10: LUX – FIRST DAYS, 2
Adapted from my Lux Journal:
Day 3: Lux was under the comforter on the bed when I came in this morning. Overnight he ate all food. Now to introduce him to my other cats.
We have 3 cats: Tinkerbelle, an elderly OHS rescue who is now a therapy cat; Little who is also an OHS rescue; and Big Red who came to live on our porch and never left (He’s an inside cat now, of course). Usually I would give them more time to get used to a newcomer, but Jackson needed an assessment of Lux asap so he could decide what direction he wanted to take the case. How Lux fit with other cats was an important concern. Lux had never seen another cat. He was rejected by his mother at birth, and his owner bottle-fed him as a kitten. We were about to find out what he thought of these things with fur and whiskers and meows and scents similar to his own.
Jackson gave us a feeding exercise to start out introducing the cats safely. It entailed feeding both cats on opposite sides of a door with a gap underneath. Our first try was with Red. It went without incident so we continued giving each of the cats a turn. Red and Tinkerbelle showed no interest in Lux at this point, and Little, my official greeter of all who entered my house, really wanted to meet him. I let her briefly into the room. Both she and Lux hissed but passively. I took her out again. Normal first greeting.
Read more about introducing cats at http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/c...
Note: Lux is making progress, yet not the progress I’d hoped for. It’s a short time to unwind a very tense cat. He is confused by my other cats. I doubt he’ll happily accept them in the time allotted though I think it would happen eventually. Lux is creating new memories. He is already adopting a routine. He is very intelligent. Glad to note he’s sitting straighter now, not hunched.
Evening: We got some toys from Jackson and are trying to inspire Lux to play, something he never did according to his family. He likes the Cat Catcher, but seems unsure what to do with it. He did finally sit up and grab for it, then turned to Jim and hissed as if he was proud of himself. No interest yet in catnip mice, pillows or crinkle balls.
Night: I tried sleeping in Lux’s room, but after I turned off the light, he began to prowl. He rattled the blinds, wanting to see out the window. He hissed a little when I turned on the light and moved toward the blinds to open them. I left at 1:30 since I needed some real sleep before work the next morning.
Lux was still prowling………………………….
