Just wanted to pick your brains over something. We have a three and a half year old female cat who has been with us since she was six weeks old, and today we got a ten week old female kitten. I remember you posting a little bit about your cats in the past and wondered whether you'd ever been tasked with settling two different-age cats down together? If so, there's been a bit of hissing and howling from both, and of course sulkiness from the older cat, but not much more...is that a good sign?
Also, the kitten isn't at all interested in food or water. I managed to get some milk down her tonight, but she keeps shouting in a way that suggests she's hungry and then backing off when given a bowl of food. We've tried dry and wet food, but she's not interested.
Female cats can be more territorial than male ones. Introducing an old cat can be less hassle than a younger cat, as it may be seen as a less of a threat? Some apartheid measures may be in order to start with if the younger one is being bullied.
The kitten is obviously asking to be breastfed. There are special junior pouches, so if you don't have those maybe the ones you do have are a bit much for her jaws.
Sorry, this is no use at all.
But nice to see what a photo of a big bloody rock in Australia can trigger.
I drove the great ocean road from Adelaide to Melbourne, if that's the same one. It was quite late before we left Adelaide and was pitch dark after about an hour, so we saw f all. Should've gone the motorway.
Gerry, who owned the car, had inadvertently twisted his testicles playing pitch n putt the day before. This delayed our departure.
Just wanted to pick your brains over something. We have a three and a half year old female cat who has been with us since she was six weeks old, and today we got a ten week old female kitten. I remember you posting a little bit about your cats in the past and wondered whether you'd ever been tasked with settling two different-age cats down together? If so, there's been a bit of hissing and howling from both, and of course sulkiness from the older cat, but not much more...is that a good sign?
ReplyDeleteAlso, the kitten isn't at all interested in food or water. I managed to get some milk down her tonight, but she keeps shouting in a way that suggests she's hungry and then backing off when given a bowl of food. We've tried dry and wet food, but she's not interested.
Concerned critter daddy,
Hull
Female cats can be more territorial than male ones. Introducing an old cat can be less hassle than a younger cat, as it may be seen as a less of a threat? Some apartheid measures may be in order to start with if the younger one is being bullied.
ReplyDeleteThe kitten is obviously asking to be breastfed. There are special junior pouches, so if you don't have those maybe the ones you do have are a bit much for her jaws.
Sorry, this is no use at all.
But nice to see what a photo of a big bloody rock in Australia can trigger.
Coincidentally (speaking of suckling mammals) here's what it triggered for me:
ReplyDeleteON THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD: THE TWELVE APOSTLES
So this is where the land goes south,
calving great, pink, crumbling wedges –
geology on speed, earth-clouds.
So fast when one of them dropped
its brittle link with the mainland
(to stand alone, an abrupt, teetering island),
it carried two tourists, surprised castaways
with dangling cameras, who had to wait,
freeze-framed, for a helicopter.
Everyone here is a snapper, snatching
at postcard drama, light-headed
for stately backdrops, relics of grandeur. Still,
its older name is far better: The Sow And Piglets.
Why try to disguise a continent’s belly
with tired old totems, robes
and fake beards? Why dress up
our abiding need to be awed? Quick-on-the-draw
disciples, barely born, pixeling back
into light years, we mug for the lens, make room, flash
the horizon’s sun-whitened blade. Hold it, hold it… We grin. We take suck.
I drove the great ocean road from Adelaide to Melbourne, if that's the same one. It was quite late before we left Adelaide and was pitch dark after about an hour, so we saw f all. Should've gone the motorway.
ReplyDeleteGerry, who owned the car, had inadvertently twisted his testicles playing pitch n putt the day before. This delayed our departure.
J