Cat introductions update
20 Sep 2024 07:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cimoreneThe basic template for potentially hostile? I guess? cats that we were recommended was to feed Sipuli and Tristana in parallel on opposite sides of the babygate until they would eat while ignoring each other.
We didn't do this, but Sipuli is basically a very polite and timid cat. While she was evincing a little curiosity in her first day, she was still too nervous to come all the way up to the baby gate more than a few times, and watch Tristana from a distance. When we tried letting her out of the dining/livingroom isolation suite, she came out very carefully, talking (narrating) her progress the whole time, and moving furtively and quickly, like she was on a secret mission. She retreated quickly back to the dining room after her first outing because I spooked her by standing up and talking to her.
So when we let her out later we were confident she wouldn't be aggressive. She did explore sooner than we maybe expected, but she did it cautiously. It seems that she and Tristana have met twice in total, because otherwise Tristana has been able to escape confrontation by retreating. We only witnessed one encounter (Tristana was under the sofa that we were sitting on, and she couldn't skulk away while Sipuli was in the room. I don't think Sipuli actually knew she was under there when she ventured a peek, but Tristana hissed at her and she immediately ran away). We conjecture that they met upstairs the next day because of the speed with which Sipuli streaked back to the diningroom, but it might've only been that once. We have been opening the doors and letting Sipuli out during the day the last few days and it seems to be okay.
Tristana is still acting squirrelly as hell and hiding most of the time, but her behavior is comparable to when we first had Luci the Havanese dog here to stay. She will still come downstairs and sleep on someone's lap on the sofa. Today Sipuli came upstairs and sat in Tristana's favorite sunbeam at the foot of the bed, and (the moment unobserved by either of us) Tristana retreated to inside a folded-up sheet on top of the bookcase, which is one of her favorite perches, but usually she's on top of it instead of inside it. I spent some time in the sunbeam with Sipuli and we both observed the sheet moving as Tristana presumably performed some tiny, wacky little ablutions inside of it. Sipuli was intrigued but made no moves to investigate more closely.
Therefore we tentatively think things are going okay and we still have hope that they can become friends.
And here are some pictures of Sipuli, the first one taken in the car when we stopped at the pet store on the way home to pick up her brand of kibble.
We didn't do this, but Sipuli is basically a very polite and timid cat. While she was evincing a little curiosity in her first day, she was still too nervous to come all the way up to the baby gate more than a few times, and watch Tristana from a distance. When we tried letting her out of the dining/livingroom isolation suite, she came out very carefully, talking (narrating) her progress the whole time, and moving furtively and quickly, like she was on a secret mission. She retreated quickly back to the dining room after her first outing because I spooked her by standing up and talking to her.
So when we let her out later we were confident she wouldn't be aggressive. She did explore sooner than we maybe expected, but she did it cautiously. It seems that she and Tristana have met twice in total, because otherwise Tristana has been able to escape confrontation by retreating. We only witnessed one encounter (Tristana was under the sofa that we were sitting on, and she couldn't skulk away while Sipuli was in the room. I don't think Sipuli actually knew she was under there when she ventured a peek, but Tristana hissed at her and she immediately ran away). We conjecture that they met upstairs the next day because of the speed with which Sipuli streaked back to the diningroom, but it might've only been that once. We have been opening the doors and letting Sipuli out during the day the last few days and it seems to be okay.
Tristana is still acting squirrelly as hell and hiding most of the time, but her behavior is comparable to when we first had Luci the Havanese dog here to stay. She will still come downstairs and sleep on someone's lap on the sofa. Today Sipuli came upstairs and sat in Tristana's favorite sunbeam at the foot of the bed, and (the moment unobserved by either of us) Tristana retreated to inside a folded-up sheet on top of the bookcase, which is one of her favorite perches, but usually she's on top of it instead of inside it. I spent some time in the sunbeam with Sipuli and we both observed the sheet moving as Tristana presumably performed some tiny, wacky little ablutions inside of it. Sipuli was intrigued but made no moves to investigate more closely.
Therefore we tentatively think things are going okay and we still have hope that they can become friends.
And here are some pictures of Sipuli, the first one taken in the car when we stopped at the pet store on the way home to pick up her brand of kibble.
(no subject)
Date: 20 Sep 2024 05:15 pm (UTC)Also she is very pretty and what enormous ears!
(no subject)
Date: 20 Sep 2024 08:33 pm (UTC)I, too, hope that you can get over the Cat Divorce Era, which has got to have been one of the contributing factors in your breakdown. Here's praying that in a few months at most everyone can cuddle in bed together.
(no subject)
Date: 21 Sep 2024 05:41 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 21 Sep 2024 02:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 21 Sep 2024 08:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 22 Sep 2024 07:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 22 Sep 2024 08:42 am (UTC)