Aromatherapy?

Last night I stopped into Pet Barn near my house. It's a local store, not one of the big box chains. They have mostly organic foods, so I thought perhaps they might have the spray bottle of Feliway that I wanted to try along with the electronic diffuser I got at Petco. I looked all around and could not spot it, so I waited for the clerk behind the counter.

She did not have Feliway, but did have an assortment of "natural and holistic" remedies made locally, which I found interesting. I purchased a bottle of spray called "Cat Nap" which was basically made from chamomile and lavender. It has a nice scent, and I do think it may be helping.

Okay so the cats are not best buddies BUT there was no screeching, hissing, growling, etc. last night or this morning.

And the lady also gave me a bag of "organic catnip" that is being distributed by the owner of the Pet Store. I offered some to both Snoopy and Sakaura. Snoopy had no use for it, but Sakaura began to EAT it. I did some research online and apparently some cats will eat catnip, and also found that not all cats respond to catnip. It's a genetic thing. Who knew?

AND I just discovered another product that I may order from Cat Faeries. It is called Multi Cat Household Harmony. This could become a new obsession ... trading purses for cat home remedies.

I took new pictures this morning but time got away from me and I had to clean snow off my car which took up some extra time so I didn't get any uploaded. Will do that later today.

How did she do it?

How can a stranger cat come into your house and totally wrap you around her scratchy nailed paws?

• I need to be treating her for the ear mites but I can't stand to see her shaking her head and running and then hiding from us.

• I need for her to stop being like Attila the Hun and let poor timid Snoopy come back into the living area and spend time like she did before. But I can't lock her in the bathroom.

• I need for her to eat what I give her and not look at it and then follow me around crying for her beloved (smelly!) Purrfectly Fi$h.

But what I need is being overshadowed by her cuteness - this is one adorable cat and she knows it and I am sure she secretly basks in her success of making a fool of me.

I think the aroma therapy may be working on Snoopy - but not on Sakaura. But I'll not give up. There must be a way to tame her enough for Snoopy to rejoin the family again. If not, I will be on a huge guilt trip.

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3 o'clock in the morning?

That is when the scream came from the kitchen - I suppose the two cats crossed paths and Sakaura screamed - Snoopy growled (and ran and hid). So I tried to get back to sleep. Surely they will realize it is the middle of the night, right? Wrong. Sakaura walks across the dresser by my bed, knocking stuff around and then comes and sits and stares at me, purring LOUDLY. That won't work? How about jumping into the bed and walking around? Still not getting me up, cat!

Within the next hour, I hear all sorts of noises of destruction, causing me to get up to see what the heck was going on. Sakaura had managed to get into my hall closet/pantry and was nosing around, likely climbing! Anyway, once I was up, there was no way I'd ever get back to sleep, so I started the coffee.

I discovered that the dry cat food bowl was totally empty so that is the reason for the nocturnal prowling and yowling - must make a note to make sure there is always food in there. Sakaura is a grazer, and I guess she was just hungry.

It will be a LONG day here - yawn!

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Mad Kitty!

Miss Sakaura hates to have medicine put in her ears. She goes totally crazy wild. And then she goes and hides.

This makes me very sad. Last night was the first night since we brought her home that she did not spend the night at my feet.

If only she knew that we are trying to make her feel better.

The medicine says apply every two days so today is a day off. But I dread the thought of having to submit her to the "torture" again tomorrow.

On the other hand, we put a diffuser in Snoopy's room that will hopefully cut down on the cat confrontations. Jury is still out on that.

Ear Mites, ugh!

Is this gross or what? I've noticed Sakaura letting out little meows at times like she had a sharp pain and yesterday I saw her scratching her ears madly. A quick inspection confirmed what I thought - she has ear mites.

Snoopy brought ear mites into our house when we first got her at the pet store. I know it is common among cats and highly contagious, so probably the other cats at the shelter are infected. I'm wondering if I should call or if they know this and just failed to mention it?

Anyway some Googling for remedies led me to run to CVS to pick up a little ear washing bulb and some mineral oil. First application last night was not welcomed by Miss Priss. In fact, I got a nasty scratch from the deal.

Today I will try to clean her ears again and we may go up to Petco to see if the over-the-counter remedy looks promising. Otherwise, it's off to Dr. K a bit earlier than we'd planned.

We wanted to have her veterinary records to bring to our vet, but we don't have those yet. I may have to get Don to call the shelter folks tomorrow to remind them we are still waiting for those, and at that time he could tell them about the ear mites.

I've checked Snoopy's ears and don't see a problem, but I may put some drops in her ears as a precaution.

Oh the joys of bringing a new cat into the household.

Quiet Saturday . . . shhhhh

Don't tell the cats but they slipped up this morning and didn't wake us! Of course, after the early bedtime due to yesterday's "alarm clock event" we woke way early on our own.

Sakaura is getting braver and braver. Today she was in Snoopy's "room" - which should be off limits to her - but that's hard. We have a really open living arrangement here that is not easy to isolate these cats from each other.

Again, I am hoping that they will either learn to like each other, or, if not, tolerate each other and STOP the growling!

The mission for today will be to try to find some sort of replacement for Sakaura's Purrfectly Fish - too pricey and she is going to learn that if she can't eat something a bit more thrifty, she'll just eat dry cat food. She is certainly prone to spoiling!

She's a strange one - and now only drinks from a decorative fountain that I have on my hearth to humidify the air for the Boston fern I am trying to keep over this winter.

And she's a sap for catnip. Rusty loved catnip, too. She has a lot of his characteristics, but she has coloring like our Pepper. BUT she has a personality of her own. She really does think she is the cat's meow!

Cat alarm clocks!

So just when we got them together with little or no fanfare, it all falls apart again. Last night they slept on their separate spots in the living room until it was bedtime and then Sakaura took her spot in the bed right at my feet. Snoopy sleeps in "her bedroom", but normally comes out into the hallway around 3 or so to wait for us to get up.

At about 4:15 there came the most God awful screams and screeches as Sakaura decided that she did not like Snoopy laying in that spot and she chased her back into the bedroom. There was no point at that hour for us to try to get back to sleep, so up we got, and today it was all about yawning.

I did come home early since we had some icy rain falling. Right now Snoopy is downstairs with Don and Sakaura is asleep on the sofa. She's already come into the kitchen when I was putting on some rice for dinner and begged to be fed. I swear she'd eat round the clock if allowed. Except she just likes to nibble. I think she just likes the attention of getting new food, not the actual consumption of if. She is a strange little cat.

I just need a break

Sometimes writing here is a little break from my hectic routine.

There is nothing really worth noting on the cat front. The girls are still avoiding direct contact, but they are not quite as vocal, and seem to have settled into some what routine habits again.

Sakaura is a chow-hound, but she is extremely picky - for a shelter cat! She won't eat just any canned cat food - she has a couple that she likes and, of course, they are the most expensive ones. I am trying to get her to eat plain old Fancy Feast - not that it's cheap, but it is cheaper than her picks. So I give her one spoonful of FF and she usually ignores it, but this morning, she ate it, so that is some progress.

She does nibble on dried food, but every time we walk into the kitchen she is bad to beg to be fed something special. Yesterday, Don caved and fed her an entire pouch of Whiskas Purrfectly Fish Tuna Entree. Her other preferred food is Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys

One step forward, two steps back

Will be back later to update this entry. Let's just say that just when I feel we are over the hump, we have a setback. Nothing serious, just a surprise encounter that scared both cats silly.

I don't think Don understands that we must let these cats make their own peace and not try to force it. This morning he picked SI (Snoopy) up and put her on the sofa and SII (Sakaura) was under the coffee table. SI jumped off the sofa right into the waiting face of SII and all hell broke loose. Screams of terror right under my feet as I drank my first cup of coffee. Not a good scene at all.

Before I left for work I was able to coax SII out from under the coffee table with treats and this allowed SI to sneak past her and down the stairs.

It is just going to take time and a hands off attitude. We can manage that (I think).

Devil or Angel?

Our little angel must be feeling quite at home. Last night, after sleeping peacefully at our feet for a few hours, she began to jump in and out of bed, running over our heads, making meowing noises, and God knows what trouble she got into when she was roaming around the house.

When we got up, both Sakaura and Snoopy were sitting in the hallway - waiting to eat. Again, separate feeding spots - separate kind of food. Sakaura is still very much afraid of Snoopy's growls!

We are just leaving them alone. But Don emailed me that they had an encounter in the litter box area and Sakaura ran back upstairs. So he had to wait until the big bad Snoopy was done and go and retrieve the fraidy cat, hoping she had not made alternate litter box arrangements.

Why can't we all be friends?

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Progress report

I think there is slight improvement in cat relations.
Sakaura slept in the bed, but Snoopy slept in the same bedroom - that's unusual! They also had some brief encounters this morning where they were just a few feet apart, and there was the requisite growling and hissing, but not slaps or swats.

I believe that Snoopy realizes that Sakaura is a permanent addition - even if she is not pleased with that decision.

I am still hoping to find them cuddled up together one day - but for now I'd take just an end to the growls!

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Suitors!

It didn't take long! The yellow toms are visiting!

The first one to make an appearance is a large double-pawed shorthair. He kept his distance, and she was most upset that he seemed to have breached "her turf".

The second to visit was our scroungy old Moocher II. He stuck his nose right up at the window and she returned the favor. Too cute!

I think she finds it strange that after living in a big group of cats for a while she is now stuck in a home with one grouchy cat, and all these more friendly looking characters are on the other side of the glass.

Day Two with Two Cats

We are still in the hiss/growl mode this morning. But no big fights that we have heard. Sakaura spent another night in bed, Snoopy in her tent.

When we got up both of them were up - Snoopy was sitting in the hall in her usual spot and Sakaura came slinking out of our living area.

We fed Snoopy some of her favorite Fancy Feast - Savory Salmon. I saved Sakaura a tablespoonful of that but she didn't want it. Later Snoopy came back into the kitchen and polished that off, too.

We're back to feeding Snoopy in the bathroom. She's eaten there for the past 4-5 years and it is her "safe spot".

So now Sakaura is back in the bed. Snoopy is back in the tent. I'd like to think we've made a bit of progress, but time will tell.

Good morning!

Good morning!

What a different cat this is. Early last night she came out from under the bed and got into the bed. She slept between us all night. Well not all night, she did get up and down a couple of times, but she is not of the thundering weight that Snoopy is, so her movements are not so noticeable (or room shaking).

She is very friendly, and is exploring and making herself right at home. Snoopy, on the other hand, is being very protective of her turf. They have had a couple of encounters.

Snoopy sat in the hallway staring her down. She did, however, eat her food in her bowl in the bathroom, and surprisingly enough came into the kitchen and nibbled on Sakaura's leftovers. Don made the mistake of bringing Snoopy into the living room with him and when Sakaura approached, she began to hyperventilate and gasp for air - very over-excited. So I've told him to be very careful and not force any enounters between the two. I do believe that sooner or later they will accept each other and, hopefully, become friends.

Sakuara can also do a good stare, so here is a picture of her crouching and watching Snoopy from a distance.

We really should have been more prepared, but I didn't think we'd bring the cat home yesterday, so we were not and their meeting was rather abrupt. I am hoping that getting off to a bad foot will not make a difference. I so want them to be buddies.

Cat Wars

Yesterday Snoopy was sitting innocently on the sofa not knowing that her evil "parents" were plotting to bring a rival into her happy home. Now that the deed is done, I feel really bad.

We picked up Sakaura this afternoon, and arrived home right at Snoopy's dinnertime. She's been such a chowhound of late - but she refused to eat. She's not at all happy about this turn of events. But then neither is Sakaura.

Sakaura has hidden under our bed, I'm not sure where Snoopy is hiding at this point. Snoopy did come out long enough to eat a partial can of Fancy Feast. She's been woofing an entire can down and begging for more. Hope this is just temporary.

They are similar but very different. Sakaura (I can tell that name is not going to stick too long ... I am thinking of a nickname already - maybe Saki. Anyway, Sakaura is a small cat, much smaller than Snoopy. She's soft and she seems to have a sweet personality. She has a LOUD mouth and protested being put in the cat carrier and riding in the car. I was able to hold her in my arms for most of the trip - she was calm and sat there letting me stroke her.

Hope she comes out of hiding soon!

Busy signal (thank goodness, I think)

I did the unthinkable earlier today. I made an email inquiry about this cat. There is little info about her - just this.

Sakaura is a ragdoll cat about two years old. She is very sweet.

So I wrote asking if she'd do well with another cat, etc. I got an instant reply with a phone number to call.

So I waited and waited and just now I went into my boss's office (because I didn't want eavesdroppers to be listening in), and called. And got this message "the extension you are calling is busy. If you want to leave a message stay one the line." I took this as a sign and hung up immediately.

I am not sure if I will call again or not. But she is a very pretty kitty. And Rutland is well within driving range for a weekend visit IF that is possible.

Haircut?

Snoopy's really trying her best to groom herself, but she has these big old mats on her back that need to be cut out. We normally bring her in to the vet, where they sedate her and give her a "lion's cut". It is so cold, but she would likely feel so much better if she didn't have those mats to deal with.

I believe she is recovered well enough to get the haircut, and have her teeth cleaned, too. We normally have had that done while she is under the anesthesia for the cut.

Last night I tried to comb her while she was gobbling her food down, but she would have none of that. And I don't want to get her back into her "hiding"mode again, so I guess it will be off to the vet soon.

Washing cat litter

What a novel experience. Actually the litter is safflower seeds and they washed very well. Now they are spread out to dry. We cleaned the litterbox, and put some new seeds in. I can not believe how wonderful the new litter system is.

Snoopy is still quite taken with the little cat tent. She slept in that last night and was back inside this morning after she woofed down her breakfast.

We are coasting along here - sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop. But perhaps this "honeymoon stage" will last a long time.

Hideaway

Today we were clearing some stuff in our storage room and I found a cat tent we'd stored away there several years ago. Cats tire of things and we often would recycle toys, and beds, etc. and bring them out when we thought they might have forgotten about them.

Snoopy was never one to show any interest in these things at all, but she's changed, so I brought the tent upstairs. I put a couple of cat treats in it and she stuck her head in to get those to eat. A few minutes later I caught her napping in the tent.

She's certainly changed many of her habits. But not in an unpleasant way.

Blue eyes

She does have blue eyes. I finally got a picture without the evil yellow glow! She also has vision problems. The doctor at the hospital said she had spotted some "lipid droplets" in her eyes, that were an indication of high triglycerieds or diabetes. Her triglycerides dropped, and her diabetes seems to be gone. BUT I can still see that she has trouble seeing. If they could only talk! She is not blind though, and as far as I know there are no cats who wear glasses! LOL