Heya friends!
Whew, it's been a while. <3 I'm sorry for having been AWOL--people aren't joking when they said that grad school is a full-time job!
Anyway, some of you might remember, but maybe not, so if you'll indulge me . . .
A while back I was looking to adopt a kitten, to join my 9-year-old Maine Coon and me. Today, after months of dithering and so many trips to the humane society . . . I did it.
And, of course, being my anxious self, I'm now . . . terrified of what's to come. I don't regret it, at all, but cat intros terrify me and the last time I did this I was in a completely different headspace--basically I was numb to the whole thing. Now I'm not, and woof. Anxiety.
Here's what's happened so far:
I brought kitten-friend home. She's super quiet and mellow. I got her all set up in the bathroom. She's happily attacking my shower curtain but hasn't cried.
Friend's been lying at the door, sniffing around; he seems interested and wary, which is pretty much his personality all the time. He's hissed a couple of times, but his tail's not lashing much and his ears aren't back. Occasionally he'll get up and cry, but he's a talkative cat so I don't want to read too much into it. He's come to me for petting a few times, and while I want to give him lots of love to reassure him, I also want to respect his space: he's stressed and might not want it.
That's it, so far. The kitten's been home less than an hour. Unfortunately my vet can't see her until the 8th, but she got a clean bill of health from the humane society (no infections, spayed, up-to-date on shots, etc.)
Anyway . . . what's next? I have no idea when would be a good time to start controlled intros (certainly not today, of course) . . . to be honest, Friend's hissing is what gets to me the most. It's only happened a couple of times and I know it's normal and nothing to worry about (he's hissed at absolutely nothing before, honestly) but of course my anxiety's saying "SEE? NOW HE'S UNHAPPY! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
And meanwhile I'm fighting a doozy of an anxiety attack . . . because why not? *sigh*
Any thoughts / help / sympathy would be appreciated. <3
Thanks, friends. <3
Dyl / Friend's Friend.
Whew, it's been a while. <3 I'm sorry for having been AWOL--people aren't joking when they said that grad school is a full-time job!
Anyway, some of you might remember, but maybe not, so if you'll indulge me . . .
A while back I was looking to adopt a kitten, to join my 9-year-old Maine Coon and me. Today, after months of dithering and so many trips to the humane society . . . I did it.
And, of course, being my anxious self, I'm now . . . terrified of what's to come. I don't regret it, at all, but cat intros terrify me and the last time I did this I was in a completely different headspace--basically I was numb to the whole thing. Now I'm not, and woof. Anxiety.
Here's what's happened so far:
I brought kitten-friend home. She's super quiet and mellow. I got her all set up in the bathroom. She's happily attacking my shower curtain but hasn't cried.
Friend's been lying at the door, sniffing around; he seems interested and wary, which is pretty much his personality all the time. He's hissed a couple of times, but his tail's not lashing much and his ears aren't back. Occasionally he'll get up and cry, but he's a talkative cat so I don't want to read too much into it. He's come to me for petting a few times, and while I want to give him lots of love to reassure him, I also want to respect his space: he's stressed and might not want it.
That's it, so far. The kitten's been home less than an hour. Unfortunately my vet can't see her until the 8th, but she got a clean bill of health from the humane society (no infections, spayed, up-to-date on shots, etc.)
Anyway . . . what's next? I have no idea when would be a good time to start controlled intros (certainly not today, of course) . . . to be honest, Friend's hissing is what gets to me the most. It's only happened a couple of times and I know it's normal and nothing to worry about (he's hissed at absolutely nothing before, honestly) but of course my anxiety's saying "SEE? NOW HE'S UNHAPPY! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
And meanwhile I'm fighting a doozy of an anxiety attack . . . because why not? *sigh*
Any thoughts / help / sympathy would be appreciated. <3
Thanks, friends. <3
Dyl / Friend's Friend.