|
Sometimes people come to see our kittens & they may get hissed at.
They run like rabbits for the door. LOL
If you are not willing to give the kitten a chance to get to know you,
ITS YOUR LOSS !!
Here is a great letter from Regina.
This is her 2nd Elliotthaus Kitten.
EDDY is her first kitten, a lilac point, now 6 years old.
Hello Jim
I thought I would send you a progress report.
Friday evening:
Kitten (she doesn't have a name, yet) was brought into the house and the carrier was set on the floor in the hall. Eddie came to investigate, puffed up his tail, arched his back, and ran away. I found him upstairs under my bed and he wanted no part of what was going on. I took Kitten into the family room and opened the cage door. She hissed at me. I took her out and she ran behind the couch. Anytime I came near, she spit. I finally decided just to watch television. Eddie was ticked and was afraid to come downstairs. It was only the 2nd time I ever saw or heard Eddie hiss. He smacked me in the head and wouldn't let me near him. Kitten stayed behind the couch and continued to hiss anytime I looked at her. It took about 3 hours for her to trust me, and then she happily sat on the cushions beside me. Eddie continued to be aggressive towards me, and swatted me a number of times. (Never ever did that before.) That night, for her safety, I closed the doors to the family room, leaving her food, water, and litter and the carrier that she sometimes went back into. I left a light on for her. Ed Norton slept with me as usual that night, and behaved like his normal self.
Saturday:
Kitten was happy to see me at 7:00 am when I opened the doors. Cat and Kitten arched and hissed. Eddie was aggressive towards me again, and took a number of swipes and lunges at me throughout the day. Kitten was left in the family room for half the day. Eddie 'talked' to me in high-pitched, short, quite sounds and often followed by 'warning' lunges at me. I finally was tired of running interference and put Kitten back into the family room and went out from 10:30 til 1:30. Eddie was still leery, but did spend most of the day on the main floor. A friend came by and brought two catnip-mice. Diane gave Eddie his mouse first, and paid him some attention. She said that Kitten is beautiful. Eddie hopped up on the table near us to get attention and I warned Diane that he was unpredictable. There was a quick movement that spooked Eddie and he jumped and hissed. Diane 'hissed' back and he growled and lunged at her. Kitten was well behaved and by this time was getting settled in. She found herself a spot on the bottom shelf of the wine rack that she likes. Her back is protected there, and she can see in all directions. Kitten slept in the family room again that night, with the doors closed. Eddie came into my bedroom and acted as though things were normal again.
Sunday:
Big progress today. Kitten and cat went nose to nose in the morning. Kitten did a little hissing. Eddie followed Kitten around, at first from a distance. Kitten no longer was spooked by him and before long, little games of chase were being played. Ed only smacked me once today, while I was searching under the stove for his toys that he likes to put there. Kitten likes to eat and is especially fond of going for Eddie's food, so I keep moving it up onto the table. She wanted his wet food yesterday, so I had bought her some wet kitten food - not the grocery store kind, but the better stuff from the pet store. Typically my cats get both dry and wet food, and are fed at breakfast and dinnertime. I gave her some wet food mid-day that she was happy to have. She likes to play and is a happy girl. She is such a purr-box when I hold her. Eddie didn't like her sitting on my tennis bag but otherwise it looks like he is quickly coming around. I really didn't want to close her in the room again tonight, but I think its better to be cautious. I'll probably keep her in the family room tomorrow while I'm at work - hate to do that when we've made so much progress. I think Ed will soon realize he has a great new companion. Kitten is quickly settling in and hopefully will soon have a name. It will likely be Trixie The Kitten (T.K.), but we'll see....
- Regina
From Cathy
My sisters have had many cats for many years. I'm sure that's why new little Coco settled in so quickly.... because they knew how to gently introduce her to a whole new enviroment. I'm wondering if this information might help others with their new little kitten: Her first day and night was kept to one small room (with all the essentials:- including a cozy mat in her opened door travel crate); giving her frequent / "quiet" visits....focusing on letting her come to us. Little toy kitten balls were a BIG hit!......it didn't take long before she was batting them around the room! We would also be sitting on the floor when we would pick her up or put her back down. The next day, Coco was introduced to another room in the house........she is such a playful little kitten! Take care and thankyou once again for allowing us to adopt such a precious little girl!
Cathy
*ELLIOTTHAUS*
is proud to be a member of
TRADITIONAL CAT LOVERS
PLEASE JOIN THE T.C.A.
