The hardest thing in this household with five animals is a rainy day. This is because the downstairs cats, Cuddles and Scooter, can't go outside and they meow like crazy because they hear the upstairs cats romping. I'm hoping that Mr W and Ms P will find their forever home soon because Scooter and Cuddles are very upset about the upstairs noises. Cuddles, who lives up to her name, growls like a tigress when she sees Mr W. This is most likely because when they both were living outside, before I rescued them, he was courting her very persistently--this is the gentlest way I can put it. The other thing is that it's possible Mr W has a vision problem. He seems to rush up at things in a clumsy way. He never sees treats until I put them right under his nose. So he tries to get up close--I've seen him do this with Patches. She understands him now and will either rub noses or bite him on the head, depending on her mood.
Mia just puts her head down between her paws in her doggy bed. She's a good sport with 4 cats.
When the weather is nice, and Scooter and Cuddles take their evening walk in the 'hood, I let Mr and Ms come downstairs. Here they were cuddling while we all watched "About a Boy."
The upstairs duo have become very adept at getting past the room divider. It was such a beautiful thing when it worked. My latest idea to keep them upstairs was to put the vacuum, which they run from, in front of it. This worked for a little while only. In the end, when they want to come down, they find a way. Once see you see one of them downstairs, you know the other is not far behind.
[I have now secured this room divider with hooks that have closures.]
For some reason, Mr Whiskers has to get to the basement where Scooter likes to go. Then I find them crouched near each other. If someone knows what this is about I would like to know. I'm thinking it might be that Mr W is going to vie for head of the house, or he's just curious cause he knows Scooter from outside. Interesting that both of these males who appear very macho and territorial are very sensitive, nervous cats. Mr Whiskers will run under the furniture if the noises outside the house are too loud for too long. Scooter also runs from loud noises--anything out of the ordinary; will hide if company shows up, though he is getting a bit more confident in this area. Cuddles and Patches are curious. Cuddles who has quite a bit of Maine Coon personality will walk very freely around anyone she chooses--cat, dog, human. Patches will sit under a chair, peeking out with her cute little black nose and orange cheeks. Peeking out you see round little eyes, black nose and orange cheeks.
So far I let the four cats intermingle for short periods of time and offer lots of treats. It really isn't fair to bring the outside cats in to invade Scooter's territory (looking at this through Scooter's eyes). But, I keep trying to explain that he is doing a really good thing letting these felines stay in his house while we try and find them a home.
One real big plus for having the upstairs cats is that Scooter will not be spraying my bed. Yeay!!! My mother doesn't love the idea of haivng 4 cats in the house, but she appreciates this aspect. Because we love Scooter, and he was Dad's cat, we could never make the decision to keep him out of the second floor, so thank you Mr W and Ms P for helping us out with this!
To make everyone feel comfortable and loved, I spend a little quality time with Cuddles in the living room, then Mia, who gets regular ttouch for her arthritis. Then I go to the basement to brush Scooter--his very favorite thing. Then I move upstairs and play a little with Mr Whiskers and Ms Patches. I've gotten pretty adept at two-handed feather games. I so wish I could keep these two, they are a hoot together. I hope and pray someone comes soon to adopt because it gets harder and harder to think about them not being here.
So...Good night Mia in your cozy dog bed in the dining room, Cuddles on Mom's chair, Scooter in the basement where the spraying is not so devastating, Mr Whiskers in the front bedroom with his own window near the food bowls, and Ms Patches with me.
