Flowerbelle is doing great! The initial intros which I've already written about went well. Our gang did NOT react at all normally to her and everything seemed like it was going to be fine.
BUT.... The follow-up went not so well because she's terrified of the big cats (reinforcing our idea that she was mauled by a cat). At first we thought it was going to be a breeze - then we thought it was going to take forever. Now it's going better than we'd hoped.
She loves being out and about despite the cats being around - she just doesn't like it when they sniff her for too long. The funny part is Spooky isn't afraid of her as normal - and she'll walk up to Flowerbelle, sniff at her a bunch - until Flowerbelle turns around and holds a paw up. Then Flowerbelle turns around and Spooky hisses. It's just so funny because Flowerbelle can't hear the hiss, and if she's not looking, she can't tell Spooky's hissing, so she doesn't react to it!
She's pretty much out and about all day, but we have to keep a close eye and run to her rescue when anyone gets too close for too long. It does seem that she's learning pretty quickly that they don't want to hurt her, and she's generally not scared of Tuxedo (which is SO funny - he's being the best with her!). She's wary of Lazlo and Sheldon. Shelly is usually so good, but since everyone has gotten over the upper respiratory illness, they've all got LOTS of energy, and he bonks out playing sometimes, and will kind of run over her or get too excited playing, so she's leary of him. And I've fixed the Lazlo problem, which was so strange because we've never had an issue introducing a foster or new cat into the house with him before. He would walk up to her, be nice, smell her - and then reach his paw out and tap her. Not bonk, not hit, just tap. But she would slink down, ears back. He's never done that before with new cats, so it was weird. But Lazlo LOVES being brushed in the bathroom. Mind you, I'd let him in there once a day or so when Flowerbelle wasn't in there - but he was always too distracted looking for her food to be brushed. The past few days she's been out all the time except at night, and I put ALL her stuff away, which seems to have done the trick. I hauled him in there and brushed him - and then he was back to normal. He'll sit next to the bathroom door (if closed) or in it (if open) and meow for me to come brush him. And since we've been back to that routine, he's nice as pie to Flowerbelle. So it's going pretty well. I do think it'll be a while before we feel comfortable leaving her out at night though.
When she had her stitches out, we had them float a fecal again. She still had worms (not unexpected, but disappointing). So she's on panacur from Friday - today, and then gets another dose of strongidt (sp?) tomorrow and then a week from tomorrow. She's still got the cough, and doc says she will until all the parasites are out of her lungs. He wants to finish this course of medication and then see where we stand. Poor little girl!
Her inner eyelid on her left eye still covers part of her eye - but there is a little pupil showing, although the muscles around her eye were damaged or underdeveloped, so it's partially closed on the other side. We'll see how the muscles develop.
But she loves exploring and hopping around on the cat trees, and LOVES drinking out of the drinkwell water fountain!
BUT.... The follow-up went not so well because she's terrified of the big cats (reinforcing our idea that she was mauled by a cat). At first we thought it was going to be a breeze - then we thought it was going to take forever. Now it's going better than we'd hoped.
She loves being out and about despite the cats being around - she just doesn't like it when they sniff her for too long. The funny part is Spooky isn't afraid of her as normal - and she'll walk up to Flowerbelle, sniff at her a bunch - until Flowerbelle turns around and holds a paw up. Then Flowerbelle turns around and Spooky hisses. It's just so funny because Flowerbelle can't hear the hiss, and if she's not looking, she can't tell Spooky's hissing, so she doesn't react to it!
She's pretty much out and about all day, but we have to keep a close eye and run to her rescue when anyone gets too close for too long. It does seem that she's learning pretty quickly that they don't want to hurt her, and she's generally not scared of Tuxedo (which is SO funny - he's being the best with her!). She's wary of Lazlo and Sheldon. Shelly is usually so good, but since everyone has gotten over the upper respiratory illness, they've all got LOTS of energy, and he bonks out playing sometimes, and will kind of run over her or get too excited playing, so she's leary of him. And I've fixed the Lazlo problem, which was so strange because we've never had an issue introducing a foster or new cat into the house with him before. He would walk up to her, be nice, smell her - and then reach his paw out and tap her. Not bonk, not hit, just tap. But she would slink down, ears back. He's never done that before with new cats, so it was weird. But Lazlo LOVES being brushed in the bathroom. Mind you, I'd let him in there once a day or so when Flowerbelle wasn't in there - but he was always too distracted looking for her food to be brushed. The past few days she's been out all the time except at night, and I put ALL her stuff away, which seems to have done the trick. I hauled him in there and brushed him - and then he was back to normal. He'll sit next to the bathroom door (if closed) or in it (if open) and meow for me to come brush him. And since we've been back to that routine, he's nice as pie to Flowerbelle. So it's going pretty well. I do think it'll be a while before we feel comfortable leaving her out at night though.
When she had her stitches out, we had them float a fecal again. She still had worms (not unexpected, but disappointing). So she's on panacur from Friday - today, and then gets another dose of strongidt (sp?) tomorrow and then a week from tomorrow. She's still got the cough, and doc says she will until all the parasites are out of her lungs. He wants to finish this course of medication and then see where we stand. Poor little girl!
Her inner eyelid on her left eye still covers part of her eye - but there is a little pupil showing, although the muscles around her eye were damaged or underdeveloped, so it's partially closed on the other side. We'll see how the muscles develop.
But she loves exploring and hopping around on the cat trees, and LOVES drinking out of the drinkwell water fountain!
