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Hi,Hi C calicosrspecial ! I've just posted four new videos of the cats single gate interactions. Thank you in advance for your thoughts! I don't think they uploaded in order but they are labelled 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Here is the link! Hawthorne & Florence - Introductions Single Gate March 2021
A couple of quick notes - videos 7 and 8 were supposed to be one video but I accidentally hit the 'stop button' in-between. The part that was missed was Hawthorne swatting my leg when I approached the gate. I think you said that could be because he is feeling insecure. He sometimes will follow me when I'm going back into Florence's room and try to swat me when I open the gate. He's a bit testy about that.
Second note is that generally, even after all hissing/growling etc, the cats recover very quickly. I would say Florence recovers the fastest (like, instantaneous) and Hawthorne sometimes paces around a bit or hides for a second in the bathroom but is often back to normal very quickly too.
And I know I'm still throwing the treats sometimes instead of placing them, hahaha. I'm trying to keep them from getting too close.
Anyways, hopefully these make for some enlightening watching.
Let's take a look.
Video 5 - My goodness is she ADORABLE!!! I LOVE that her tail is straight up when she goes into the room at first. Yes, he did come charging. BUT she did really well. But he did get distracted. Which is great. Body language looks good though. We could leave the door open and use some words to reassure etc. And let's see how they do. So, he did come charging a bit more than I would like. BUT the body language looked good, her reaction was good, he was distracted. So overall, I say pretty good. Try to use words to get him to look up to you etc. Reassure him as well.
Video 6 - I LOVE how he came out this time. This is PERFECT!! My goodness is he adorable!! I love how she is finished looks at him, he sees her and choses food over her. Then she moves quickly to the gate and he see her and still chooses food. I thought that would be where he would charge and he didn't. YES!!! Good job Hawthorne!! This video IS FANTASTIC!!! Body language was terrific. AND there were a few times it could have gone wrong and it didn't.
Video 7 - So he looks good then she comes and hisses and he takes it a bit hard. :/ He didn't respond aggressively which is great. But it shows he is feeling a little insecure still. Not at all surprising though.
Video 8 - I LOVE he has his back to her. A good sign of trust. He looks at her then looks back to you. Awesome!! I would have thought he would have gone for her. He didn't, awesome!! Her body language looks great. She is not really afraid of him. He is doing great. AND then she comes to the gate and he has the treat. Ok, he finishes the treat and now we have a stand off. Here just reassure them. "It's ok" or something like that. In this situation if we get one (preferably Hawthorne) to look away it is a big win. PERFECT. You give a treat and she turns nd goes for it showing Hawthorne she prefers a treat or a fight. Perfect!! His body language then look a little aggressive but then he goes for the treat. Yes!!! A win there. Then he turns his back on her. Something they would never do if they really felt threatened. Then he goes back for the other treat, then gets a bit aggressive for a moment then you do a great job distracting. Then he is looking for her. But he looks away and you give a treat and he is distracted. Great. So a lot of positives. His body language two times were a little disappointing but what happened after was positive.
"The part that was missed was Hawthorne swatting my leg when I approached the gate. I think you said that could be because he is feeling insecure. He sometimes will follow me when I'm going back into Florence's room and try to swat me when I open the gate. He's a bit testy about that." - I WISH I could have seen that. To determine how "aggressive" it was. Judging by how video 8 started it must not have been that aggressive. He could be trying to keep you with him.
"Second note is that generally, even after all hissing/growling etc, the cats recover very quickly. I would say Florence recovers the fastest (like, instantaneous) and Hawthorne sometimes paces around a bit or hides for a second in the bathroom but is often back to normal very quickly too." - Yes, agreed. That tells me that what is going on is normal and not worrying. In video 7 I was a bit disappointed that he went into the bathroom (which tells me he is still lacking trust which is not surprising) but he sure rebounded well which eases any concerns I may have had.
"And I know I'm still throwing the treats sometimes instead of placing them, hahaha. I'm trying to keep them from getting too close." - They love it. Not a problem at all.
So we'll have to work on reassuring and distracting Hawthorne a bit more. Also, I think getting them more time if possible. He does seem to still be in that novelty time.
But overall, I think though the videos weren't as good as the previous set they may be more reflective and where we are at. I don't see anything abnormal. Resident cat (Hawthorne) having some adjustment/confidence issues but in a spotty way. Not continuous which is great. So we have more work to do but many more positives than negatives. And Florence is telling me she isn't afraid of him for the most part. She is at times cautious but that is normal and again just tells us that we have more work to do which is normal. Hawthorne seems more defensive than offensive which is good because that is easier to handle. We just have to show him that she doesn't mean harm (and she doesn't).
I am not at all worried. Everything is going as expected. Keep up the great work!! If you feel safe sit by the one gate and just talk to them, reassure them, etc. If you can keep them calm and kinda bore them where one choses to walk away that is pretty good. BUT you have to be safe that you don't get any redirected aggression. Might want to sit on the inside of Florence's gate to do this and see how they do.
My goodness are they gorgeous cats!!!