Love following the adventures!! I don't know how you are going to be able to part with her when her family comes home...!! And those standoff-ish boys are going to miss their 'little sister'
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Catsitting HELP PLEASE
- Thread starter trollnystan
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- #22
I'm probably going to spend the first day she's gone rejoicing in the fact that I don't have to go check on her every fifteen minutes to make sure she didn't pull something down.
Then I'm gonna miss her like crazy until my next babysitting gig for the toddler in her family...
And I do believe that TG, if not Ghost, will miss her. Today I saw TG lick her face a little in passing when they stopped and sniffed
Ghost still runs away if she tries to play with him.
Poor Ghost, she's taken over all his toys too. I tried throwing the mouse he likes so much for him and Winnie was immediately there, chasing after it too. Ghost went off and sulked. Life isn't easy for the only introvert in the village, so to speak...
Then I'm gonna miss her like crazy until my next babysitting gig for the toddler in her family...
And I do believe that TG, if not Ghost, will miss her. Today I saw TG lick her face a little in passing when they stopped and sniffed
Poor Ghost, she's taken over all his toys too. I tried throwing the mouse he likes so much for him and Winnie was immediately there, chasing after it too. Ghost went off and sulked. Life isn't easy for the only introvert in the village, so to speak...
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- #23
Week 3 of the Catsitting Diaries...
Well, Ghost and Winnie are still not getting along; today they almost had a fight, and it ended with ruffled tails and ridged backs on both sides for a while. No hissing though and no one got hurt.
I think it's because Winnie wants to play with him, but Ghost isn't the most social of cats. Heck, I've seen TG groom him a million times, but I've NEVER seen Ghost reciprocate. Anyway, as it is, he avoids being in the same room as her most of the time.
Winnie and TG on the other-hand get along great, sometimes resting next to each other, and when Winnie tries to play with TG's tail he plays back or bats her away without rancour. But she has so much energy compared to the boys; I think they get exhausted just by watching her
I am a bit nervous about leaving them alone tomorrow while I go to my job-training. Here's hoping there isn't another Barney between Winnie and Ghost!
Well, Ghost and Winnie are still not getting along; today they almost had a fight, and it ended with ruffled tails and ridged backs on both sides for a while. No hissing though and no one got hurt.
I think it's because Winnie wants to play with him, but Ghost isn't the most social of cats. Heck, I've seen TG groom him a million times, but I've NEVER seen Ghost reciprocate. Anyway, as it is, he avoids being in the same room as her most of the time.
Winnie and TG on the other-hand get along great, sometimes resting next to each other, and when Winnie tries to play with TG's tail he plays back or bats her away without rancour. But she has so much energy compared to the boys; I think they get exhausted just by watching her
I am a bit nervous about leaving them alone tomorrow while I go to my job-training. Here's hoping there isn't another Barney between Winnie and Ghost!
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Cool it kids.
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How did it go while you were gone?
After all this, you will have to bring Winnie back for visits now and then so they don't forget about her. The family may want you to care for her again!
After all this, you will have to bring Winnie back for visits now and then so they don't forget about her. The family may want you to care for her again!
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- #26
OTTO: Everything seemed to have gone ok when I got home but...
Oh dear oh dear oh dear... I might have to start worrying about Winnie And TG now too!
As I think I've mentioned previously, before the boys I never owned cats. So I have a hard time understanding their "language", so to speak, at times.
It's happened several times now that either TG or Winnie start swatting at each other, dancing around, which then turns into either a chase or TG pinning Winnie to the ground - like he does with his brother when they're playing. Winnie then either escapes and a chase ensues from there or she actually starts hissing (this is when I intervene). TG on the other hand never hisses or growls at her and I am (falsely???) interpreting his actions as attempts to play with her. The problem there is that he's almost 7kg and Winnie isn't more than 2kg soaking wet. I don't blame her for hissing. Any suggestions?
Yesterday when mopping the floor in the living room i found a spot that looked suspiciously like blood on the floor. It was very small and there was just the one spot. Do female cats bleed when they're in heat? I know dogs do. I'm really hoping she isn't, but she has been VERY affectionate these past few days, and she spazzes out more and more. Is that just her being a very young cat? I sure hopes so. Both my boys are neutered but I could do without the erratic behaviour that comes from being in heat. No yowling though and her genitalia isn't swollen (again, I've noticed that on dogs). And I haven't found any wounds or sores on any of them.
She has these nightly spaz-outs where she runs full tilt into my room - which is open just a crack and has a door stop to keep it that way to prevent this behaviour - races up the floor-to-ceiling scratch post, starts batting at imaginary bugs and at loose wallpaper up there, uses the middle platform as a spring board to the floor and out into the rest of flat, where I hear various things go bump as she races around. Sometimes she just partially climbs down the scratching post HEAD FIRST and leaps to the ground from there. Scares the living bejayzus out of me!
What to do?! Thoughts, views, opinions and admonishments all welcome.
Oh dear oh dear oh dear... I might have to start worrying about Winnie And TG now too!
As I think I've mentioned previously, before the boys I never owned cats. So I have a hard time understanding their "language", so to speak, at times.
It's happened several times now that either TG or Winnie start swatting at each other, dancing around, which then turns into either a chase or TG pinning Winnie to the ground - like he does with his brother when they're playing. Winnie then either escapes and a chase ensues from there or she actually starts hissing (this is when I intervene). TG on the other hand never hisses or growls at her and I am (falsely???) interpreting his actions as attempts to play with her. The problem there is that he's almost 7kg and Winnie isn't more than 2kg soaking wet. I don't blame her for hissing. Any suggestions?
Yesterday when mopping the floor in the living room i found a spot that looked suspiciously like blood on the floor. It was very small and there was just the one spot. Do female cats bleed when they're in heat? I know dogs do. I'm really hoping she isn't, but she has been VERY affectionate these past few days, and she spazzes out more and more. Is that just her being a very young cat? I sure hopes so. Both my boys are neutered but I could do without the erratic behaviour that comes from being in heat. No yowling though and her genitalia isn't swollen (again, I've noticed that on dogs). And I haven't found any wounds or sores on any of them.
She has these nightly spaz-outs where she runs full tilt into my room - which is open just a crack and has a door stop to keep it that way to prevent this behaviour - races up the floor-to-ceiling scratch post, starts batting at imaginary bugs and at loose wallpaper up there, uses the middle platform as a spring board to the floor and out into the rest of flat, where I hear various things go bump as she races around. Sometimes she just partially climbs down the scratching post HEAD FIRST and leaps to the ground from there. Scares the living bejayzus out of me!
What to do?! Thoughts, views, opinions and admonishments all welcome.
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Hissing is pretty normal even in play. Her nightly spaz outs sound normal too.
It does sound like she may be in heat, the poor little thing. (and poor you too) Are they planning to spay her when they get back?
It does sound like she may be in heat, the poor little thing. (and poor you too) Are they planning to spay her when they get back?
George and Ellie do this almost every night. The squealing and hissing by Ellie use to bother me greatly but she seems to hold her own. George is also just about twice the size of Ellie so she's pretty much out muscled!! And this usually happens sometime in the middle of the night so I think my reaction is more to being woken up from a deep sleep than wondering if George is actually mauling her!!
I would worry more about their actions if they didn't seem to get along the rest of the time. Neither one is wanting to snuggle up to the other but I will find them sleeping close on the bed, or looking out the window together - things like that.
Oh wow, Winnie looks like a twin of my Holland...
I don't have any experience with introductions, but it sounds like you are doing a great job! I'm sure they will all survive the month.
As for the nightly spaz-outs, Holland does that too. I only have a small scratching post for her (my brother has promised to make her a big condo/tree) and she has very nearly knocked it over several times. She just runs around like a crazy girl, jumps on her scratching post, and repeats. That's nothing out of the ordinary.
It's fantastic that your boys are neutered, so you don't have to worry about any "accidents".
Good luck! Winnie and her humans are lucky that they have you!
I don't have any experience with introductions, but it sounds like you are doing a great job! I'm sure they will all survive the month.
As for the nightly spaz-outs, Holland does that too. I only have a small scratching post for her (my brother has promised to make her a big condo/tree) and she has very nearly knocked it over several times. She just runs around like a crazy girl, jumps on her scratching post, and repeats. That's nothing out of the ordinary.
It's fantastic that your boys are neutered, so you don't have to worry about any "accidents".
Good luck! Winnie and her humans are lucky that they have you!
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- #30
Thanks for all your comments and good vibes! I've been a bit busy (and a bit lazy lately) so sorry for not updating for those of you who are wondering how it's going.
It seems to be going great! At least between the cats themselves; I, on the other hand, am slowly loosing it.
<--(paper bag on head never a good sign...)
Winnie plays with both of them now. There is still growling and hissing when she plays with TG 'cos he pins her and he's, well, HEAVY. But Ghost will usually roll over on his back and let her pin him, which is cute.
She managed, together with the boys, to escape onto the balcony (my brother helped me build a barricade to keep this from happening as there is no netting on the balcony yet to keep them from escaping, but we forgot that cats are all furry Houdinis.). This gave me a bloomin' heart attack as last I heard she had no insurance and she is not ID tagged - my boys have an ID tattoo on their ears at least.
I will miss her when she leaves, and I think the boys will too, but I'm clearly not cut out to handle such a young cat in such confined quarters. Then there is the nightly run arounds that, coupled with my new meds that make it harder for me fall asleep, caused me to break down in actual tears the other night after trying for 3 hours to fall asleep. I try tiring them out before bed but it doesn't always work. Sigh.
Augh! Enough with the LJ entry already!
Thanks again for all your wonderful advice and kind thoughts!
You're all angels
Winnie and the boys say thank you too of course
It seems to be going great! At least between the cats themselves; I, on the other hand, am slowly loosing it.
Winnie plays with both of them now. There is still growling and hissing when she plays with TG 'cos he pins her and he's, well, HEAVY. But Ghost will usually roll over on his back and let her pin him, which is cute.
She managed, together with the boys, to escape onto the balcony (my brother helped me build a barricade to keep this from happening as there is no netting on the balcony yet to keep them from escaping, but we forgot that cats are all furry Houdinis.). This gave me a bloomin' heart attack as last I heard she had no insurance and she is not ID tagged - my boys have an ID tattoo on their ears at least.
I will miss her when she leaves, and I think the boys will too, but I'm clearly not cut out to handle such a young cat in such confined quarters. Then there is the nightly run arounds that, coupled with my new meds that make it harder for me fall asleep, caused me to break down in actual tears the other night after trying for 3 hours to fall asleep. I try tiring them out before bed but it doesn't always work. Sigh.
Augh! Enough with the LJ entry already!
Thanks again for all your wonderful advice and kind thoughts!
I have to admit, young kitty energy and those midnight spaz outs have always made me smile. Even hearing an upstairs neighbor's cat spazzing out and killing a door stopper all night make me smile, thinking of those kitty antics. But it does get old, and when you are already stressed, tired, and having trouble sleeping, it gets really hard to handle that much energy. It's almost over now though. You're doing great.
I for one got a little miffed at my Cuddles insistently purring and yammering and patting my face to wake me up. It almost always has me waking up refreshed and smiling, because it's him telling me he loves me (excuse me, telling me he wants his canned food). But I had only been asleep 3 hours, so in this case, insistent rubbing of the head on my nose was not making me smile, just making me aggravated.
I think we all need a kitty vacation from time to time. You'll be able to give Winnie back soon, and you'll appreciate your aloof, disinterested independent boys more than ever. Promise.
I for one got a little miffed at my Cuddles insistently purring and yammering and patting my face to wake me up. It almost always has me waking up refreshed and smiling, because it's him telling me he loves me (excuse me, telling me he wants his canned food). But I had only been asleep 3 hours, so in this case, insistent rubbing of the head on my nose was not making me smile, just making me aggravated.
I think we all need a kitty vacation from time to time. You'll be able to give Winnie back soon, and you'll appreciate your aloof, disinterested independent boys more than ever. Promise.
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Thanks for the happy update! I haven't had a baby kitten in 11 years, that was Tolly. Mazy was six months old when she came but she never stopped running until she was close to two years old. She still is extremely active at 6 years old.
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- #33
Winnie went home today. It's sad, but I'll see her when I go to babysit. They boys seem a bit confused; they wandering around sniffing things and TG meowed a bit and is now looking at me with very sad-looking eyes. Maybe I'll catsit her again some day.
Again, thanks for all your lovely comments and giving me the benefit of your own experience with cats. I feel like I've gotten to know yours while describing my kitties.
Hugs to all of you, my angels!
Again, thanks for all your lovely comments and giving me the benefit of your own experience with cats. I feel like I've gotten to know yours while describing my kitties.
Hugs to all of you, my angels!
