Buffster7
, I have to share a bit of update:
pearl99
This is such a great update! I can't believe Moo is taking this so well. Gracie seems to just be settling right in - I am SO happy for her (and you)!! How is Waffles doing these days? Hopefully watching Moo accept Gracie will ease the way for Waffles. This update just made my day! It's not often that we get to hear about such smooth transitions - it's nice to know that it can happen.
Welllll....the first incident. Waffles came in without me seeing him and he didn't know Gracie was on the couch and before I could get my barrier up he jumped up and all tarnation broke loose. He scared the daylights out of Gracie and she whapped him and hissed, he whapped her and hissed and took off, with her right behind him! I yelled stop a couple of times and she stopped (couldn't catch up with the blanket!) and Waffles boogied on to the basement.
I literally just had to get up and "nonchalantly" walk past my two to distract them. This time it was totally Charlie's instigating. Finn was minding his own business, loafing beside Charlie, and Charlie got up and began licking Finn's head quite aggressively. And then put his foot on top of Finn to keep licking. Finn jerked back and let him know he didn't appreciate it, but Charlie got more insistent - it didn't feel sweet, it felt like Charlie was bullying. Then Charlie nipped Finn and it was ON. Second time today I've seen fur fly. Sometimes I wonder if they will ever be friends or if they'll just tolerate each other from across the room. I can't imagine having as easy of an integration as yours is going, but it sure warms my heart! I love a happy ending!!
Oh my word, I can imagine the momentary panic when that whole scene broke loose, and yet reading about it is almost comical! Maybe it's the way you typed it.."Waffles boogied on to the basement..."
As unnerving as that had to have been, that's not such a bad encounter for an unexpected meeting! And from the beginning it sounded like Grace would not be such a mild grandma - she's pretty plucky already exploring her surroundings and appearing impervious to the territory she's invading. Got to love her confidence!
Oh my word, I can imagine the momentary panic when that whole scene broke loose, and yet reading about it is almost comical! Maybe it's the way you typed it.."Waffles boogied on to the basement..."
Yeah when Moo hisses and growls Gracie just takes a wide detour to get where she's going and slinks when she needs to. I can tell she's been around the world a time or two with other cats. She's not fazed, which I'm glad of. The above sure woke Moo up.
Jcatbird
. This is a breeze compared to an introduction I've had in the past. And Mom just freeeeaaakkksss! 
Awwwwwww!!!!!!!!!Your words are always soothing, Jcatbird! Thank you. I am so pleased that they were able to de-escalate tonight. Finn joined me up on the bed for story time - when I go check your thread and look at your pics. Charlie is now laying on his back on the floor beside us. Finn did jump down to check him out, and Charlie swatted him a couple times and jumped up. Finn chose to join me again on the bed instead of responding to the swats - that's a success.
Also, I love the way he will tuck his little paw into the crook of my hand any time he can. The pic looks contrived, but this is what he does - he just likes to make contact with my hand with his paw. I love it.
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that brings tears! Those eyes and little paw. Who says cats are aloof and don't care.
That pic is beyond adorable.The pic looks contrived, but this is what he does - he just likes to make contact with my hand with his paw. I love it.
Jcatbird
- a question I don't have settled in m mind, yet: is it ever okay to allow them to fight? Or should I always intervene before it reaches that point? So far when it looks like it's getting heated, I will distract them. Yet I do feel that in a way, though this distracts them from a full-fledged fight, but prevents them from fully working out their issues. OR are their issues likely to never get fully worked out with their temperaments and age difference? My hope is that they would defer before getting into a REAL fight...but in the event they didn't, would their tenuous relationship be permanently damaged? Trying to plan my day/weekend - because if they're already this pissy with each other and it carried over from last night, there's a chance it could be an 'interesting' weekend. Continue to distract, or leave them and let them duke it out?
I know jcatbird is more experienced with multi cat households, but I personally am thinking to let them have at it. Unless there's biting and blood, I think cats do need to have the tension resolved, on occasion anyway. Plus, you may find that you're right and they don't carry on to the point of truly serious aggression.
I definitely think time will be their best friend. I was continually urged to back off and give them more time - and it definitely keeps getting better with time!
Hopefully when you reach that point with these two, that thought helps take the edge off for you, too.
So they got over it! That's good news. The herd of elephants sounds like tons of fun.So just a quick update in case my last post was discouraging. I kept them separated for 5 hours this morning after I fed them. I put Bach's chicory on them and let them chill. After 5 hours, I let them out and was on the phone when I saw two cats go tearing through the house chasing each other; not sure where they went. Next time I looked across the house (open floor plan), I saw them rolling and tussling. I was still on the phone so decided to ignore them and turn my back (I can't watch, it's too stressful). They weren't yelling, so it could have been playing. Since then I've seen flashes of them tearing through the house like a parade of very-fast-stampeding-elephants - they are happy-playing! I would be tempted to doubt myself on what I saw last night, if not for the yelping and flying fur. Just goes to show how quickly the mood can change, I guess.
(maybe she won't see me if I go slow), but he did eat 8 feet from her. He's a sensitive guy.
Oh, Waffles...makes me feel bad for his sweet little sensitive soul. I love how timid they are with each other, though - such a stark difference from my guys! Love that they are already sharing space while eating. Watch out Moofles, there's a new Queen in town. Queen Gracie, and she's going to rule with a velvet paw!So they got over it! That's good news. The herd of elephants sounds like tons of fun.
It took Waffles a full 2 hours this morning to walk past Gracie in her tower cubby
,So as great as the fun stampeding elephants were, when it was time to settle down, things changed. Finn settled down in Charlie's chair. Charlie appeared to be fine with it and jumped up to join Finn. He was looking out the window when Finn began to try to push him off the chair. It wasn't more than 4 seconds of this before I had to tell them to cut it out. I didn't last more than 4 seconds. I'm awful at letting them work it out!!!!
I feel so bad now, because I picked Charlie up and put him on the other chair, and they're both grooming themselves now and seem happy enough. But that was Charlie's chair to begin with that Finn usurped. So now I feel like I did Charlie a disservice. Not only did I not allow him to work it out, I basically helped Finn oust him from his chair. It just hurt me to hear Finn yelping and being overpowered by a cat that's so much bigger than him towering over him.
