Cat political report
We’ve had the current complement of cats for nearly two weeks now, so I thought I’d attempt a state of the cat nation post. Unfortunately we haven’t managed to get photos of everything I’d like to talk about, but we’ll keep trying. This post is about the new cat relationships in the house. Health and sanitation updates are somewhat less fun and will come later.
Here’s the first (and possibly only) picture we’ve managed to capture with all four cats in the frame:
That’s Cally on the left on the green towel; Princess on the carpet under the laptop; Boris Giles is the black shadow on the end of the couch; and Buffy the Fluffy next to him on the couch. Pumpkin is on the coffee table in spirit, in the form of a Valentine’s card illustrating Angel Pumpkin having flying lessons in Heaven.
It’s very rare to see all of them quite so close together; Princess is in denial of the invasion and generally keeps her distance from everyone. On the floor at my feet is one of her regular spots, but these days she’s less likely to be there, particularly if Boris Giles is in his new regular spot at the end of the couch. She doesn’t go far, but she makes her point and turns an icily cold shoulder on us all.
I’ll organise what’s been going on in terms of the relationships in the household.
Princess + Boris Giles
I think denial would be the best way to describe this relationship, pretty much in both directions. Princess made her antipathy felt pretty much immediately, and Boris Giles hasn’t pushed his luck since. Unfortunately in their very first encounter Boris Giles was cornered and so everybody was growling and hissing with much heat. If they happen to get blocked in to the same corner, Princess will hiss at Boris Giles with about the same level of contempt she dishes out to every other cat of her acquaintance. He’ll do his best to back away if caught, but pretty much does his best to ignore and avoid her. She pretends he doesn’t exist. Not a mixer, our Princess.
Princess + Buffy
This is the only picture we have of Princess and Buffy together. From memory and the set of Princess’ ears I think she moved away pretty quickly after this. (“What is this THING doing????”)
While not delighted to see a tiny kitten invade her palace, Princess did not seem terribly fussed with the appearance of Buffy. She went so far as to give Buffy a few thorough sniffs before deciding to ignore her. Buffy on the other hand was not about to ignore Princess and in the few days before Boris Giles arrived made more and bolder advances which Princess was beginning to resent. Buffy did manage a few unpunished tail pounces on Princess, but as soon as Princess felt any weight she was off with a growl. This event contributed to our decision to proceed with getting a companion for Buffy as per the original plan.
Cally + Buffy
Cally was not threatened by the appearance of 750 grams of fluffy white kitten, and so there was no overtly aggressive growling or hissing at the very sight of Buffy. However, she did retire to her semi-secure grumpy spot under the gramophone cabinet and pretty much stayed there for a few days. This was just a day after coming home from spending a week at the vet where she did much the same thing, so it’s possible she would have done that without Buffy anyway.
But Buffy was curious, and tried to approach for a sniff; Cally growled, or merely stared. Buffy retreated. Repeat. And Repeat. Sometimes Buffy stalks Cally as in the photo above, but always gives up in the last two feet, either losing courage or meeting a suddenly alert eye or ear and realising it is Not A Good Idea. They keep their distance, no damage done. Nothing much happens if they brush up against each other in the corridor, so that’s a happily neutral situation as far as I’m concerned. I’m sure the odd sniff will grow to reasonable tolerance.
It was only once we established that Cally’s health was stable and that she was comfortable with Buffy that we decided to proceed with finding a companion for Buffy. Not a moment too soon, as far as Princess was concerned.
Cally + Boris Giles
Cally’s first meeting with Boris Giles was at the same time as Princess’ as described above - an unfortunately high tension affair with much hissing and growling. I believed that Cally viewed the fit and lean adolescent Boris Giles as a real threat to her authority. He’s no kitten, but a young healthy cat. But given the opportunity to back down (i.e. somewhere to run), Boris Giles did all the right things to display submissiveness. Within a short while Cally could send him out of the room with merely a dirty look. Cally was most definitely still Queen of Sector 7.
But the next development I did not expect. Boris Giles developed an attachment to Cally, and Cally (mostly) lets him show it. Maybe it’s a form of hero worship, but Boris Giles will often smear against Cally, wrapping his long tail around her and entwining it with her tail. Cally is so confident of her mastery of him that she’ll allow him to eat from the same dish. Occasionally his attentions will become a bit much and Cally will look at me as though to say “WTF is going on here?” but if she wants space she can get it easily enough by walking away. I’ve only seen her give him a sharp “I said go AWAY!” nip on the neck once. He never disturbs her when she’s in her special safe place under the cupboard, but she’ll now allow him to share her towel on the coffee table.
It’s possible I’ve overheard Cally call Boris Giles “My Young Apprentice”.
Buffy and Boris Giles
This was a crucial relationship to get right, and it’s succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.
Boris Giles was chosen to be non-threatening to the standing political order of Cally and Princess. Ideally he would have been a bit younger and smaller, but crucially he was a boy. It’s much easier to introduce a young male into a group of dominant females than a new female. He was very nervous at the Cat Haven, but he got along well with the other kittens in his enclosure which was critical.
His primary role is to be a companion and playmate for Buffy, and in this Boris Giles and Buffy get along like a house on fire. They play and wrestle and chase each other all over the place at high speed and with great frequency and short intervals. Although I’m occasionally worried by the biting when they get over-excited I’ve seen them both deliver “Hey! Too much!” protests and have them obeyed. Then they start up again.
Buffy will chase Boris Giles out of a room. A few seconds later Boris Giles will chase Buffy back into the same room. Buffy will attack Boris Giles’ head with a full frontal assault, all four limbs splayed as she leaps at his face. Boris Giles will nip at Buffy’s heels as she comes around corners. You’d think the reverse tactics would be more sensible given their relative sizes, but perhaps they both enjoy a challenge. Buffy has been known to take advantage of her smaller size - I’ve seen her come to a complete halt during a chase only to have Boris Giles run right over her (she fits neatly under his tummy) whereupon she takes up the role of the aggressor and off they go again.
It. Never. Stops.
OK, it does stop when they occasionally sleep but that doesn’t seem to happen nearly as much as I’d thought it might. Fortunately they do sleep sometimes so I can get the odd photo.
I’m hopeful they will move up to mutual grooming, but they sometimes snuggle up a bit and we’ll see if we get a fur pile come winter.
By golly they make me laugh, and as an unexpected bonus Cally seems to enjoy watching them play as well. They certainly provide much missed colour and movement around the place. I’d share the fun but it’s impossible to capture on film or video. I’ll keep trying, promise.
Boris Giles was such a nervous and timid cat when he arrived, but I’m certain that Buffy’s enormous confidence made a huge difference for him and he’s settled remarkably quickly.
Coming next: Absolutely No Fun With Poo Whatsoever