Monday, January 9, 2017

How do you do that lap thing?

Lucy is getting curious about laps, but she seems perplexed by the furniture sometimes. She recently came up on the couch and half sat on the arm and part of my leg.

She only stayed a couple of minutes. She's sat on Jim's lap for about 10 minutes once.

Bit by bit, she'll figure it out. .

Lucy: Is this how you do that lap thing? Asking for a friend. . .



A household update:

Benny still dislikes Lucy and hisses her away. He has claimed the office as his space, and asks to be fed there. If I pick him up and put him in one of our laps, he's as happy as can be. Our hope is that, in time, Lucy will learn to ignore him. Or, they will co-exist.

Ringo is still curious about her, though she can be loud (i.e., screams) when she initiates play, and that startles him. I think Lucy wants to play with Ringo, but he isn't ready just yet. They have "nose kissed" several times, though. They can be in the same room together, and if I'm playing with her, he'll be nearby, sometimes joining in on the sidelines.

Now Sadie may be staying in the bedroom for a long time. I've been trying very small amounts of exposure to Lucy. For instance, opening the door slightly and letting Lucy peek in for a few seconds (with them a distance apart). Lucy is curious, but Sadie goes into a hissing frenzy and stays upset for a while. I am spacing these exposures apart, to not stress Sadie out, but to keep reminding her that this new cat exists and isn't going away.

12 comments:

Eastside Cats said...

Wish I had some pearls of wisdom to give you regarding introducing a new cat to the family, but my one attempt at it ending poorly. I am hoping Sadie and Benny find ways to relax around Lucy.

The Meezers or Billy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Meezers or Billy said...

our the mom threw us in a room together and hoped for the best. we werked it out just fine, but that's really not the best way. it will get easier and better

Anonymous said...

Things may never go back to Normal, but you seem to have a handle on things at the moment. Sadie needs to find her place.

Colehaus Cats said...

Zuzu displayed signs that she wasn't allowed up on furniture or laps when she first came to our house. It wasn't until two years later that she figured out that was okay but she still will only lay on half a lap. She seems happy with that.

Ginger girls definitely are yowlers. It's a language everyone gets used to. Though it will take a lot of patience and time regardless, if you brush your cats and brush them once or more daily, always brush Lucy and Sadie one after the other using the same brush. You don't have to brush them in the same room, just use the same brush. The smells transfer between cats, although very, very slightly, and can act as a go-between in getting two cats more used to one another.

Random Felines said...

hopefully with more time and love things will settle down

Connie - Tails from the Foster Kittens said...

I feel for Sadie, but as long as she is content where she is, you have time.

Angel, Kirby and Max said...

We feel for Sadie. Angel and Max still have hiss and slap fights. THey get along mostly, just every now and then they have to fuss

Summer at sparklecat.com said...

I think the trading smells through brushing is a good idea. Hopefully things will settle down in time, and everybody will learn to at least coexist. No wonder Ringo has been the one who has been more accepting, since he's the youngest.

Saku said...

My Sami and Saku are definitely not friendly to each other, but they have learned to co-exist. I hope that with time Sadie and Benny will get more accustomed to Lucy. I suspect since Ringo joined the household (and the other cats) more recently he will be more likely to accept her more readily.

Good luck! And enjoy the lap time.

The Island Cats said...

The brushing technique may help. It's called creating a community scent. Like others have said, it may take a while for things to settle down.
There's a good book called The Cat Whisperer written by a cat behaviorist that I found very helpful when trying to integrate cats. ~Island Cat Mom

pilch92 said...

Such a sweetie, she will catch on.

Two kitties in a basket

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