On Introducing a New Member of the Family

[supermouse]

Spice is very, very playful and I can't always keep up, so I thought having a kitten might keep her occupied. Of course, when they first met, neither was at all impressed by the other. Spice was downright scared, but kept creeping up to examine new kitten with a look of fascinated horror on her face. I played relentlessly with Hatter (the kitten) so he wouldn't stare at her and frighten her off. So she got unscared, and then Pounced him, at which point *he* got scared - but, being a kitten, only until something moved nearby and he forgot all about it. Spice did, clearly, recognise that this was a Small Cat once she got close enough - reassuring, because for a while she was treating him as potential prey. But then she spent yesterday Putting Him In His Place - coming up to him and whacking him hard once or twice on the head. He got very fluffed, then less fluffed, then apparently just accepted that life apparently hands you larger cats who come up to you and randomly bop you on the head. Then Spice changed tactics, and kept bouncing up to him at a rush, stopping just before contact - again, Hatter fluffed up, then got used to it. Today, she bops him and runs off, then he chases her in turn.

This has led me to discover that it is very hard to play Fallout: New Vegas when your keyboard keeps being bounced, first by a kitten being chased by an adult cat, then by an adult cat being chased by a kitten. On the one hand, I am very glad that the introduction of kitten to cat is going so well. On the other hand, my fingers are scratched and bleeding.

Comments

[derryderrydown]

I demand photos!

(Yay! Considering Spice's last experience with another cat, I'm so glad this one has worked out!)

[supermouse]

Pol or Random will have to supply photos! I fail at online photos. I can only manage word-pictures.

[cat63]

Bouncy kitlings! Yay!

Spot failed utterly at Putting Salem In His Place when arrived and now lets Salem steal his food if I don't keep a weather eye on the pair of them, so I'm glad Spice is doing a better job of it, as long as she's not actually doing him any harm.

[supermouse]

She's not. At first, she was hitting him quite hard, but I noticed her claws were still retracted. Over time, the bopping got more and more obviously symbolic, until it was a bare gesture eliciting the looked-for cringe/submissive response. Once he was properly cowed, she started playing, rushing-and-stopping over and over until he got used to it, in a way which started to look as though she was deliberately acclimatising him. Now they seem quite happy together.

[gool_duck]

I am sorry about your fingers.
That {kitten and cat!) is funny and adorable!

[swaldman]

Heee. That sounds so cuuuuute!