Introducing... (drum roll please)...

Daymon!

As of tonight, Holland has a big brother!

She's pretty put out because he has "her" bedroom, and she doesn't really know what's in there. She seems to be trying to decide whether she wants me to comfort her or if she wants to give me the cold shoulder. I'm just crossing my fingers that this introduction goes well. I have NO idea how Holland will react when she finally gets to see him.

I couldn't get any good pictures because Daymon either wanted to eat with his back to me or get in my face until I gave him pets. He is very handsome and incredibly soft.

I want to make sure Holland knows she's still my princess, so since I've only got a 1-bedroom apartment, and there's more room (and more chances for the new guy to get into trouble) in the main room, I guess I'll be sleeping out here on the couch tonight. Oh, the things we do...

Thanks you guys!

Alison, at the risk of writing a book, here's the story with Daymon. I got him from the same shelter I got Holland from 3+ years ago. You know I've been thinking about a second cat for about ever, and I knew that I was going to be out of town for 4 days the first weekend in December, so I didn't want to get a new baby until I was sure I'd be around. Then I found out that the office where I work is going to be closed from 12/23 - 1/3, so I figured it was as good a time as any!

I went in last Wednesday just to look, and I met with an adoption counselor who convinced me that with Holland's personality, the cat I needed was a sweet, laid-back boy. I agreed, and that night I met with a big all-black guy named Pooh Bear. He was SO sweet, he let me rub his belly after being in the same room for just 5 minutes. But there were a couple of concerns - he has a heart murmur, and he was relinquished to the shelter for urinating outside his box. Now, I know that inappropriate urination is a common "reason" for people to bring pets in, so I didn't necessarily believe that. But the heart murmur concerned me a bit. I decided to give it a day and do some research on heart murmurs in cats. Despite my fears about heart disease, I decided the next day that I wanted to take him home, so I went back to the shelter. Only to find out that he had been placed on "vet watch" for... urinating outside his box. They told me he was going to have a urinalysis and that I could check back in a few days, but I thought it was more to take on than I could handle.

So... I kept an eye on the website and on Friday I noticed two foster boys who were reported to be very sweet, and around Holland's age. I finally got in touch with the woman who deals with the fosters yesterday, and after she told me about those two guys, we agreed that with Holland, neither would be a good fit. But she suggested I try a guy named Brock, that he was not only sweet, but as she put it "would let a steamroller run over him and not care". Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the shelter last night, and I was crossing my fingers that he would still be there today (the shelter has been getting so many cats that they've been waiving ALL adoption fees for cats 1 year and older). I checked the website as soon as I got to work this morning, and... no Brock.

So I looked at the cats on the website and noted a few that seemed like they would work - age-wise and personality-wise, though I know it's impossible to get a feel for personality with a few sentences and a picture. Daymon was at the top of my list. So I went to the shelter, and they confirmed that Brock had been adopted out, so I met with Daymon. I was told that he was a lost and found, so they didn't know his history. He had come into contact with another cat that had some fur loss, so their procedure is to dip to prevent ringworm, just in case (so while he is incredibly handsome, he kinda smells right now... ). He had been in the shelter for about a month, and was starting to experience some depression symptoms - mainly not eating. He is very skinny right now, and needs to put on some weight, but he's been eating since he got home, so it's looking good.

They named him Daymon at the shelter, and I really like it. I have a hard time giving animals names, so I'm glad that both Holland and Daymon came with names that fit them. Also, I think I've been blessed with two of the quietest cats in the world. Holland only speaks up when she's hungry or especially annoyed, and Daymon hasn't made a peep since I met him, other than purring.

The funny thing is, when I adopted Holland I had gone in to look at another cat who was adopted out before I got there. She had been at the shelter for 3 months and I was told that she just needed to go home. Then there was Daymon - and I cannot for the life of me figure out WHY this guy was there for so long... but the same thing. Daymon just needs to go home, he's been at the shelter too long, they start to get depressed if they've been there too long. After he was brought into the room, I knew within a minute that I was going to take him home. He just couldn't get enough attention. He was purring, and so very handsome. I can't wait to get some better pictures of his markings. I love his little pink nose!

So there you go. I guess we chose each other! I've been going back and forth between Holland and Daymon all night. Last time I checked on Daymon he was sitting on my bed looking like a prince. Poor Holland is just so confused though. She did eat dinner, which makes me very happy, but she's not doing her "usual" things. Normally we play for a while, then she sits in my lap and purrs for a while, then she'll do her own thing. She didn't want to play, She's been laying on the back of the couch and has been alternating between letting me pet her and hissing at me. A little while ago, she did crawl into my lap and let me pet her for a minute, but then she hissed at me, so I just took my hands away, and she got down again. She's sitting right next to me on the back of the couch now, sleeping. I've been giving her lots of encouragement tonight, and she got some extra treats!

I did tell her before I left this morning that it was very possible I'd be bringing home a brother for her, but I guess she didn't believe me. I know she'll be OK, I just hope that they will get along. I don't intend to let them see each other before Christmas, and hopefully by then they'll be used to each other's scent. I imagine I'll be here looking for plenty of introduction advice from the experts.

EDIT - I forgot to add that they estimate Daymon's age at about 4 years. I wanted a cat about Holland's age (3 1/2).

I think I might have my work problem fixed...

Here are a few phone pics. Still not great, but I think you can see a little more of him. His right front leg is completely white, and I haven't got a good look at his belly yet, but I think it's half and half :

I am officially in love.

Daymon is a pacer... he paces in front of me while I pet him. I think he's still working out some jitters. Well, just a bit ago I was trying to get some pictures of him, and he actually grabbed my camera arm with his paw and pulled my hand to his head for more pets. He got into my lap and was kneading my legs. Then he got a drink of water and jumped into his new bed. He is SUCH a little lovebug, totally the opposite of Holland was when I first adopted her. I told her I don't know how she'll be able to resist him once she gets to know him.

I managed to get a few good pics tonight. He is so handsome!!!

And just so she won't feel left out, my pretty princess :

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winchester 

Oh, but Daymon and Holland would make some mightly pretty babies!

No worries there (luckily)!

We've had quite the day... Daymon had the last dose of antibiotic for a UTI the day I brought him home, and he was sneezing when we left the shelter, so I knew to keep an eye on him. The sneezing seemed to have stopped today, but he was hiding under the bed a lot, which he hasn't done since he came home - he's always been right at the bedroom door when I've gone in to spend time with him. It almost sounded like he was wheezing, and he was shaking his head like his ears were bothering him. I tried giving his chest a listen, but he was purring at the time so it was hard the to tell if there was anything going on in there. And I just don't know him well enough yet to determine if he was acting "off". The shelter gives a 15-day grace period to bring the kids in for free with any medical concerns. Since I'm going to be at my mom's quite a bit for the next 3 days, I went ahead and called because I didn't want to leave it until Tuesday in case I had to bring him in.

They squeezed him in for an appointment this afternoon, and as I was buckling him into the car, he had a sneezing fit of about 10 sneezes in a row. Eek. Luckily he hasn't had any colored discharge, and I put the humidifier in with him today. The good news is, his temp was normal, his lungs sounded clear, and the vet said that the remaining "head cold" symptoms should disappear in the next couple of days. The bad news is, like I mentioned earlier, he is very skinny. He's a bit bigger built than Holland, but while she's around 8 pounds, Daymon was under 8 pounds (though the vet said he'd gained an ounce since his "going home" check-out. He gave me some prescription, high-calorie, high water content food, and said that I should give him chicken broth and baby food to get some calories in him.

Poor Holland is feeling neglected since it's kind of been a "Daymon day", but at least she hasn't hissed at me yet today! I think she was also "holding it in" for a long time after I brought Daymon home. Her litter box is in the bathroom, which is right across from the bedroom, and she's been afraid to go near the bedroom door. Last night I noticed her cautiously going into the bathroom, and this morning I scooped out the BIGGEST urine clump I have ever seen. She seems a lot more interested in hanging out by the bedroom door, although she still tends to "puff up" when she goes near the bedroom. I just tell her she's a good girl and that I'm very proud of her! I just hope she doesn't catch the cold that Daymon has... I've been very careful about washing my hands and using sanitizer after I visit him.

I don't have any human kids, but my sister and SIL always said that while the first baby changes your whole life, the second baby doesn't change things much at all. Yeah, right!