Welcome Winnie

Winter (now called Winnie) is home. She is a very neat cat. She has thumbs! She is having trouble getting used to Mouski, but I think they'll come to an agreement. I hope they become friends.

Each time my parents adopted another cat, it took time for the other cats to adjust.

We had a nice, quiet night. She is getting very comfortable in her room, and ate well. She's still snubbing kibble, but gobbles soft food. Maybe she's not a kibble girl. I'll ask the shelter today.

Mouski is going to the door, and we hear some growling and hissing. That's ok. They are sorting their issues. We will try another face-to-face later. I think we might set up the playpen and let her have a hide-y box in it when we do that. It will keep fur from flying, but allow them to see and almost touch each other.

The playpen idea sounds great. Mouski said you were going to try some type of oils. Let me know how they work.

And welcome Winnie, you've hit the forever home jackpot. Tonio

The pet store where I buy the cat food and dog chewies sells CBD oils in different strengths. I've heard really good things from horse, dog, and cat friends about how well they work. A few drops on some soft food are supposed to really help with stress. So far, so good. Everyone is being snuggly (in their separate rooms), and sleepy.

That's good. I'm all for a peaceable kingdom.

Well... The playpen was not successful. She's way too smart and figured out how to tunnel between the velcro floor and sides. No harm done. We got her and put her back in her room. Next thing to try is the back porch, which has French doors with glass all the way to the floor. So, the two kitties can see each other and smell a little, but still have safe spaces. We will try later tonight since we have to go in/out of that space for laundry today.

What a clever girl. Sounds like a little to clever. Still as the say in hockey, no blood, no foul. The back porch sounds like a good idea.

The back porch lasted for about an hour, and then she escaped when I opened the door to put something in the garbage can. But... She just ran to her room and there was no hissing or swatting. The door has been open all day. She has stayed upstairs mostly, and Mouski has stayed down. But, they've seen each other and are cautiously checking each other out. Progress! I'm glad they can be a little more free tomorrow since the windows are open and the breeze is much nicer without the interior doors getting in the way.

That's a good start. Hopefully it will continue to go smoothly.

They are now willing to be in the same room. Still not friends, but they're getting better quickly.

Wnnie went to the vet for his wellness check today. Everything is good, but she had a little bit of infection in her ears. They cleaned them and put in some topical meds. It didn't look serious, but she goes back in 2 weeks to make sure everything's cleared up. Other than that, she is in great shape.

That's great, did the group you adopted her from offer health insurance when you adopted her. Antonio came with one month free and then I signed up. I'm so glad I did, it covered the bulk of his surgery several years ago.

They did offer it, and Winnie's signed up. I'm not sure I'll keep it because I had a fight with them over Bingo's allergy testing. If I can wrangle a deal for all 3 pets, I might do it but otherwise, I think I'll take my chances. The cost for 3 would be prohibitive, and in reality, the payments to CareCredit would be less for a $5000 surgery than 2 years of insurance, so it's a question I need to consider carefully.

The vet said our shelter is actually really impressive. Winnie had ALL her shots and boosters, and they used the good flea control stuff that also takes care of heart worm prevention, hookworm, etc. And, they did a good job with her spay recovery. She doesn't even have a scar. The only thing that was left over was to clean up those dirty ears, and I get why the shelter didn't do that. She showed NO signs of discomfort. She's a stoic.

Did she come from Glouchester-Matthew shelter. I follow them on Facebook and they really look like an incredible group. Still it's odd that they missed the ears.

I understand, for me the insurance was well worth it. Still you're right put pen to paper and see what you get.

She did come from GMHS. I think they would have gotten the ears, but since she didn't look uncomfortable they dealt with the obvious stuff. Not a big deal. I am glad they're taking care fo some FIV+ kitties and ones like Lollie who need the extra care. I still love Lollie.

That's wonderful. I hope you keep them updated. I love to read happily ever after stories. I'm glad you adopted from them. They pull from high intake shelters and we all know what that means.

They are a really good organization. We are involved with their fundraising, and our good friend is part of their board.

Today is pretty much peaceful. Winnie ate in the living room and Mouski ate at his place in the kitchen. They could see each other, but were far enough apart to be comfortable. Now, they are in separate sun patches.

Glad it's been peaceful. I was hoping it wouldn't take to long for them to settle.

Both kitties were on the bed at the same time last night. Mouski was sleeping on my feet, and Winnie was next to my side. I think she was testing things. She didn't stay too long since I flip around a lot. But, I'm pretty happy that they were willing to share even for a little while. We still have a little hissing and chasing, but much better overall.

That's wonderful. glad everyone is settling in so well. there is nothing worse than long running cat wars.

Well... We can't speak too soon. Winnie is very protective of her food. She beat Mouski up yesterday at dinnertime because I messed up. I'm just going to feed them in separate rooms.

Mouski is now very wary around her, and doesn't want to open himself up for another beating. But, he is willing to relax and just let her stay away. So, we gained some ground and lost some. It's normal, I know, but still I wish we were all friends.

I understand. Food aggression/protection can be a huge issue. I bet at one point in her life she had to fight for every morsel she got. Did they tell you anything about her background, if they knew anything about her background. At Mouski is being sensible about it. Arlington Animal Services didn't tell me anything about Antonio, which in a way is a good thing. If they had known he would have not made it out alive.

We got quite a bit of the story. She was an owner surrender who was VERY pregnant when she came in. (Typical rednecks surrendering their cat because they couldn't be bothered to take it to the inexpensive spay/neuter clinic.) I'm sure that means she was kept inside/outside and probably had a bunch of other cats who fought for food.

We have peace as long as the two cats don't share a room for food. The crunchies are in one place, but they can come/go on their own, so they don't fight over those. It's just the soft food that presents challenges.

AHHHH!!! I would say words fail me but we all know what a bald face lie that is. Just keep doing what you're doing. I will come right in the end.

All was quiet today. Mouski is still a little defensive, but he's willing just to give grumpy looks and little growls to keep her away. She's been respecting that. Everyone slept in their own sun puddles today, so maybe we are getting over the little hump.