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Project Saving Gracie" - Intro Day 10 - The gate is coming down tonight!

post #1 of 32
11/11/10 at 5:10pm
Thread Starter 
Yep, you heard it right! The gate is coming down tonight!
I did a little test, and I think everybody is as ready as they can be... Food has been transitioned, hisses diminished, boredom taken over Gracie...

So, today momentarily I took the gate off and started to play with Gracie with the Laser light - she got as close as 2 ft from the kitties, who were patiently laying down very curiously watching her - the three of them, in line Kitty theater! She continued to play, a few feet away from them, no gate, and there was only one hiss during the whole time.
No claws, no threats to jump, nothing like that - just a hiss (mean though).

The kitties did not move, they stayed put watching her; she then resumed to play with the light.

When the kitties moved, she ran back into the bathroom.

There was a bit of stress as Hope hissed at Bugsy, but he could care less... "are you talking to me?"
So....... I am off to Target to buy some Vanilla to put under everybody's chins and tails, and............. Wish me good luck Guys,I think this is it! The day has finally come! Our girl is graduating after 10 long days! yey!
I will try my best to record some interactions!
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post #2 of 32
11/11/10 at 5:28pm
Woohoo!!
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post #3 of 32
11/11/10 at 9:20pm
Thread Starter 
Okay dokay then.... That was short lived
So.... Here is how it went:
Short version: Mom goes to Target, gets Vanilla extract, puts under everyone's chins, and tries to lure Gracie out of the bathroom with the laser light. No go... didn't want to come out. Mom leaves door open and watches from the living room. Gracie is out to explore. Hiss hiss hiss. Lucky Follows her closely - 'round here Lucky is the owner, a sweet Alpha, but she definitely runs the household.
Hissssss.
Mom almost has a coronary
Gracie goes back into her safe zone (bathroom).
Gate is back up for tonight

Well well.... otto, will keep your wise words always in my mind: BABY STEPS, Carolina, BABY STEPS!

Here is the video of the whole Saga!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE2kPbg1DlA
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post #4 of 32
11/12/10 at 4:51am
That was great!

I don't know much about cat intros, but that seemed like a good first step. Lucky was just putting Gracie in her place and letting her know he's the boss. I think she got the message!

I love how Gracie just decided "hmmm...I think I can live in the bathroom a little longer" and goes back "home."
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post #5 of 32
11/12/10 at 5:56am
I have to laugh at your commentary Carolina...Its so cute.

Fingers crossed that all goes well. Sometimes the boss cat just needs to let the newbie know who is in charge...just in case they didnt get the memo the first time.
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post #6 of 32
11/12/10 at 6:15am
Yep, one step at a time! I'm sure it'll all work out.
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post #7 of 32
11/12/10 at 6:19am
I, too, giggled at the commentary. Thanks for that video Carolina, it's going great!
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post #8 of 32
11/12/10 at 7:34am
It's funny, but we've always just 'jumped in', so to speak when we introduce a new cat to the household. (the exception was a stray with a broken hip that we kept in our bedroom the first night) It may be different because I don't work outside the home, so I'm pretty much around to keep an eye on things.
I hope Gracie gets to make the big transition soon! (I love that name, BTW)
Good luck!
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post #9 of 32
11/12/10 at 7:51am
Okay, so maybe I've just gotten used to Jamie's extreme aggression with other cats, but it looks to me like Gracie's first outing went really well. Lucky hissed and followed her, but she didn't make any attempt to attack her, and her body language was fairly relaxed.

A couple of more outings, and you'll probably be able to do without the baby gate.
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post #10 of 32
11/12/10 at 9:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoeysmom View Post
That was great!

I don't know much about cat intros, but that seemed like a good first step. Lucky was just putting Gracie in her place and letting her know he's the boss. I think she got the message!

I love how Gracie just decided "hmmm...I think I can live in the bathroom a little longer" and goes back "home."
OMG... This is my first long intro too... So overwhelming! Of course with 2 Ragdolls, and one shy shy DLH (Hope)... I never really needed one... The longest intro here had been a couple of hours

Quote:
Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog View Post
I have to laugh at your commentary Carolina...Its so cute.

Fingers crossed that all goes well. Sometimes the boss cat just needs to let the newbie know who is in charge...just in case they didnt get the memo the first time.
Thanks for laughing at me You guys can not imagine how freaked out I was - I had to delete a couple of cursing comments towards the end When Lucky started going after her, I thought I was going to faint - literally I became light headed OMG, I am SO not cut out to have kids! LOL

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kailie View Post
Yep, one step at a time! I'm sure it'll all work out.
yep, will sure to keep that in mind, and keep a paper bag handy too

Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
I, too, giggled at the commentary. Thanks for that video Carolina, it's going great!
make sure to come giggle at my funeral if I die of a coronary on her next outing tonight

Quote:
Originally Posted by libby74 View Post
It's funny, but we've always just 'jumped in', so to speak when we introduce a new cat to the household. (the exception was a stray with a broken hip that we kept in our bedroom the first night) It may be different because I don't work outside the home, so I'm pretty much around to keep an eye on things.
I hope Gracie gets to make the big transition soon! (I love that name, BTW)
Good luck!
I also work in my home office, which helps, as I can go into the bathroom and give her lots of attention throughout the day... But I am not comfortable yet in letting her out on her own... Even with me here... I am stuck on my chair, and I want to be close in case something happens...

Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
Okay, so maybe I've just gotten used to Jamie's extreme aggression with other cats, but it looks to me like Gracie's first outing went really well. Lucky hissed and followed her, but she didn't make any attempt to attack her, and her body language was fairly relaxed.

A couple of more outings, and you'll probably be able to do without the baby gate.
Oh no, that was not Lucky hissing, that was Gracie... Even though she was across the room, you can still hear - the girl has a powerful and scary hiss... Lucky is definitely an Alpha, but she is still a Ragdoll, I have never seen her hissing.... She does slap Bugsy on the face from time to time

I like that Gracie is setting the pace and she went back to her safe zone after a little while - that made things a whole lot easier on me!

I will let you know how things go tonight... I just want them all happy...

With Bugsy's tons of immune problems and stress related possible flares, I need to be extremely careful here and take things extra slow. I will take as long as it takes to make this work.
I have feliway running in every room of the house, and they are all doing better by the day.
At least the fleas are completely gone, they haven't spread out, she has transitioned to their food with no tummy problems, is taking her meds like a champ, and seems to be happy...
Lets hope she will be happy here!
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post #11 of 32
11/12/10 at 9:43am
Some intros take longer than others, but you're doing a great job! Love the commentary!!
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post #12 of 32
11/12/10 at 1:34pm
I must have missed something...this is the first I've heard of Gracie! Congratulations on your new addition.
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post #13 of 32
11/12/10 at 2:09pm
For a first outing, that didn't seem too bad at all to me. We integrated Darko and Stinkpot into the household at the same time...that was a trial! They were 4 1/2 months old at the time and the resident cats were both seniors. Callie growled for months and months and even attacked the saferoom door on several occasions. I was in tears many times thinking it was never going to work, but it did . Just keep on with the "baby steps", and especially giving positive reinforcements (treats when all goes well, maybe feed them all in the same room, but not next to each other...maybe have Gracie's bowl way across the room from the others, so they will all associate good things with each other, then slowly move her bowl closer to theirs (an inch or 2 each day)
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post #14 of 32
11/12/10 at 2:55pm
I think it went ok. There was some growling and hissing...to be expected. But no one attacked anyone, and Lucky was just following, more like she was curious than anything.
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post #15 of 32
11/12/10 at 3:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens View Post
For a first outing, that didn't seem too bad at all to me.
Me neither. Considering Freya's reaction every time a new cat shows up, I think your guys did very well.
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post #16 of 32
11/12/10 at 9:09pm
Thread Starter 
So.... Day 2 of exploring the pretty much the same exact thing happened... except that I did not freak out as much (well, I was better prepared I guess, as I had a towel handy in case I had to break out a fight ).
She is back in the bathroom, but for the last 3 or so hours the gate has been down... She is there by choice, very relaxed laying on her bed, and the kitties are going on their lives as normal. It is cool to watch them respecting that as her space - they do not cross the door line - not sure if by respect of if by fear, but they do not seem to be afraid... they just watch...
I will put the gate up when I go to bed just for safety measures, but I feel better now... Tomorrow it will be all day gate down!
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post #17 of 32
11/12/10 at 9:23pm
I'm so happy for all of you. You will need a new siggy!
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post #18 of 32
11/12/10 at 9:26pm
Okay I didn't even know you had a Gracie. Shows I missed something. Welcome to the family Gracie the intros get better soon
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post #19 of 32
11/12/10 at 9:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
I'm so happy for all of you. You will need a new siggy!
LOL, so here I am, thinking it's all good, when all of the sudden I hear all these LOUD hisses coming from the bathroom... Get there Sweet Bugsy is inside the bathroom, about 1/2 feet away from Gracie, almost touching noses and she is hissing her head off funny thing is, he only ran away when he saw me
Boy likes living in danger I guess
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post #20 of 32
11/12/10 at 9:45pm
Aww...he just wanted to say hello. Don't worry about the hissing too much. Jennie hisses at everyone (cats I mean) all the time day in and day out. No one pays the slightest attention to it.

If they were engaging in physical fighting, you might have something to worry about, but I see no sign of that there. All will be well, and you are doing beautifully, Carolina.
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post #21 of 32
11/13/10 at 12:23am
Years ago we added a kitten to our one cat household(!!!)
The cat was about 8-10 yo by vets guess. kitten 6 weeks. KNEW NOTHING. Put kitten down on ground.
Hey look a cat...I miss mommy maybe I can nurse off this one.
Cat Swatted the CRAP and we pulled the cat by mid/rear turned and bit us good.

He never liked any cat we brought in till the end when he didnt care much.

Now I am pretty much a leave cat in cage in middle of the room till hissing is not constant(NOT a multi story cage just a dog crate with a hide box) a kitten I plop down and watch as for the most part my cats are ok...will watch close around a few. And I keep kitten in my room a few weeks till its fixed(8 ish weeks) and healed enough.
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post #22 of 32
11/13/10 at 4:22am
Hopefully everything settles down for all 4 kitties Carolina...Maybe its more stressful for you than them and they are picking up your "OMG noone get hurt or freak out vibes".

Ive gotten lucky when having to intro cats. I just kinda toss them together and see how things go...well not that bad but the worst thing Ive had happen was Gigi hissing but now 6 days later she will go into the cat room to check out Ramsie and she will sit with Bacon/Jules in the window and watch the birdies. I did make things easier for her by adding a new food station for her and a litter box in the living room so I didnt have to force her to interact and the kittens are more interested in me and Bf than the cats or dog. Although Ramsie loves Franklin to death she is always crawling all over him and attacking his tail.
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post #23 of 32
11/13/10 at 10:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog View Post
Hopefully everything settles down for all 4 kitties Carolina...Maybe its more stressful for you than them and they are picking up your "OMG noone get hurt or freak out vibes".

Ive gotten lucky when having to intro cats. I just kinda toss them together and see how things go...well not that bad but the worst thing Ive had happen was Gigi hissing but now 6 days later she will go into the cat room to check out Ramsie and she will sit with Bacon/Jules in the window and watch the birdies. I did make things easier for her by adding a new food station for her and a litter box in the living room so I didnt have to force her to interact and the kittens are more interested in me and Bf than the cats or dog. Although Ramsie loves Franklin to death she is always crawling all over him and attacking his tail.
Things get a bit more complicated that that here....
For starters Gracie is a 12 yr old inside/outside cat, for the last 6 months, completely outside. She had thyroid disease, that when untreated, makes them very grumpy, on the top of her already grumpy nature... I live in a 1br apartment with no extra rooms - I don't have the luxury of giving anyone a room to scape... And to make matters complicated, Bugsy has immune issues... For example: He has Stomatitis, last month he had a Stress induced UTI, went on clavamox, because of the medicine had Diarrhea for a month, just finished yesterday a round of Metronidadazole plus a shot of centrine. So... Yes, I am nervous with this... I wish I lived in a bigger place and had only healthy cats with no immune disorders, but that is not my case here... I am stuck in a complicated situation...
I do not want her stressed out, I do not want fights, and above all, I can not risk Bugsy's health...
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post #24 of 32
11/13/10 at 11:02am
Carolina you are doing exactly right, and all is going to be well there, I am sure of it. I was in a very similar position when I rescued Jennie. Ootay was in her last year of her illnesses and required tons of care, and of course as much peace as I could give her to reduce stress because of her kidney disease.

I do understand your worry over Bugsy, and I won't tell you not to worry, because I have the same concerns when I bring in another cat. After all, as robust as Tolly seems, his health is actually quite delicate and it's a balancing act to keep him healthy.

Things are going very well at your house. Of course it's true that cats may be feeling more stress than they actually show. But you are doing this so carefully, and Bugsy is used to other cats, and he is safe and comfortable in his own home and with his mama and the other cats, and he trusts you.

Gracie is not being threatening in any way, she is hissing to let them know she needs space, not because she is hostile to them.

Do you have feliway plug in diffusers going?

And of course, do you sit down and have conversations with Bugsy and Lucky and Hope and tell them all about her and why she's there? I think you do, but if you don't I highly recommend it. Talk to them all the time about her and why she's there and how much they will love her, in time.
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post #25 of 32
11/13/10 at 11:37am
Your video sure kept me on my toes even tho I knew the ending Hopefully things will work out soon.
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post #26 of 32
11/13/10 at 2:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
Carolina you are doing exactly right, and all is going to be well there, I am sure of it. I was in a very similar position when I rescued Jennie. Ootay was in her last year of her illnesses and required tons of care, and of course as much peace as I could give her to reduce stress because of her kidney disease.

I do understand your worry over Bugsy, and I won't tell you not to worry, because I have the same concerns when I bring in another cat. After all, as robust as Tolly seems, his health is actually quite delicate and it's a balancing act to keep him healthy.

Things are going very well at your house. Of course it's true that cats may be feeling more stress than they actually show. But you are doing this so carefully, and Bugsy is used to other cats, and he is safe and comfortable in his own home and with his mama and the other cats, and he trusts you.

Gracie is not being threatening in any way, she is hissing to let them know she needs space, not because she is hostile to them.

Do you have feliway plug in diffusers going?

And of course, do you sit down and have conversations with Bugsy and Lucky and Hope and tell them all about her and why she's there? I think you do, but if you don't I highly recommend it. Talk to them all the time about her and why she's there and how much they will love her, in time.
Thanks for being always there otto, really appreciate it... God know I need support here... This is completely new for me, and I really want to help this little girl... She deserves so much!
Yes, Feliway in every room in the house - one in the bathroom where gracie is, one under my bed where kitties spend a lot of time, and another on the living room by the cat tree window sills. In addition, I spray all the rooms 2x a day and before she comes out too...
Oh yeah, I talk to all of them all the time, including Gracie, reassuring them is going to be alright, and that they are ok....Got to, you know?
Thanks again!
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post #27 of 32
11/13/10 at 2:07pm
Wow, I watched your video and I was transfixed, looks like a good first intro to me and you are doing a great job, you are fantastic for taking Gracie in, she is beautiful.xx
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post #28 of 32
11/13/10 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthyb View Post
Wow, I watched your video and I was transfixed, looks like a good first intro to me and you are doing a great job, you are fantastic for taking Gracie in, she is beautiful.xx
Thank you Ruthy.... And I am so so happy that your boy Harvey is doing good too! see... His cage is to him what my bathroom is for Gracie! xoxo
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post #29 of 32
11/13/10 at 2:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina View Post
Thank you Ruthy.... And I am so so happy that your boy Harvey is doing good too! see... His cage is to him what my bathroom is for Gracie! xoxo
Very true, Harvey has another 4 days "in the cage" apart from he has it easier not lots of kitties to meet and greet Gracie looks very settled in your house and she certainly doesn't look her age.x
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post #30 of 32
11/15/10 at 6:23pm
The video made me so nervous. But I love how soothingly you speak to the cats. Even when you calmly explain that you are freaking out.

What is the link for the story of how Gracie came to live with you?
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