Cat Introduction Woes

[mservant]

  

    

    

       Fabulous update. 

 

[losna]

We have now officially adopted Bêlit. 

She treated me to an adorable sight just now. Sinbad has been being fussy about eating tonight, and I finally got so tired of locking up poor Bêlit only to watch him not eat that I put his dinner down, and set a dish of treats down for her in the bedroom where I was reading. She of course was eating happily, when in wandered Sinbad. He crept forward, clearly heading for her food. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't for Bêlit to take a bite of her treats, then move aside so he could come share.

Now she is half dozing all curled up and happy; super excited to share her food with Sinbad.

Quite a change from just last week when she was snatching treats from his mouth.

 

[Columbine]

:hobbes:

 

[mservant]

Couldn't be happier for you, well unless Tempest decided it was safe to join in too, but things sound so great with Sinbad and Bêlit your home sounds like it is at peace at least.   One day perhaps Tempest will decide she will come out too, but until then - enjoy.  

 

 

 

 

Oh, and of course, please please please post as many photographs as you can.  

 

[losna]

How many snuggly pictures do you want to see? 

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• losna
• Aug 15, 2016

 

[losna]

Wonder cat powers activate! Form of a heart!

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• losna
• Aug 16, 2016

 

[losna]

Update time:

Sinbad and Bêlit have settled in as best buds now. They snuggle at naptime, bedtime at night, and randomly throughout the day. Sinbad continues to love licking her bum and tail. What's funny is he's started hanging out in the kitchen, because he knows that if I go in, Bêlit will go in and beg for food, and he can lick her tail unimpeded while she is focused on her begging. Although sometimes he just determines he shall have his lickings, and he uses 2 paws and his greater mass to hold her down. 

  

Tempest is enjoying the reprieve; she's out on the landing all the time now, and has been making regular forays further down the stairs and even into the hall upon occasion.  She'll even hang out on the landing with Bêlit. 

Bêlit's health continues to improve. We should get the full results of the most recent round of urinalysis and blood work sometime today. But her urine no longer smells, molds or attracts fruit flies, so I'm not expecting any surprises. 

 

[talkingpeanut]

Update time:

Sinbad and Bêlit have settled in as best buds now. They snuggle at naptime, bedtime at night, and randomly throughout the day. Sinbad continues to love licking her bum and tail. What's funny is he's started hanging out in the kitchen, because he knows that if I go in, Bêlit will go in and beg for food, and he can lick her tail unimpeded while she is focused on her begging. Although sometimes he just determines he shall have his lickings, and he uses 2 paws and his greater mass to hold her down. :lol3:   

Tempest is enjoying the reprieve; she's out on the landing all the time now, and has been making regular forays further down the stairs and even into the hall upon occasion.  She'll even hang out on the landing with Bêlit. 

Bêlit's health continues to improve. We should get the full results of the most recent round of urinalysis and blood work sometime today. But her urine no longer smells, molds or attracts fruit flies, so I'm not expecting any surprises. 

This is a wonderful update! Are her eyes looking any better?

 

[losna]

This is a wonderful update! Are her eyes looking any better?

Every now and again she opens her eyes all the way with no sign of those membranes. But the vet said that no real progress on that is likely to occur until after all traces of her UTI have gone and her body puts it behind her. Although she did also say that she expects quicker progress on that with her than would otherwise be the case, given how well we care for our kitties.

I never quite know what to say when she says that. 

  I can tell it's not just empty flattery because she is specific (like saying she can tell because of the quality of their fur, etc), but I can't imagine not giving living creatures utterly dependent upon me the care that I do. And I also know things like how I rely upon Sinbad letting me know his litter box needs to be scooped, otherwise I know I'd forget. 

 

[mservant]

   Golden scoop cat award here.  I can't think of a happy enough emoticon for how things have progressed in your home, esp since Bêlit joined the family.    So, so happy for you all.  

  

 

[Columbine]

   Golden scoop cat award here.  I can't think of a happy enough emoticon for how things have progressed in your home, esp since Bêlit joined the family.    So, so happy for you all.     

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[losna]

So much for expectations. 

Bêlit has advanced kidney disease. The vet gives her a couple of years. She said many cats survive for a long time at the stage Bêlit's on, but she doesn't give Bêlit good odds for that because of her youth. Since she's only 2 years old, it means there's a very serious problem, but it's not worth more tests to identify what that problem is because nothing that it could be would change the prognosis. 

 

[Columbine]

Oh my god. I'm so, so sorry I can't begin to imagine how devastating this news must be for you all Bêlit is SO lucky to have found you. She wouldn't have lasted long at the shelter with this going on.

There are no words. Just and mega to you all

 

[mservant]

Oh my god. I'm so, so sorry

I can't begin to imagine how devastating this news must be for you all

Bêlit is SO lucky to have found you. She wouldn't have lasted long at the shelter with this going on.

There are no words. Just

and mega

to you all

   

   @Losna    

 

     Bêlit must have had a hard life before she found you, this is such sad news.   I really hope you feel able to manage her health care:  do you think the shelter might help given this must have been long term and present while she was with them?     I hope so.   I don't think she could be in a better place, certainly not right now, and knowing she has kidney problems hopefully the vet will be able to give her some medication or something to help support her kidney function and keep her feeling a lot better.    

Hugs for all of you.  How ever you find a way through this you know there are people out here supporting you as best we can.  Give all 3 of those kitties of your loads of scritches from me.  

 

 

[belochka]

Poor Belit and yet, lucky Belit...

 

[losna]

It should be ok for us to manage. According to the vet she drinks enough that they don't worry about hydrating her, and we feed her well enough that all we'll need to do is add in some supplements to her food like something called Phos-Bind to make it easier on her kidneys. Thus far she has not rejected anything she's had to have mixed in with her food, so I don't anticipate any problems with getting her to eat it.

The guys at the rescue said that they've seen cats pull through amazing health recoveries when they are happy where they are. I don't mean to say that I expect she'll "get better" per se, but she is very obviously very happy here so I am hoping she manages better/her progression is slower than the vet is expecting.

 

[mservant]

A couple of women I did some work for a few years back had a torbie cat who was 24 years young (and she looked young too, I wouldn't have said she was any older than 9 or 10 if they hadn't told me her actual age).  They swore blind that the secret to their cat living such a long life was that she was in a safe home, fed healthy food and got to see the vet if she needed, but most of all she was surrounded by Tender Loving Care.  

   This little cat ruled the house ;  the women were sisters, they had their own bedrooms up on the first floor of the house - the cat spend the night half with each of them and then in the morning she would position herself on the landing outside the two bedroom doors and meowl at the top of her not so little kitty-voice until one of those sisters got up out of their bed, went out on the landing, through to the other sister's room and then got in to the bed together.  The cat would then settle down between the pair of them and demand to be petted for an age before they were allowed to get up and do anything else.  

 

  

       Now I wonder what just made me think of that cat-family?  

    And how lucky is Bêlit?  I mean, she has Sinbad licking her butt all the time too!  

Bucket loads of wishes for a long and happy time for all.  

   

 

[losna]

Speaking of licking bums... Sadly we had a setback today with Sinbad and Tempest. He got into her room while I was cleaning her litter box and cornered her. The poor guy, it was clear he had his hopes up because Bêlit lets him groom her. He was trying to pin Tempest down and lick her the way he does with Bêlit. She had been getting so much more comfortable with him too, going so far as to remain on the landing with him on the stairs. It's bad enough he was trying to lick her, but she does not like it when he gets in her room. It's been a while since we've had the cat screams. 

Other than that it was a good evening. Bêlit curled up and snoozed on my feet, Sinbad kept playing prisoner of snuggles (he loves to ever so slowly walk by one of us, making little peeps, until we grab him and pin him down. he explodes into purrs, rubs cheeks all over us, squirms free then does it again...

), and hubby played with Tempest to calm her down.

I suppose it's not as bad as it could have been though; despite the screaming, I was still able to simply pick him up with bare hands and drop him outside the room, so they weren't seriously  fighting.

A sailor, a pirate and a storm. What a collection we have.   

 

[mservant]

That sounds not too terrible for Tempest there - well at least to the point she could scream and be rescued and her world not fall apart for days afterward.  Hopefully you will see her back out on the landing watching Bêlit taking the punishment for her by tomorrow.  

Sinbad's sauntering about, peeping for your attention, purring frantically when he gets pinned down then wriggling free only to come back for more sounds terribly similar to what Mouse does here.  I think he sees it as being like when he was teasing and pestering his cat mom.   He loves nothing more than to get pinned down for belly or back rubs and serious pampering, but always makes sure to look like he hates it and has to escape - before coming back for more.... 

 

[losna]

Well Tempest is already back out and running around, so she's gotten over it. I came up from the game room last night after a long snuggle with Bêlit and Sinbad and found her actually in the hallway prowling around! She quickly darted to the stairs when she realized I was there though. Really makes me wonder if she's roaming around when no one is looking. 

Bêlit is eating her medicine-laced food without hassle. Now it's just watching carefully to see if she has problems adjusting to it, I'm supposed to wait a week before giving her full dosage in case of digestive problems. What sucks is one of her medicines comes in 90 pill bottles, and she needs 2 a day. Since it's an indefinite duration medicine, I really wish they'd give larger bottle options. It is only obtainable through a vet, and they have annoying hours that are a pain to work around.  It doesn't bother me when it's for a full visit, but now every month and a half we have to deal with rearranging work just for a 5 minute stop to get a bottle of pills. :/