Today I just had a hunch, and I called down to the city shelter to find that, yes, they have buckets of kittens today. We had such a hard time picking one! We narrowed it down to a gray one or an orange one and I just couldn’t decide - finally I just picked the orange guy because he was the one I’d picked up first, I think. He’s 11 weeks old. Aaron named him Edison.
Thing is, he was outgoing and curious in the shelter and on the way home, but now he’s home he’s gotten a sudden case of stage fright! I left him in the bathroom for a few hours and let Dewey sniff at him through the door, and now I’ve locked Dewey up so Edison can wander around, but mostly he’s just hidden under the bed. Poor guy is so nervous he’s gone all over skittish. He hardly even posed for his photos - I had to sneak under the bed and try not to scare him! (I was smart, though - put a bell on him.)
Well, that didn’t take long. He’s gotten over his shyness. He’s going absolutely apeshit over the bell. It would be funny if he didn’t claw the crap out of me every time he rolls close enough to get me. He’s not doing it intentionally, he’s just trying to decollar himself. He better get used to it, 'cause I think I need him to wear the bell.
Seriously. Apeshit. Wish I could figure out how to take his picture without the light reflecting orange in his eyes.
Adorable cat. Great name. Messy under-bed space. Nice shotgun. Don’t they make racks for those? Nah, toss it under the bed with the cat and everything else!
Note to self: Don’t hide under Zsofia’s bed. There be critters and weapons there.
I’m partial to orange cats myself, so I naturally believe you chose wisely. By the way, I have yet to see a cat that tolerated a bell, so good luck with that.
the queen has two cats, a browning semi-auto 32. in the nightstand drawer AND a 20 gauge pump-action behind the bedroom door. the dive master believes in home protection and has made sure i know how to use both.
the guns, not the cats.
I introduced him to Dewey about an hour ago. I may shoot them both. There was a little hissing, but now there’s constant freaking chasing. I don’t think it’s aggressive, but I think Dewey’s getting his ass beat from a little itty bitty kitten, which is disappointing. The BF says I ruined Dewey’s life.
Now that isn’t a problem. Old house, thick walls, cat who’s used to being two doors away from the bedroom at night. Hell, by morning they’ll probably work it out.
I’m starting to really feel ambivalent about getting him, though. Poor Dewey’s getting ambushed and I’m afraid he might get kicked out of his favorite spots. Also, Edison has clawed the living shit out of me and I’ll have to cover all the furniture in double sided tape. The good part will be that I won’t need any lint rollers because we’ll stick to the sofa.
I bet Dewey will enjoy having another cat for company once they get used to each other. My two cats didn’t get along at first (one would always growl whenever the other one came near), but eventually they got used to each other. No growling, and on occasion I’ve even caught them sleeping snuggled up together or grooming each other.
NOW is the time to start clipping Edison’s claws, when he’s as small and as weak as he’ll ever be. Have your vet show you how, if you feel uncomfortable with it. If you don’t have a scratching post already, get one. We have a scratching post and a round stumpy thing that has two shelves in it and is covered with carpeting. When our male cat was younger, he used to tackle the scratching post, and in fact destroyed two of them. These days, he keeps busy by tagging one of the female cats and scampering off in a game of Chase Me.
Edison is adorable, but we do need a better pic of him, preferably when he’s not hiding under the bed.
I wonder if I can convince TubaDiva to let me change your member status to Cat Lady?
They do take a while to get used to each other, and Dewey will have to make sure his position in the house is well established before the little critter tries to take over. I expect in a few days you’ll find them both snoozing together in the middle of the bed!
what lynn said. start now with a pair of nail clippers. clip cautiously, only enough to take the edge off the claw, and when edison DOES get to be a 20-pound bruiser, he’ll take it all in stride and not bat a whisker. standard procedure in my house and my two just shrug when they see the clippers come out.
It’s a shotgun, actually.
cats and shotguns. you’re surprised by this how? 