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McLovin's Hardships + Abby Pictures
May. 17th, 2010 04:03 pm
For all I give the little jerk a hard time, I kind of love my cat.
McLovin has a seriously hard time with change. Any change at all. Like the time I got a new bed. He refused to come into my bedroom for about three days. Then there was the time we moved his food dish four feet from the top of the dresser to the bathroom counter. I firmly believe the only reason he finally got used to that one was because he was that hungry.
He had a really bad run in with the neighbour's cat one day last fall. Monty, the cat is called, got into our living room through the patio doors and terrorized our poor McLovin (who is half the strange cat's size) by swatting at him and chasing him up the stairs. From that day, McL has been beyond terrified of other cats. Whenever Monty comes to window, McL hides upstairs. When McL accidentally sees his reflection in the mirror, he hides for hours, mewling and hating his life.
McL needs to be a more social animal. I'm an animal lover and I do intend to have dogs one day. Maybe not another cat because McLovin is so absolutely dead set against it, but absolutely I want dogs. And cats can live 18 or so years, so I foresee McLovin having to deal with a lot of dogs. Pixie is one thing because Pixie was already here when McLovin moved in, so she's not something that has ever changed for him. And they do get along sometimes, in all honesty. Usually when they're both sleepy enough that they don't think to fight, but they can co-exist. Normally they start getting growly with each other because Pixie does not like getting rowdy and McL just wants to play.
So last night we brought home Abby. Now before we brought her, we cat-tested her with the cat at the rescue, Ping Pong. Abby sniffed him, licked his fur and then wanted to play. Ping Pong, of course, is too cool to play with puppies, but it gave us a good idea what she was going to be like. She wanted to play! McLovin loves to play! Especially if it involves running up and down the stairs to fetch things or bartering weapons with homegrown terrorist cells. He's that kind of cat.
We expected some problems because of McLovin's hatred of change, but we are going with 'they probably be good friends when he mans up and gives her a chance.'
It's been less than 24 hours and he's already doing awesome with her. The beginning last night was rough. He hid behind the blinds on my windowsill and cried out to the neighbours through the screen. Later in the evening, we took Abby and Pix to the store and back and when we got him, McLovin came downstairs and watched us and hissed a little from the table by the door. He didn't come closer, but he wasn't hiding!
He got close a few times to sniff her, and she was really good about being gentle and not putting her face too close. She's still a puppy, right, so she only ever wants to play, not to hurt. McLovin actually let her sniff him, but the second she tried to get closer, he runs.
Today, we made real progress. He sat with me and the dogs on the couch for over an hour and only hissed once when Abby got up to turn around and put her giant head onto my laptop keyboard. The keyboard, of course, gets nice and warm and is therefore McLovin's favourite place to put his cold paws, so he felt she was in his zone. So, in a few days, hopefully he and Abby will be playing and not being weird and anti-social.
( Pictures of the foster dog, Abby )
McLovin has a seriously hard time with change. Any change at all. Like the time I got a new bed. He refused to come into my bedroom for about three days. Then there was the time we moved his food dish four feet from the top of the dresser to the bathroom counter. I firmly believe the only reason he finally got used to that one was because he was that hungry.
He had a really bad run in with the neighbour's cat one day last fall. Monty, the cat is called, got into our living room through the patio doors and terrorized our poor McLovin (who is half the strange cat's size) by swatting at him and chasing him up the stairs. From that day, McL has been beyond terrified of other cats. Whenever Monty comes to window, McL hides upstairs. When McL accidentally sees his reflection in the mirror, he hides for hours, mewling and hating his life.
McL needs to be a more social animal. I'm an animal lover and I do intend to have dogs one day. Maybe not another cat because McLovin is so absolutely dead set against it, but absolutely I want dogs. And cats can live 18 or so years, so I foresee McLovin having to deal with a lot of dogs. Pixie is one thing because Pixie was already here when McLovin moved in, so she's not something that has ever changed for him. And they do get along sometimes, in all honesty. Usually when they're both sleepy enough that they don't think to fight, but they can co-exist. Normally they start getting growly with each other because Pixie does not like getting rowdy and McL just wants to play.
So last night we brought home Abby. Now before we brought her, we cat-tested her with the cat at the rescue, Ping Pong. Abby sniffed him, licked his fur and then wanted to play. Ping Pong, of course, is too cool to play with puppies, but it gave us a good idea what she was going to be like. She wanted to play! McLovin loves to play! Especially if it involves running up and down the stairs to fetch things or bartering weapons with homegrown terrorist cells. He's that kind of cat.
We expected some problems because of McLovin's hatred of change, but we are going with 'they probably be good friends when he mans up and gives her a chance.'
It's been less than 24 hours and he's already doing awesome with her. The beginning last night was rough. He hid behind the blinds on my windowsill and cried out to the neighbours through the screen. Later in the evening, we took Abby and Pix to the store and back and when we got him, McLovin came downstairs and watched us and hissed a little from the table by the door. He didn't come closer, but he wasn't hiding!
He got close a few times to sniff her, and she was really good about being gentle and not putting her face too close. She's still a puppy, right, so she only ever wants to play, not to hurt. McLovin actually let her sniff him, but the second she tried to get closer, he runs.
Today, we made real progress. He sat with me and the dogs on the couch for over an hour and only hissed once when Abby got up to turn around and put her giant head onto my laptop keyboard. The keyboard, of course, gets nice and warm and is therefore McLovin's favourite place to put his cold paws, so he felt she was in his zone. So, in a few days, hopefully he and Abby will be playing and not being weird and anti-social.
( Pictures of the foster dog, Abby )