I live in a household with two cats. They aren't technically "my" cats, they belong to my roommate, but I love them. One of them sleeps with me when he feels like it.
My username, Bibsy, is the name of two cats I had as a child. Bibsy 1 was a tuxedo cat who had a bib, which is how she got her name. She was adopted from the Humane Society. Unfortunately, that was several decades ago, and such organizations weren't as advanced as they are nowadays. Cats for adoption didn't get vet checks and shots and microchipping and all before they were adopted out. Bibsy was very sick and was only with us for a week.
Then there was Bibsy 2 - a tortie kitten. That too is a sad story - she was only with us for a couple of months. My parents didn't know how to deal with indoor cats and I was young and inexperienced. Bibsy 2 was a very defensive, unpettable kitty. Again, nowadays, there might be cat books and behaviorists who could help her. Back then, sadly, we gave up.
I chose "Bibsy" as my username to honor these cats who deserved better, and as a sign of my commitment to learning and taking advantage of so many advances in cat knowledge available to people today.
The two cats in our household are going through a trying time - the female is 4, was an only cat adopted at a young age from the shelter. Then came the stray 3 month old male kitten a little over a year later. The two have never totally bonded, but this year things became very difficult with spraying, urinary crystals, fighting, and other issues which we have now learned have to do with the cats reaching that stage known as "social maturity." I joke to my roommate that they should call it "social immaturity" since it seems that they've regressed! Anyway, we're trying lots of things - reintroduction, Feliway pheromones, group scent, etc. Reading lots of cat books. Wishing the cats would read the books and agree! But as many of you probably know, it's not that simple.
So, I'm here to learn and share, and help and be helped.
My username, Bibsy, is the name of two cats I had as a child. Bibsy 1 was a tuxedo cat who had a bib, which is how she got her name. She was adopted from the Humane Society. Unfortunately, that was several decades ago, and such organizations weren't as advanced as they are nowadays. Cats for adoption didn't get vet checks and shots and microchipping and all before they were adopted out. Bibsy was very sick and was only with us for a week.
Then there was Bibsy 2 - a tortie kitten. That too is a sad story - she was only with us for a couple of months. My parents didn't know how to deal with indoor cats and I was young and inexperienced. Bibsy 2 was a very defensive, unpettable kitty. Again, nowadays, there might be cat books and behaviorists who could help her. Back then, sadly, we gave up.
I chose "Bibsy" as my username to honor these cats who deserved better, and as a sign of my commitment to learning and taking advantage of so many advances in cat knowledge available to people today.
The two cats in our household are going through a trying time - the female is 4, was an only cat adopted at a young age from the shelter. Then came the stray 3 month old male kitten a little over a year later. The two have never totally bonded, but this year things became very difficult with spraying, urinary crystals, fighting, and other issues which we have now learned have to do with the cats reaching that stage known as "social maturity." I joke to my roommate that they should call it "social immaturity" since it seems that they've regressed! Anyway, we're trying lots of things - reintroduction, Feliway pheromones, group scent, etc. Reading lots of cat books. Wishing the cats would read the books and agree! But as many of you probably know, it's not that simple.
So, I'm here to learn and share, and help and be helped.