Graham18
Until they play with sight on opposite sides of the gate, it's best not to proceed to full access, in my opinion. Looks fine to me too.
I apologize again for the long break. I'm now traveling for work every second week until the end of the year and everything has just been steady as she goes at home with the cats.Looks fine to me too.
Fluffy SO WANTS TO PLAY!!!
Sapphire is getting SO MUCH BETTER!!!
I can't wait to see them playing together. It is "when" not "if" in my view.
GREAT WORK!!!
Oh, yeah, I figured it was that autocorrect feature. :/ I knew what you meant.
Keep up the great work!!!
"I apologize again for the long break." - Oh my, no reason to apologize.
And try to get some rest and enjoy the cats!!! Work sounds very busy and will be for a while. :/
Here's another quick video I took last night. It's worth noting Sapphire came back a few minutes later however she stayed at the top of the stairs. She doesn't really seem phased too much."I apologize again for the long break." - Oh my, no reason to apologize.
" I'm now traveling for work every second week until the end of the year" - Oh wow!!! That sounds like a lot. :/
" and everything has just been steady as she goes at home with the cats." - GREAT!!!
"With the weather getting colder and days shorter, Sapphire has mostly just been staying upstairs and sleeping while Fluffy is out." - Ok, that is fine.
"I also think that she's starting to not really care about him as long as he leaves her alone." - LOVE IT!!!!
" She only hisses or growls at him when he tries to get too close to her or she thinks he is going to." - Great!!!
"Since she hasn't been really coming to the stairs at all and Fluffy is obsessed with seeing her, I've been taking him upstairs before his bed time." - Awwwwwwwwwwwwww
" Sapphire will sit in her room and have some treats before usually turning away and wandering off into the room." - THAT sounds GREAT!!!!
" I sit in the doorway with Fluffy in the hall but I don't let him go in." - Good (for now)
" He's usually quite excited and will crouch down in the hall and stare at Sapphire and his tail will wag like crazy and he makes his little barking/huffing/heavy breathing sounds," - Awwwww, he SO WANTS to play. :/
" but he also purrs the whole time (could be from treats)." - Awwwwwwwwwwww, GREAT!!!
" He gets really excited when Sapphire turns her back to him to walk away and I usually have to keep an eye on him or he may jump right passed me into her room." - Awwwwwww, what a stinker!!!!
"Nothing spectacular since my last post. Currently just moving along trying the best I can. " - It sounds great. It sounds like it is basically there.
I do hope that she plays with him at some point. He really wants it. But it will be on her terms so we have to wait for her. But other than that it sounds like we have co-existence, acceptance. Which is our goal!!!
I am SO PROUD of Sapphire AND Fluffy AND YOU!!! GREAT JOB!!!
Keep us up on how things are going.
They look great, Fluffy wants to play, Sapphire paws and it escalates a bit, she goes upstairs and he is fine. I can understand why Sapphire pawed him but the key is they were fine after and that is what tells us how they thought of it (not a big deal).
I've been trying to leave the gate down when possible, or at the very least, I will take it down if I see Sapphire sitting on the stairs at the top to see if she wants to come down but I haven't had any luck yet. She will stare down for a few minutes before running back to her room. I'm trying to think of a way I can just leave it, but Fluffy is so obsessed with looking for her, as soon as he has the opportunity, he immediately tries to go upstairs and search.
Unfortunately they ended up having a little dust up yesterday. When my mom came over to look after Fluffy in the afternoon, she couldn't find Sapphire and assumed she was sleeping under the bed. Fluffy was let out of my room and my mom started doing some things upstairs. As it turns out, Sapphire was sleeping downstairs in Fluffys room. My mom ran downstairs when she heard loud screaming and saw them rolling around "fighting". Sapphire managed to get away and made it to a corner downstairs and had an accident on the floor before running upstairs to hide in my room behind the bed.
Sorry for the delayed response.
It happens.
She has been on and off since that incident. They will still eat together and she comes to the stairs at times but not often and getting her to come further down for a treat is like pulling teeth. It's tough to say whether she is scared or just can't be bothered.Sorry for the delayed response.
"I've been trying to leave the gate down when possible, or at the very least, I will take it down if I see Sapphire sitting on the stairs at the top to see if she wants to come down" GREAT!!!
" but I haven't had any luck yet." - Ok
" She will stare down for a few minutes before running back to her room." Ok understandable
" I'm trying to think of a way I can just leave it, but Fluffy is so obsessed with looking for her, as soon as he has the opportunity, he immediately tries to go upstairs and search." - Yes, that is the challenge :/
"The interactions through the stairs have been mostly the same. " - Ok
"I've had a bit of trouble even getting Sapphire to come further down but I've been attributing it to the change in daylight and weather and her not wanting to be bothered by her brother." - Yes. As long as she happy it is fine.
"Here's some pictures of them eating together. Haven't had any issues with that. Once he's done, USUALLY, fluffy will just turn and go downstairs. " - These pics re AMAZING!!!! Do more of this. Tells me they are fine.
"Unfortunately they ended up having a little dust up yesterday.: - Ok, let's see
"When my mom came over to look after Fluffy in the afternoon, she couldn't find Sapphire and assumed she was sleeping under the bed. Fluffy was let out of my room and my mom started doing some things upstairs. " - Ok
"As it turns out, Sapphire was sleeping downstairs in Fluffys room." - WOW!!!! This is AMAZING she was in "his" room!!!!
"My mom ran downstairs when she heard loud screaming and saw them rolling around "fighting". Sapphire managed to get away and made it to a corner downstairs and had an accident on the floor before running upstairs to hide in my room behind the bed." Awwwwwwww , poor Sapphire.
"She seemed fine when I got home from work in the evening." - WOW!!! THAT is GREAT!!!!!
" She was still sleeping when I got home which is unusual," - Ok
" but they ate dinner together so I'm hoping there's no lasting issues. " - GREAT!!!! This is REALLY IMPORTANT!!!!
Maybe this is a confidence builder?????
So seems to me that it is fine. Please keep me up.
I am sorry for the delay, I don't check the site as much anymore.
No need to apologize what so ever. I understand completely. I myself have been out of province for 7 of the last 10 days so everything is hectic.
"No need to apologize what so ever." - Thank you but I do apologize..
It was very uncommon when he did do it. Only three times over a period of a few weeks. My guess is the feral as the weather was still nice enough to take him outside but he started seeming stressed in very specific locations and it had all happened around the same time. I had also stopped giving him hemp oil as well as I wasn't able to pick any up. Since his appointment he hasn't had any accidents and I've started giving him the oil again and he seems a bit more calm (plus it's now too cold and there is too much snow to take him outside). The vet had also suggested he was outgrowing his litter box and I should remove the top which I've done as well."No need to apologize what so ever." - Thank you but I do apologize..
"I understand completely. I myself have been out of province for 7 of the last 10 days so everything is hectic." - I figured you are very busy.
"Truthfully, nothing overly exciting ever happens anymore with them "- THAT is GREAT!!
"and I just like to post every now and then to show that I'm still around and update, even if there isn't much to update." - Great, I appreciate that.
"Sapphire's vet appointment was just for a routine vaccination and check up and went totally fine (she is slightly overweight at 12 lbs so feeding her a bit less)." - GREAT!!
"Fluffy also had to go to the vet as he was peeing on the floor but he is also in perfect health." - OH MY!!! OK, we have some work to do here. There is something causing him issues. Stress. Ferals? You being gone? Let's make sure we play with him, get him to feel more secure.
"Everything is still just moving along slowly." - Great
" Fluffy still stays in his room at night and in my room during the day while I'm at work." - Ok
" My mom still comes over and plays with him in the afternoon and he comes out in the morning before work with me and for about an hour and a half after they eat at night before bed (his and mine). " - Great
"Weekends I spend more time with him out in the morning and afternoon as well." - Great
"That's pretty much it! As I said nothing exciting." - OK but the peeing is an issue. When did it happen? Where? What was he doing before the peeing incidents?
Peeing is typically a call for help so ;let's help him feel more secure. Start with play especially around the pee area. Feed a treat or meals after play. Let's talk more about where etc and I'll have other ideas but we need to look into this.
"It was very uncommon when he did do it. Only three times over a period of a few weeks." - Ok, that is too often and suggests an issue he is struggling with. So we will do something about it.
It was just random spots outside, for example the corner of the house in one location and another was on front steps leading up to the deck."It was very uncommon when he did do it. Only three times over a period of a few weeks." - Ok, that is too often and suggests an issue he is struggling with. So we will do something about it.
"My guess is the feral as the weather was still nice enough to take him outside but he started seeming stressed in very specific locations and it had all happened around the same time." - OK. What locations? We may do something simple like a scratching post and/or a bed there (something for him to "own" by getting his scent on it or maybe a litter box there.
"I had also stopped giving him hemp oil as well as I wasn't able to pick any up." - Ok
" Since his appointment he hasn't had any accidents and I've started giving him the oil again and he seems a bit more calm (plus it's now too cold and there is too much snow to take him outside)." - Ok
" The vet had also suggested he was outgrowing his litter box and I should remove the top which I've done as well." - Was he peeing near the litter box?
"He's back to seeming like a happy boy and doesn't appear to be stressed at all." - GREAT!!!
"Luckily I only have one more short trip this year and then I am hopefully free of traveling until February or March of next year. Fingers crossed. " - :/ But probably a lot of hours of work until the end of the season. :/ But you will get it through it.
Let me know about the peeing. It could just be the box (top) so where it is happening is important as well. We'll figure it out.
"It was just random spots outside, for example the corner of the house in one location and another was on front steps leading up to the deck." - Ok, outside is fine, that is him telling other animals HE OWNS THIS HOUSE!!!
I'm so sorry, for some reason I had thought I replied to your message and for the life of me I can't remember what I thought I had replied with. Must be over tired."It was just random spots outside, for example the corner of the house in one location and another was on front steps leading up to the deck." - Ok, outside is fine, that is him telling other animals HE OWNS THIS HOUSE!!!
"Two of the three times he had peed just right outside his litter box in almost a trail as if he was walking while doing it." - Ok, was it possible he was in the box and it just went out the opening?
" The third time was right opposite the door to his room." - Hmmmmmmmmm, ok. Was Sapphire in the room recently before that? Though I can't see her causing him issues.
" That time it was quite cloudy so I took him to the vet. Blood and urine tests were done on a number of different things and everything came back 100% which was when the vet mentioned taking the top off the litter box and starting him on hemp oil again and there haven't been any incidents since then. All seems well." - OK, yes, it could be that simple. Let's keep an eye on it.
"I've been taking him upstairs a little bit each night while Sapphire is laying in her bed (she's a sleepy girl lately). He's been really good and will just exploring the front half of her room or lay down and Sapphire will just lay in her bed and watch him but neither of them seems to phased by the other. Eventually Fluffy will get bored and just go back downstairs and Sapphire will go back to sleep. " - WOW!!! THAT is AMAZING!!!! EXACTLY what we want to see!!!!!
"I'm so sorry, for some reason I had thought I replied to your message and for the life of me I can't remember what I thought I had replied with. Must be over tired." - It is ok, I know you are busy.
Hello I'm back again!"I'm so sorry, for some reason I had thought I replied to your message and for the life of me I can't remember what I thought I had replied with. Must be over tired." - It is ok, I know you are busy.
"There hasn't been anymore peeing problems since the vet appointment so all seems well." - GREAT!!!!
"There also hasn't been much of anything going on but both of the cats seem happy" - GREAT!!!! THIS is EXACTLY what tells us so much. Where they are. They are bother and sister!!!
"(Sapphire is getting upset and wants dinner much earlier than she used to every night haha)." - Awwwwwwww, yes, shorter days.
"Both cats seem happy," - GREAT!!!!
" and tired now that winter has fully set in." - Yes, "lazy".
" To pawing time on the stairs at all since I'm usually much to tired to even get off the couch" - OK, actually that is fine. A "normal" life is what we want.
" so I just let Sapphire decide if she wants to come down but she usually decides to go nap instead. " - That is fine as long as she is happy which sounds like she is.
Wow, what a GREAT update!!! Hopefully you get some rest time soon and then get to enjoy the cats more with a little more freetime.
Keep up the GREAT work!!! Talk soon!!
