Cat Introduction Woes

[losna]

Lots of happenings in quick succession!

Sinbad just caught Tempest on the floor. I say caught, because he had her pinned down. She was screaming and clawing at him trying to get free, but he naturally thought they were playing so wouldn't get off of her.

When my hubby pulled him away, she fled and hid back under her chair. But ... only for about 5 minutes. She's already back out, and wandering around her room almost as normal. She's a little nervous, but she did come all the way to the gate for treat time with him.

It's another one of those encounters where I just have no idea what to think. I mean, he actually caught her for the first time. And she hurt him - she clawed him right across the face. He's bleeding - but still really confused as he genuinely seems to think they are just playing and has no idea at all that he's scaring her.

But despite being pinned down - she only hid for 5 minutes. If that. I didn't exactly time it, but it was a few minutes, tops. And so far as we can tell, the only injury is his. He didn't hurt her (he was 'just' pinning her down to cuddle and trying to groom her), and despite being hurt he is behaving the same as he always does, no hostility her way at all. Is it possible she realizes that?

 

[mservant]

Wondering if this might be a positive thing to have happened.   Tempest just made it through what is probably what she was fearing the most, and came out 'on top'.  She survived and effectively showed Sinbad that she is not to be messed with - that she is Top Cat where your home is concerned.   Her coming out so quickly suggests to me she is feeling OK about what just happened.  Sinbad will lick his wounds and hopefully learn in some subtle way that he has to tone it down or risk injury again.  Also hopefully his wound will heal quickly and without problem.

What was Sinbad thinking?   Did he think you all needed shaken up a bit and a sudden adrenalin rush to wake you all up?  

 

[losna]

I am pretty sure Sinbad's thoughts went like this:

Yay, Tempest!! Tempest!! I love you Tempest!! I love to wrestle, too! Let me groom you!! Yay, Tempest is wrestling with me!! Wait, daddy why are you yelling? Daddy, you're scary!! Mommy!!! Mommy why is daddy yelling? I'm sad now, we were playing. Mommy cuddle me. I don't understand. Why is daddy mad? I need cuddles. Mommy, daddy hates me now, but you love me, right?

That's about the range of expressions that crossed his face. My hubby has gotten a lot better about their fighting - he used to shout at Sinbad the entire time he was trying to split them up. But all that did was scare both cats.I'm not sure what I said that finally made that clear to him, but I'm glad I said whatever it was. Now he just shouts once instinctively before catching himself. But it's still enough to scare Sinbad, unfortunately. Sinbad always ends up confused and afraid of my hubby for a while after he and Tempest squabble.

His face is mostly healed up already. Cats really heal quickly! I am horribly sick so he's been availing himself of the free snuggles, and is one happy cat today. Tempest is mostly normal, but not going up to the gate to greet him as she's been doing. That's about it though. She still goes right up to the gate to eat treats with him, so I don't think any real backsteps have happened; although she hasn't gone out into the landing that we've seen yet today. But hubby is working, and I am sick, so it's not like we're out there looking.

 

[stewball]

When my two fight i clap my hands twice, hard, it hurts, but it breaks it up without terrifying them.

 

[losna]

Sadly, claps don't work. Sinbad just gets so overly excited about Tempest that he completely forgets his brain. He is generally a super smart cat! Usually all I need to do is look at him and say, "Sinbad, stop!" and he'll back off. "Eh!" also works.

But the only thing that gets him away from Tempest is physically removing him.  He gets scared when my hubby shouts, but a scared Sinbad who is thinking he is cuddling/playing with Tempest only doubles down on trying to cuddle. At least neither of them are seriously fighting though, so removing him is as easy as just grabbing him and lifting. She just wants to get away, and he thinks it's play time, so bare hands lifting him off her and things settle. Pretty quickly these days, thankfully. It used to take her days before she'd come out of hiding after their squabbles.

 

[mservant]

When my two fight i clap my hands twice, hard, it hurts, but it breaks it up without terrifying them.

That's what worked for my previous litter sisters when they were taking chunks of fur out of each other and ignoring my telling them to 'cut it out'.    It's a real shame it doesn't work for Sinbad.   Hopefully he will get the message from Tempest soon that being swatted means he has to get off and stop bugging her.

 

[losna]

Yeah, we've tried shouts, claps, hisses, stomps, snapping ... he just doubles down for more attempted cuddles. In one sense, it's really funny. I mean, in all other circumstances, he learns very quickly what the consequences to his actions are; even things like taking medicine means treats so the faster he lets us dose him the faster he gets an extra treat. But Tempest really does cause him to lose his brain the moment he sees her.

 

[stewball]

Ah! Young love.

 

[losna]

The pet store put up a display of those long jerky like sticks for dogs to chew. But Sinbad loves playing with sticks, so i bought one. And i think we may have hit upon something here...

When we brought it home, Sinbad came right up to investigate, and Tempest started making "me too me too!" type cries. So we stuck it through one of the holes in the gate and they actually played together! And not only that, but afterwards for treat time she stayed on the top of the gate to eat stone treats while be was right below for his!

Our plan now is to keep up the jerky stick play times. And hopefully they will build friendship by associating tasty play together.

I took some belated pictures i will show here, although sadly it didn't occur to me to pull out the camera until after they had played themselves mostly out so they are mainly just lying around in them. But they are laying around together.

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• losna
• Nov 14, 2015

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• losna
• Nov 14, 2015

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• losna
• Nov 14, 2015

 

[mservant]

@Losna  That is a brilliant idea, and they look very cute there on either side of the gate.  

   

 

[losna]

@Losna
 That is a brilliant idea, and they look very cute there on either side of the gate.      

It's really a pity i had my phone and not the camera to take those shots. The high speed camera would have picked up the action between the first and the second pic - the reason he is turning around is because she gleefully nibbled on that fluffy tail he'd left against the gate. She stuck 2 front paws through the gate, hooked it and nibbled!! :lol3:

I don't know why but she absolutely loves his tail. She'll grab at it any time it's within reach. I'm sure he could bribe her to cuddle with his tail if he could only realize it. :lol3:

 

[stewball]

What colour tail does Sinbad have?

 

[losna]

It's a big, fluffy black and grey striped tail. It makes me think of a raccoon tail, it seems too big for him.  

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• losna
• Feb 17, 2015

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• losna
• Nov 15, 2015

 

[mservant]

@Losna  This photo is pure cat genius!   Love it love it love it.  View media item 311758

 

[losna]

 @MServant He does look like a little racoon in that shot, doesn't he.

 

[losna]

They just had an absolutely fabulous interaction...

It was breakfast "viewing' time hahaha. During these times, I take down the upper gate, leaving only the lower one in place. It allows Sinbad to lean up on it to get a clear view of Tempest while still providing a clear territory demarcation for her comfort. This morning he must have been famished because he started eating his own breakfast before charging up to watch her. So she walked over to the gate to sit and wait for him. Sometimes this happens, and while she always waits for him before eating now when he doesn't immediately appear, this is the first time she's actually waited for him at the gate as opposed to rolling around getting belly rubs until he appears.

When he arrived, he found her right there at the gate. He wasn't sure what to do, this was so unexpected, so they just looked at each other for a bit, then he jumped up on top of the gate. But she did not hiss at all!! She merely jumped back a few feet. I got ready to repel him, but waited to see what would happen. He stood there on the gate for a moment, pondered, then jumped back down and sat on the floor on his side!!

And then, even more amazing!! She walked back to the gate, and pushed her face right up to it so they bumped and rubbed noses for a few minutes!!

Then she walked to her food bowl and started eating, he watched for a few seconds, then walked down to finish his breakfast with his tail high in the air.

She waited for him at the gate! Did not hiss! He turned around on his own and didn't actually enter the room! She then nose bumped him!! Just awesome!!! I feel like some real progress is being made.

 

[stewball]

@Losna
 This photo is pure cat genius!   Love it love it love it.      Just wondering though, is there any way Sinbad might have some distant racoon relatives?
View media item 311758

It's an amazing tail.

 

[losna]

Sinbad keenly feels the pangs of unrequited love. Poor little guy. While they are making amazing progress, i still wish i could find a way to make him understand that charging her scares her.

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• losna
• Nov 19, 2015

 

[Columbine]

That's a gorgeous picture :heart3: It does look like he's slowly learning that charging her doesn't get him anywhere. He'll have to settle for worshipping her from afar for now rincess:

 

[mservant]

I think Tempest knows she is being worshiped and is posing up there just to taunt the poor guy. 

    Look at poor old Sinbad, patiently waiting for his muse to join him.