I had a couple of 10+ hour days
getting this emergency manual out, but that's all delivered and I'm
back to learning how to produce videos. *deep breath* Here's hoping
for a quiet weekend. The backlog of unopened mail is starting to
frighten me.