Struggling With Play Time

[calicosrspecial]

I totally understand. I trust you will make the right choice and I will be here to help if needed.

OH my. Yes, I totally agree. I hate killing anything also but when it is a threat. Yes, cats love bugs etc. Can you get a pest control specialist in? Maybe they can spray (if it is safe for the cats and dog).

I think one of the cats is taking the mouse in there. Their way of hunting and killing. Pretty cute.

Your love and passion for them is wonderful. This is a great site. great people and cats really are fascinating. This site has saved a lot of lives!! WONDERFUL!!

Yes, it can be dangerous. The cat most likely will not want to hurt the human but it does require a special touch. I actually do that during difficult intros but it should not really be tried. If the cat has total trust in the human then it really can help. But of course there can be too much of a good things where the human then becomes a crutch and I always watch out for that. It really is a fine line. I am glad that you understand the risks of doing that. I don't want you bitten or hurt in anyway.

Yes, it is always tricky. Just use your best judgement. It is tricky if they lose interest. Just try different things and see what works best. Remember to make the toy act like prey and get the cat to stalk and pounce. Then repeat. Just think about how they do it in the wild. Make the "prey" (toy) hide and go around corners, etc. That can help. Then the burst of energy then the kill, then repeat. Then feed.

I don't know about the food sadly. It is always difficult in a multi cat household. You may want to ask what is best on a thread on here. I think there is a food/nutrition section.

Yes, they can get bored. I actually didn't read this last part when I talked above about how to make the toy act. Some cats like "hunting" birds so playing in the air is fun for them (they leap up and grab it). Da Bird is great. Some cats like hunting mice on the ground. So you have to try to tailor how you use the toy to what they like. And different toys can cause more interest. But it is tricky. It is ok if Ember takes a break. That is what they do in the wild, bursts of energy. It isn't nonstop. They love to stalk and pounce. Just try to think how a mouse or a bird would act in the wild when a cat is near. Just try to replicate the wild as much as possible. And try things. In the air, on the ground, around corners. Try to peak their interest.

I am going to have to leave tomorrow but I will try to check before I leave. Then I will be back in 2 weeks so please feel free to post and when I am back we can see where we are at. I think you are in good shape though. It is mostly fine tuning really.

 

[Animal Freak]

Well, we haven't seen any spiders lately. In fact, this house has had very few bugs compared to our last house. I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe, but we honestly don't have the money to spend on something that may or may not be needed. It seems as if there was a nest somewhere we would have seen more of them by now.

I could see them taking the mouse up the hall. I've considered it could be Ember on her way to my room and she drops it, but the door is kept close so it's getting in there on it's own. Today was the first day it didn't end up in there.

I don't have many interests, but animals are definitely one. They're the main one This site is quite wonderful and has made me appreciate cats even more. They are truly fascinating creatures.

I think my trust in them helps. I have no reason to fear them so I don't. My only fear is them hurting each other. Being a crutch to them is not something I thought of before and I am glad you brought it up. I don't think we're there yet, but I will have to watch for it. It is possible that they gain some confidence from my presence, but I don't think it's a concern as of yet.

Ember seems a little more playful. She still takes frequent breaks, but she's been jumping around more again. Ash played more than he has in a while tonight though it still wasn't long. Frost was a bit unwilling, but he did play a bit. I will probably get a new toy when I can, but I'm not sure when that'll be. I'm short on time right now.

I will think about posting a thread on the food. I'm still trying to sort things out now and am a bit stressed. I barely found the time to get on today and reply.

Ember definitely seems to like the "birds." She loves jumping, leaping, and doing backflips. Of course, they often land her in my lap, but it's fun to watch anyway. Ash and Frost seem to prefer ground prey, but Frost is really just weird. He prefers the toy moving rapidly back and forth. I'll get a "Da Bird" toy since I've been hearing it come up often. Not sure when, but I will invest in one.

The only update I have is that earlier I was walking down the hall to see Ash and Ember having a stare off. Ash was sitting against the wall, staring at her and she was crouched, kind of huddled up, staring at him. I stopped to watch and observe (I couldn't do much, I was cleaning out litter boxes and had a bag in one hand and the scooper in the other). Then, suddenly, there was a deep, rumbling growl. I'm pretty sure it was Ash. I don't know if Ember is even capable of growling that loud. I just said "Hey," and it stopped. Ember slowly got up and began creeping away with her body held low and kept looking back at Ash as if she expected to be attacked. Nothing came of it though and there were no puffy tails. It all went back to normal soon after.

Also, I'll be leaving Friday night and won't be back until Monday. I will be camping from Saturday until sometime Monday and won't have any internet access, so I won't be responding and I probably won't know what's going on. After that, I'll start updating again.

 

[calicosrspecial]

That is good. I know you will do what is needed if there is a need.

Interesting, the mouse is hiding from the cats!! Like a real mouse!! Hahahaha

There aren't many interests better than animals in my opinion. Anytime we can help a living soul be better off it is so meaningful. I think it is wonderful and says a lot about the person, the soul, of the person. Caring about something else then just themselves. If more people were like that the world would be better. Cats don't always show their love but there is a lot of love in them. But the love does have to be earned. You sure earned their love!! Well done.

Your confidence and trust in them does help them greatly. I deal with ferals all the time and if I am confident and calm it helps them feel that way. I was a crutch once so I learned the downside of being too protective. It really is art rather than science in many cases.

GREAT that they played well!! Just do your best.

Just try not to stress. Things work out. I know it is easier said than done though. Just prioritize and do your best. Your cats are in a good place so just focus on what you need to and then get past the stressful part. I am going through stress now because I have to deal with this and be away from the cats for a while. It is hard to have to do something and be away and not be able to take care of them. I have someone but it is not the same as taking care of them yourself. It is just stress of being a parent.

Great, you are getting to know their preferences. Ember sounds like she plays great! Yes, there are a lot of cats like Frost.

Stare downs do happen. We do want to get past that so we do have some work to do. But it is good that they didn't fight and that they were normal after it. You did a good job breaking it up. Anytime they are together without an incident it is a positive. They are working things out, getting to an understanding. They just need to build their trust in each other. So just keep building their trust, associating each other with good things, and trying to make every interaction between them as positive as possible.

Have a great time. I have to leave shortly as well and hopefully will be back home in 2 weeks. I will check when I am back and see where things are. But if you are busy please don't worry. I am highly confident you are in a great place. You have the knowledge and you have the desire so I am not worried. There will be ups and downs but you can handle everything. We'll catch up when I am back home. Don't worry, you can handle everything. Talk soon.

 

[Animal Freak]

Lol. Yeah, it does seem like it's actually hiding from them. Today it managed to get under my foot and I nearly fell. It's a little too smart for a toy.

I definitely agree. Animals are amazing and they deserve so much better than what a lot of them have. The ones that are stuck in cages, that are abused and neglected, the ones hunted for sport... They all deserve better. And someone who can respect animals and they're right to live is a good person in my book. Cats definitely don't show their love like dogs and some people do, but those who care enough will look for the little things and understand that not everyone wears their heart on their sleeve.

I'm not sure if I could stay that calm around ferals. I mean, I have nothing against them, but I do understand the risks that come with interacting with them. I'm a worrier and tend to be paranoid. I also tend to fear pain more before it happens than when it actually happens. I don't know why. It would be neat to be able to gain the trust of a feral and give them a good home though.

I'm trying to stay calm. Sometimes I just have to step back and rest for a few minutes. Do something to take my mind off of it and restart. The problem is I'm short on time for that. I only have so long to take care of four animals (which is terrible because I believe in only taking on what you can handle, but I didn't actually mean to end up with four animals and I can handle them. It's the people I can't handle.) as well as getting my own time in because I don't know how I could manage if I didn't have some time to relax. I stress easily. It is definitely the stress of parenthood! People who don't believe in fur-babies have never truly had an animal, not as a pet, but as a companion.

Ember is so much fun to play with. I love watching her. It's as good as TV if not better. Other than the claws I sometimes get when she lands on me, anyway.

They seemed a bit tense this morning. They didn't want to eat and Ember looked like she was looking for an intruder. However, they both went into the bathroom with me shortly after with no issues. I've no idea if something happened last night or what, but they seemed to have gotten over it.

I'll talk to you then and I will do my best to keep this updated. It might not be daily, but I should hopefully have time at least every other day. Hopefully nothing major will happen.

 

[Animal Freak]

I'm finally home. It feels like it's been forever even though it's only been three days. I've only been back a few hours, but everything seems okay. My mom didn't say anything about them misbehaving. None of them played much. Friday played a little and Ember showed some interest, but nothing from Ash. I'm not too concerned though since this seems to be the norm after I'm going for any significant amount of time. I'm not sure if my mom plays with them when I'm gone though I know I've told her. I think they're all okay though. No issues during feeding though.

 

[Animal Freak]

All is well today. I think this is the longest we've gone with no issues in a while so I'm quite pleased.

Ember slept with me part of the night. I woke up with her next to me and laid with her until she started grooming and I nudged her to get her to stop. Of course, she immediately started rubbing on me trying to get my attention so I had to roll over and ignore her which is always hard to do. When I got up this morning, she was very persistent in getting my attention. She was rubbing on my arm and bit me a couple of times. This biting is still fairly new and it kinda hurts. I'm not sure if it's a love bite or a pet-me-now bite though so I'm not sure if I'm going to try to make her stop. Otherwise, there's nothing exciting though I'm still struggling to keep up a schedule. It should get easier though.

 

[dustydiamond1]

 

[dustydiamond1]

All is well today. I think this is the longest we've gone with no issues in a while so I'm quite pleased.

Ember slept with me part of the night. I woke up with her next to me and laid with her until she started grooming and I nudged her to get her to stop. Of course, she immediately started rubbing on me trying to get my attention so I had to roll over and ignore her which is always hard to do. When I got up this morning, she was very persistent in getting my attention. She was rubbing on my arm and bit me a couple of times. This biting is still fairly new and it kinda hurts. I'm not sure if it's a love bite or a pet-me-now bite though so I'm not sure if I'm going to try to make her stop. Otherwise, there's nothing exciting though I'm still struggling to keep up a schedule. It should get easier though.

Love bites shouldn't hurt. Firmly say no and ignore her.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Lol. Yeah, it does seem like it's actually hiding from them. Today it managed to get under my foot and I nearly fell. It's a little too smart for a toy.

I definitely agree. Animals are amazing and they deserve so much better than what a lot of them have. The ones that are stuck in cages, that are abused and neglected, the ones hunted for sport... They all deserve better. And someone who can respect animals and they're right to live is a good person in my book. Cats definitely don't show their love like dogs and some people do, but those who care enough will look for the little things and understand that not everyone wears their heart on their sleeve.

I'm not sure if I could stay that calm around ferals. I mean, I have nothing against them, but I do understand the risks that come with interacting with them. I'm a worrier and tend to be paranoid. I also tend to fear pain more before it happens than when it actually happens. I don't know why. It would be neat to be able to gain the trust of a feral and give them a good home though.

I'm trying to stay calm. Sometimes I just have to step back and rest for a few minutes. Do something to take my mind off of it and restart. The problem is I'm short on time for that. I only have so long to take care of four animals (which is terrible because I believe in only taking on what you can handle, but I didn't actually mean to end up with four animals and I can handle them. It's the people I can't handle.) as well as getting my own time in because I don't know how I could manage if I didn't have some time to relax. I stress easily. It is definitely the stress of parenthood! People who don't believe in fur-babies have never truly had an animal, not as a pet, but as a companion.

Ember is so much fun to play with. I love watching her. It's as good as TV if not better. Other than the claws I sometimes get when she lands on me, anyway.

They seemed a bit tense this morning. They didn't want to eat and Ember looked like she was looking for an intruder. However, they both went into the bathroom with me shortly after with no issues. I've no idea if something happened last night or what, but they seemed to have gotten over it.

I'll talk to you then and I will do my best to keep this updated. It might not be daily, but I should hopefully have time at least every other day. Hopefully nothing major will happen.

 

[dustydiamond1]

That is good. I know you will do what is needed if there is a need.

Interesting, the mouse is hiding from the cats!! Like a real mouse!! Hahahaha

There aren't many interests better than animals in my opinion. Anytime we can help a living soul be better off it is so meaningful. I think it is wonderful and says a lot about the person, the soul, of the person. Caring about something else then just themselves. If more people were like that the world would be better. Cats don't always show their love but there is a lot of love in them. But the love does have to be earned. You sure earned their love!! Well done.

Your confidence and trust in them does help them greatly. I deal with ferals all the time and if I am confident and calm it helps them feel that way. I was a crutch once so I learned the downside of being too protective. It really is art rather than science in many cases.

GREAT that they played well!! Just do your best.

Just try not to stress. Things work out. I know it is easier said than done though. Just prioritize and do your best. Your cats are in a good place so just focus on what you need to and then get past the stressful part. I am going through stress now because I have to deal with this and be away from the cats for a while. It is hard to have to do something and be away and not be able to take care of them. I have someone but it is not the same as taking care of them yourself. It is just stress of being a parent.

Great, you are getting to know their preferences. Ember sounds like she plays great! Yes, there are a lot of cats like Frost.

Stare downs do happen. We do want to get past that so we do have some work to do. But it is good that they didn't fight and that they were normal after it. You did a good job breaking it up. Anytime they are together without an incident it is a positive. They are working things out, getting to an understanding. They just need to build their trust in each other. So just keep building their trust, associating each other with good things, and trying to make every interaction between them as positive as possible.

Have a great time. I have to leave shortly as well and hopefully will be back home in 2 weeks. I will check when I am back and see where things are. But if you are busy please don't worry. I am highly confident you are in a great place. You have the knowledge and you have the desire so I am not worried. There will be ups and downs but you can handle everything. We'll catch up when I am back home. Don't worry, you can handle everything. Talk soon.

 

[Animal Freak]

Love bites shouldn't hurt. Firmly say no and ignore her.

I don't think she's trying to hurt me. Her teeth are sharp though and it's such a small bite that she pinches skin. She's been doing it more often as I've gotten two more bites this evening and I know at least some of them are love bites since she does it while I'm petting her and she's purring and rubbing on my arm. I'm just not sure about the ones when I'm not petting her. It's not so bad now that I know what to expect. I think I made it worse because I wasn't used to her biting and I would jump when she did it.

 

[Animal Freak]

I haven't been updating like I intended to, but there hasn't been much to say. Tonight was our first incident and it was minor. I don't really know what happened. Ash jumped off the couch, but the reaction seemed a bit delayed. There was some spitting and I raised my voice a bit. Ember backed off and her tail wasn't bushy. Ash laid hunched up against the couch like he was traumatized for a bit, but they got over it. They didn't want to play though. I think each of them played for perhaps a few minutes. No issues during dinner though which was just half an hour later.

I got them a new toy the other day. It's not "Da Bird" like I intended, but I was at PetSmart and it looked similar. They were very excited. They all played more than they have been though they lost interest quickly so the play didn't really last long. It also seems like they're over the newness of it despite it only being used three times.

 

[Animal Freak]

So I have not kept up on updating like I intended to at all. But, in my defense, not much has happened. We've only had one real incident, excluding a couple of time Ember got spooked, and it was short lived. It was the first problem we've had during feeding time in a while. At first, I heard a sound like someone just hit the floor. Turned around and saw Ember and Ash looking at each other, but seemed mostly calm. Tails up, but Ember's was waving quite a bit. I went back to making their dinner and moments later there was a hiss. They were in a different location and Ash curled up on the floor like he was scared, but Ember just looked at him. I stepped in between them and made her back off a bit (I'm almost positive it was her hiss, but I could be wrong) and nothing else came of it.

However, I do have some wonderful news involving play sessions.

First off, I finally added a morning play session for Ember this week. It's only ten minutes, but I wanted to see how she took to it. She's happy to play, but she gets distracted easily and is rather antsy when she hears other noises which is frequently with my mom moving around and the boys trying to come in. I take her in my room and close the door to the door frame, but don't shut it all the way. Frost scratches at the door if it's closed so then we can't play. But now I can't keep them out. I do feel bad not letting them play, but she's my biggest concern right now and they do get an evening session.

Ember also doesn't want to play with the boys anymore. Sometimes I can get her to play in the living room, but only if they haven't shown interest for a few minutes. Otherwise I have to take her to my room.

The really good news, however, is that Ash is playing so much more and, not only that, but he's jumping! He's actually jumping! He hasn't been into that kind of play in a very long time. It's nothing crazy like Ember's backflips or the ones he did when he was a young cat, but he's jumping in the air and he's actually chasing the toy rather than running in a straight line. And this hasn't been a once in a while thing either. It's been consistently every night for four days.

 

[dustydiamond1]

So I have not kept up on updating like I intended to at all. But, in my defense, not much has happened. We've only had one real incident, excluding a couple of time Ember got spooked, and it was short lived. It was the first problem we've had during feeding time in a while. At first, I heard a sound like someone just hit the floor. Turned around and saw Ember and Ash looking at each other, but seemed mostly calm. Tails up, but Ember's was waving quite a bit. I went back to making their dinner and moments later there was a hiss. They were in a different location and Ash curled up on the floor like he was scared, but Ember just looked at him. I stepped in between them and made her back off a bit (I'm almost positive it was her hiss, but I could be wrong) and nothing else came of it.

However, I do have some wonderful news involving play sessions.

First off, I finally added a morning play session for Ember this week. It's only ten minutes, but I wanted to see how she took to it. She's happy to play, but she gets distracted easily and is rather antsy when she hears other noises which is frequently with my mom moving around and the boys trying to come in. I take her in my room and close the door to the door frame, but don't shut it all the way. Frost scratches at the door if it's closed so then we can't play. But now I can't keep them out. I do feel bad not letting them play, but she's my biggest concern right now and they do get an evening session.

Ember also doesn't want to play with the boys anymore. Sometimes I can get her to play in the living room, but only if they haven't shown interest for a few minutes. Otherwise I have to take her to my room.

The really good news, however, is that Ash is playing so much more and, not only that, but he's jumping! He's actually jumping! He hasn't been into that kind of play in a very long time. It's nothing crazy like Ember's backflips or the ones he did when he was a young cat, but he's jumping in the air and he's actually chasing the toy rather than running in a straight line. And this hasn't been a once in a while thing either. It's been consistently every night for four days.

 

[Animal Freak]

Again with the updating. I'm very bad at this. There's really not much to say though. Ember was the only one to play last night, but I'm not worried. Frost was probably in a bad mood because he had a knot on his chest that had gotten pretty close to skin and we had to both brush and cut at it. And Ash... Well, he's Ash. He's always been a bit finicky.

Ember didn't want to play this morning though. I don't know why. She was too busy sniffing the floor. I sprinkled some catnip down hoping she'd get more playful, but then she wouldn't move from that spot. It was pretty adorable to watch though.

I feel bad about the knot on Frost since I guess I don't brush well there. I always make sure to get under his chin and chest since he gets knots there and I get under the legs since that's where Ash gets knots, but this was almost in between his front legs. He never seemed to get knots easily though and now all of a sudden you can't miss a single session.

 

[Animal Freak]

So I still suck at updating. However, I do have some updates and they aren't the greatest. Fortunately, there's no leftover damage done, but it was concerning.

First off, they've been on and off with playing. Sometimes they love it, sometimes they couldn't care less. I have trouble getting Ember's attention in the morning and she gets distracted easily. She also usually refuses to play with the boys around anymore.

Also, a couple of days ago I witnessed Frost slap Ash. It was a small slap, no harm, no fights. Ash flinched back, but did nothing else so it may seem small, but for them it was huge. In all their six years together, I've seen aggression between them I think twice, both times from Ash and both occasions occurring in the past year or so. So Frost slapping Ash is a pretty big deal, no matter how minor it was.

The next morning I saw Frost lunge at Ember. This is beyond anything he's ever done before. Normally it's a hiss, maybe a slap, but never has he actually gone after her. It was more of a threat than anything, but he did lurch towards her when all she did was walk past him. She didn't even look at him when she did so. She took it very well for such a skittish cat. Tail up and everything. Then she walked past him again and this time he sort of trotted after her as she left my room. He stopped at the doorway, hissed at her, and then left as well. That was the end of it and there have been no other issues. In fact, I later saw Ash playing with Frost and then Ash playing with Ember shortly after which was wonderful to see.

However, I'm afraid that, if Frost keeps this behavior up, we'll be back to where we started. We've come so far to lose all that progress. They've all been getting along so well and I was finally thinking we might actually be able to have a peaceful household once again. They've all been getting along with the dog great. Ash is the only one who retains any weariness of her and he's pretty much completely stopped lashing out when she gets too close. If she gets to riled up near him then he usually takes off, but he'll walk by her and doesn't slap her anymore. And, in turn, she's becoming less fearful of them.

I do actually have a question though, putting everything else aside. Do you think it's possible for a cat to want to be petted by a dog? I have to say, it's really quite adorable. Sometimes Stella will just be standing in the middle of the floor for whatever reason and Ember will get up from wherever she is and walk over to Stella, meowing. Then she flops down right at the dog's feet and rolls over. It's the exact same behavior she does when she wants me to pet her and I just love seeing her try to talk to the dog. I feel bad for Ember though because Stella is still slightly weary of her and will usually turn around and leave the second she realizes the cat isn't just passing by. I told Stella that that was rude of her, but she doesn't care.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I don't think she's trying to hurt me. Her teeth are sharp though and it's such a small bite that she pinches skin. She's been doing it more often as I've gotten two more bites this evening and I know at least some of them are love bites since she does it while I'm petting her and she's purring and rubbing on my arm. I'm just not sure about the ones when I'm not petting her. It's not so bad now that I know what to expect. I think I made it worse because I wasn't used to her biting and I would jump when she did it.

It sounds like a love bite. Sometimes they can pinch etc but a true bite goes in and their behavior is such that it is in anger and you would tell. I agree with the other poster, a stern "no" not yelling and let her know you don't approve should help her end that. But it sounds like she just loves you and wants your attention.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I haven't been updating like I intended to, but there hasn't been much to say. Tonight was our first incident and it was minor. I don't really know what happened. Ash jumped off the couch, but the reaction seemed a bit delayed. There was some spitting and I raised my voice a bit. Ember backed off and her tail wasn't bushy. Ash laid hunched up against the couch like he was traumatized for a bit, but they got over it. They didn't want to play though. I think each of them played for perhaps a few minutes. No issues during dinner though which was just half an hour later.

I got them a new toy the other day. It's not "Da Bird" like I intended, but I was at PetSmart and it looked similar. They were very excited. They all played more than they have been though they lost interest quickly so the play didn't really last long. It also seems like they're over the newness of it despite it only being used three times.

Yes, this isn't too bad. It happens. But it sounds like they got over it quickly.

Yes, new toys do create interest but it can disappear faster than we like. Cats. Always try to make it act like prey (a bird or a mouse). Try to make it as interesting as possible. They love to hunt prey so the more real life it is like the more likely they will play. But it can be difficult with some cats. Just do your best.

 

[calicosrspecial]

So I have not kept up on updating like I intended to at all. But, in my defense, not much has happened. We've only had one real incident, excluding a couple of time Ember got spooked, and it was short lived. It was the first problem we've had during feeding time in a while. At first, I heard a sound like someone just hit the floor. Turned around and saw Ember and Ash looking at each other, but seemed mostly calm. Tails up, but Ember's was waving quite a bit. I went back to making their dinner and moments later there was a hiss. They were in a different location and Ash curled up on the floor like he was scared, but Ember just looked at him. I stepped in between them and made her back off a bit (I'm almost positive it was her hiss, but I could be wrong) and nothing else came of it.

However, I do have some wonderful news involving play sessions.

First off, I finally added a morning play session for Ember this week. It's only ten minutes, but I wanted to see how she took to it. She's happy to play, but she gets distracted easily and is rather antsy when she hears other noises which is frequently with my mom moving around and the boys trying to come in. I take her in my room and close the door to the door frame, but don't shut it all the way. Frost scratches at the door if it's closed so then we can't play. But now I can't keep them out. I do feel bad not letting them play, but she's my biggest concern right now and they do get an evening session.

Ember also doesn't want to play with the boys anymore. Sometimes I can get her to play in the living room, but only if they haven't shown interest for a few minutes. Otherwise I have to take her to my room.

The really good news, however, is that Ash is playing so much more and, not only that, but he's jumping! He's actually jumping! He hasn't been into that kind of play in a very long time. It's nothing crazy like Ember's backflips or the ones he did when he was a young cat, but he's jumping in the air and he's actually chasing the toy rather than running in a straight line. And this hasn't been a once in a while thing either. It's been consistently every night for four days.

Wow, that is GREAT with Ash!! You have him engaged, terrific.

Any idea why Ember doesn't want to play with the boys or in the living room more? We want Ember to "own" the whole territory so we really want her to be comfortable all over. Maybe it is just a temporary thing, they do do things like that. Let's keep an eye on her and how she behaves etc.

Adding a morning session is great. I know it is hard with others wanting to get into the act but any play is good play. But we want that play to be all over if possible.

It sounds like Ember and Ash had a potential incident. But I am glad it ended without incident. Anytime it ends with nothing happening it is a positive. It sounds like you handled it well. Keep associating them with good things. How did they act after that incident?

 

[calicosrspecial]

Again with the updating. I'm very bad at this. There's really not much to say though. Ember was the only one to play last night, but I'm not worried. Frost was probably in a bad mood because he had a knot on his chest that had gotten pretty close to skin and we had to both brush and cut at it. And Ash... Well, he's Ash. He's always been a bit finicky.

Ember didn't want to play this morning though. I don't know why. She was too busy sniffing the floor. I sprinkled some catnip down hoping she'd get more playful, but then she wouldn't move from that spot. It was pretty adorable to watch though.

I feel bad about the knot on Frost since I guess I don't brush well there. I always make sure to get under his chin and chest since he gets knots there and I get under the legs since that's where Ash gets knots, but this was almost in between his front legs. He never seemed to get knots easily though and now all of a sudden you can't miss a single session.

Sometimes they aren't in the mood to play. It is ok. As long as they are acting normal (walking around the same, going the same places - not avoiding anywhere) then it is fine.

Poor Frost. It happens, don't be hard on yourself.