Cat Introduction Woes

losna · Nov 28, 2015

mickNsnicks2mom said:
do you think it might help sinbad to switch the end of the meat stick that tempest was just gnawing on over to his side of the gate? maybe he'd smell that tempest was chewing on it, and that it smells kind of tasty?

I've tried that. He is definitely more interested in the spots where she chewed, but it doesn't seem to make any headway in making him grasp that it is meat.

It did just occur to me that it may not that he doesn't know he can eat it, it's just that the thing is too wide for him. He is missing many of his teeth so chewing is difficult for him. He likes to chew on things that are approximately the width around as a pencil, and this is bigger than that so it may be that he's just unable to eat it. I will test that later I think, by cutting off a little treat sized piece and seeing if he'll eat it.

micknsnicks2mom · Nov 28, 2015

Losna said:
I've tried that. He is definitely more interested in the spots where she chewed, but it doesn't seem to make any headway in making him grasp that it is meat.

It did just occur to me that it may not that he doesn't know he can eat it, it's just that the thing is too wide for him. He is missing many of his teeth so chewing is difficult for him. He likes to chew on things that are approximately the width around as a pencil, and this is bigger than that so it may be that he's just unable to eat it. I will test that later I think, by cutting off a little treat sized piece and seeing if he'll eat it.

awww, poor sinbad! please let us know if a little treat sized piece is what he needs. if sinbad eats the treat sized piece, i bet that tempest will be glad to see him enjoying it -- after all her work with trying to get him interested in the meat stick!

losna · Dec 1, 2015

Haven't had a chance to cut a piece of the jerky stick of to try yet. But we did have something good. Came home after a short trip out to see this:

20151201_101316_HDR.jpg

losna
Dec 1, 2015

This is a major step for her to let him this close with no one with her to keep him away if he jumps!

mservant · Dec 1, 2015

Tempest looks quite happy with her self too.

Laughing just now as from the back in this latest photo Sinbad has a rather uncanny resemblance to a (stripey tailed) wolf.

Columbine · Dec 1, 2015

Such great progress

They are clearly learning how to interact in a way that they both can handle :heart4:

losna · Dec 1, 2015

She is really trying hard. As he is figuring out that a slow approach is best, she seems to be figuring out that running away triggers a charge. He creeps forward slowly most of the time now, and she saunters slowly away.

Last night when he invaded her room she didn't even run away, she just sat where she was. Which ended up being really funny, because he didn't know what to do when she didn't flee, he just sat there on the stand looking confused while she sat beneath it looking up towards him. I let them sit like that until she let out a small halfhearted hiss, at which point I shooed him out.

losna · Dec 4, 2015

I was sitting in with Tempest earlier, and Sinbad started chasing a ball across the house. He was really having fun, tearing around the hallway.

I watched as Tempest looked up, ears pricked in interest, and she went running up to the gate, and climbed up on it. I could see she so badly wanted to go down and play with him..

Her fear won out and she retreated back to my lap, but she still had her ears trained on him as he chased his ball around.

I think we're not too long now. Not long may be another month or more, but still, compared to how long it's been! It was really nice to see her actually wanting to go out and play with him.

losna · Dec 10, 2015

@mickNsnicks2mom After several tries, it is now plain that Sinbad does not register the jerky stick as food! Tempest gobbled up her treat sized snips, but he completely ignored his!! Even watching her gobble them up did not cause him to try to eat them. She spent several minutes frantically trying to steal his through the gates when she noticed him ignoring them! This caused him to sniff at them again, but it's plain that he just doesn't realize there is food there!

I left them on the floor. She waited until he left, then climbed out, grabbed his, and carried them back into her room to eat them.

stewball · Dec 11, 2015

Losna said:
@mickNsnicks2mom
After several tries, it is now plain that Sinbad does not register the jerky stick as food! Tempest gobbled up her treat sized snips, but he completely ignored his!! Even watching her gobble them up did not cause him to try to eat them. She spent several minutes frantically trying to steal his through the gates when she noticed him ignoring them! This caused him to sniff at them again, but it's plain that he just doesn't realize there is food there!

I left them on the floor. She waited until he left, then climbed out, grabbed his, and carried them back into her room to eat them. :lol3:

I would imagine that he knows it's food but isn't interested in it. I have a treat I give them that whisky gobbles up but blighty won't touch it. One smell and he's gone.

micknsnicks2mom · Dec 19, 2015

Losna said:
@mickNsnicks2mom After several tries, it is now plain that Sinbad does not register the jerky stick as food! Tempest gobbled up her treat sized snips, but he completely ignored his!! Even watching her gobble them up did not cause him to try to eat them. She spent several minutes frantically trying to steal his through the gates when she noticed him ignoring them! This caused him to sniff at them again, but it's plain that he just doesn't realize there is food there!

I left them on the floor. She waited until he left, then climbed out, grabbed his, and carried them back into her room to eat them.

awww...and thank you for letting us know how that went.

you know, i almost feel as though i know your sinbad and tempest. your posts/descriptions of them both and the things they do are so detailed that i'm able to picture them/them doing things in my mind. i thoroughly enjoy reading this thread.

losna · Dec 24, 2015

mickNsnicks2mom said:
Sinbad of course gawked at her the entire time I was in there.

stewball · Dec 25, 2015

Losna said:
Thank you.

Tempest has started playing weird little chase games with Sinbad. She'll jump out of her room, make noise to get his attention, then flee when he charges at her. 2 seconds later, out she comes to do it again, and again, and again... She did this last night for about a half hour, it only stopped when I popped the dinner can open causing Sinbad to come charging to his food. He was hungry after a half hour of charging up and down the stairs! :lol3:

Aside from that, no real changes.

But I took a picture of Tempest with my cell phone while spending time with her today, and google made it magical so I must share it...

20151224_155133_HDR-EFFECTS.jpg

losna

Dec 24, 2015

Sinbad of course gawked at her the entire time I was in there.

She's beautiful. Lovely picture.

losna · Dec 31, 2015

Tempest has found a new tactic for dealing with Sinbad.

Usually when he charges her, she hisses, flees into her room, then hisses a bit more and swipes at him through the gate as he tries to climb it to get to her. But not anymore!

The other day, we saw her cunning expression cross her face as he started his approach. It's easy to tell when a new idea has struck her, or she's about to do something mischievous because she'll stop, tilt her head to a 45 degree angle and consider the object of her plans for a moment. So she saw him, stared at him like that, then leapt into her room with no hisses. She didn't fully flee however, she stayed on the stand that we leave for her so she's able to come and go from her room whenever she wants.

He does what he normally does, of course, and is now clinging to the gate. She gives him her 45 degree mischievous stare, then slowly and deliberately leans forward... and bites his toes!!!

He had no idea what to do. He dropped to the floor and just stood there in confusion, then did a 180 degree turn and zoomed away as fast as he could go. Guess who doesn't climb the gates anymore? Now he is very careful to keep his toes away from the holes in the gate. He still leans up to stare at her during Tempest viewing time, but rather then coming all the way forward the way he used to, now he very politely rests his feet on the wooden bar, to keep his toes away from her.

Way to go, Tempest.

Columbine · Dec 31, 2015

:lol3: :spit: Love it! Good girl Tempest - you tell Sinbad who's boss

mservant · Dec 31, 2015

All for Tempest telling her admirer who's boss, but oh no! Sinbad's precious toes!

I swear Sinbad has the cutest paws I've ever seen.

losna · Jan 3, 2016

But, soft! What light through yonder doorway breaks? It is the east, and Tempest is the sun.

tempest on her balcony 007.JPG

losna
Jan 3, 2016

She is letting him get so much closer now, on a regular basis and long enough that I can see it, watch, go get the camera, and take a bunch of shots before she jumps back into her room. it is awesome. She's started consistently eating her treats up there as well, which is another great improvement.

It's just too bad the light is backlighting, I can't get any good shots. :/

Columbine · Jan 3, 2016

Wonderful to see this progress

losna · Jan 4, 2016

Yeah. She's progressed from just a minute up there when he's around, to comfortable up there so long as hubby is there as well, now to confidant enough to hang out up there on her own. She will lounge around up there with Sinbad on the landing like that right up until he tries to climb - which is a much slower progression since she figured out the toe biting.

Generally speaking, now he'll sit there, and they'll sit like that, until something else happens like my husband or I going up the stairs or making an interesting noise. That's not to say he's stopped his climbing completely, just that now he usually needs a trigger of some kind, although even with the trigger it's still much slower a process because he is careful to keep his feet on the wooden struts rather than clinging his toes through the holes.

stewball · Jan 4, 2016

Losna said:
But, soft! What light through yonder doorway breaks? It is the east, and Tempest is the sun.

tempest on her balcony 007.JPG

losna

Jan 3, 2016

She is letting him get so much closer now, on a regular basis and long enough that I can see it, watch, go get the camera, and take a bunch of shots before she jumps back into her room. it is awesome. She's started consistently eating her treats up there as well, which is another great improvement.

It's just too bad the light is backlighting, I can't get any good shots. :/

He looks so sweet from the back.

mservant · Jan 5, 2016

Stewball said:
He looks so sweet from the back.

Sinbad looks sweet from all directions, but esp from belly up and those paw pads on show.

Can't you just feel the adoration in his eyes in that photo even though you can only see his back! Poor guy. Still, at least Tempest doesn't run off the second he's in the same space now. Nice progress.

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