I managed to talk Tam into interviewing some possible new members of the household. I'd found three likely prospects at Hamilton County's no-kill shelter, all torties: Croissant, Monkey and Kigs.
Miss Croissant was very shy. She was hiding under a blanket in her bed (which the shelter carried out to the visiting room with her inside) and while she looked out a little and didn't object to being petted, she preferred to stay hidden. She was anxious. Her foster family had reported that she was very cautious but would eventually relax. I didn't think she'd like Huck much.
Monkey was not even interested in leaving her multilevel enclosure. Ears flattened and all forted up in her bed. She wasn't likely to be happy with our tiger, either.
Kigs was as friendly as can be. A nice cat -- but she's got limited vision. She doesn't appear to be able to move her eyes. I was worried a bouncy tomcat was not going to be good for her.
I met a pretty, tiny black cat with a white tummy and white-tipped tail. She was friendly and lovey, but so small and at a year old, likely as big as she'd ever be. I was concerned she'd be intimidated.
Tam was looking at a young fellow almost Huck's size, brown and gold and sable, with long hair. We spent some time with him and he was friendly and nice. After a lot of discussion, we decided to give him a try. Because he needs some medicine, we're just fostering for now and he won't be meeting the Head Cat In Charge for a while. His name is Holden.
Holden was as good as gold on the long drive home. Once the house was divided -- we've done this before, since Tommy refused to believe any creature except his immediate family was really a cat -- Holden emerged from his carrier, found the single most inaccessible spot in the back part of the house, and has remained there ever since.
This may take some time.
Done that. Sitting on the floor in the closet, feeding a hidden cat one bite at a time. It worked out. Eventually.
ReplyDeleteHe iz ambush predator
ReplyDeleteIn my limited experience, moving a cat into a new location frequently results in their retiring to an observation post.
ReplyDeleteBest to you. Sam, the great cat we had when I was a kid, had a similar situation - he was essentially a rescue cat (had shuffled between a couple homes). When my parents took him home, he hid under my mom's dresser for a month, only coming out at night to eat and use the litter box.
ReplyDeleteFinally, he moved to under my parents' bed. One day my mom was reaching for her slippers and got a hand on him instead. She petted him and he started purring. Not too long after that he came out and became the big baby we all loved for the rest of his life. I think he just needed to learn to trust again.
I saw Tam's picture--he's a beautiful boy. I would say at least a little Maine Coon.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.