Tortie cat in the house: Day 2
Things are going pretty well. By last night she was eating like a pig, meowing away and practicing some serious head-butts. She seems to be fully versed in using a litter box, which is fantastic.
I'm leaning toward the name Hazel (literary reference, Cannery Row). Tied for second and third are Goldie (from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics, she's Abel's gargoyle) and Maybellene (the song, not the makeup). Eric doesn't really want Maybellene, and he thinks she can't be named Goldie because she isn't gold.
Last night, I sat in the room with her for a while and she slowly fell asleep on the bed, while fighting it every step of the way. In fact, even when it looked like she was asleep, she woke right back up at the slightest noise. It'll be a while longer before she trusts she's safe enough to fall asleep without trying to listen for danger.
Last night was her second and final night sleeping in our room with us. We've gotten so used to Abel and his ability to sleep through the night that we'd forgotten about that other cat phenomenon--the middle of the night talk session. She is all about it. Nothing will make her stop. She just wants to walk around, eat food and meow for a while. So tonight, I'll be cleaning the spare room and setting her up in there. Abel should be pleased by this turn of events, as it means he'll be able to reclaim his rightful space at the foot of the bed.
It's better anyway because the spare room is the only room in the house that maintains a pleasant, consistent temperature and is free of drafts. Those are necessary qualities for kitten incubation, so the internets tell me.
She seems laid back enough that we'll be able to get pictures tonight. We'll have to find something to put her with so you all can get an idea of the utter tiny-ness that is this cat. She's 6lbs, 4ozs and that's WITH a belly full of kittens. I sincerely hope we can get her strength and weight up before she goes into labor because I don't know if she has enough of either right now to make it through.
I'm considering initial introductions to Abel and Lucas tonight. I think Ronin will be a long time coming--he's too aggressive and she needs to feel totally comfortable first. Lucas will be very good at helping her get used to dogs because he thinks cats are the best things ever.
I'm leaning toward the name Hazel (literary reference, Cannery Row). Tied for second and third are Goldie (from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics, she's Abel's gargoyle) and Maybellene (the song, not the makeup). Eric doesn't really want Maybellene, and he thinks she can't be named Goldie because she isn't gold.
Last night, I sat in the room with her for a while and she slowly fell asleep on the bed, while fighting it every step of the way. In fact, even when it looked like she was asleep, she woke right back up at the slightest noise. It'll be a while longer before she trusts she's safe enough to fall asleep without trying to listen for danger.
Last night was her second and final night sleeping in our room with us. We've gotten so used to Abel and his ability to sleep through the night that we'd forgotten about that other cat phenomenon--the middle of the night talk session. She is all about it. Nothing will make her stop. She just wants to walk around, eat food and meow for a while. So tonight, I'll be cleaning the spare room and setting her up in there. Abel should be pleased by this turn of events, as it means he'll be able to reclaim his rightful space at the foot of the bed.
It's better anyway because the spare room is the only room in the house that maintains a pleasant, consistent temperature and is free of drafts. Those are necessary qualities for kitten incubation, so the internets tell me.
She seems laid back enough that we'll be able to get pictures tonight. We'll have to find something to put her with so you all can get an idea of the utter tiny-ness that is this cat. She's 6lbs, 4ozs and that's WITH a belly full of kittens. I sincerely hope we can get her strength and weight up before she goes into labor because I don't know if she has enough of either right now to make it through.
I'm considering initial introductions to Abel and Lucas tonight. I think Ronin will be a long time coming--he's too aggressive and she needs to feel totally comfortable first. Lucas will be very good at helping her get used to dogs because he thinks cats are the best things ever.