Petspectations

April 25, 2006

Well, the kitties are still separated. I must say, I’m proud of my Martin. He’s gotten much better about this new kitty in the house business. His recovery time after seeing, hearing, or otherwise sensing Little Miss Madison is much quicker now than during the bathtub ordeal.

Last Wednesday was the two-week mark, and Martin and I were in the kitchen. I was fixing dinner. Miss Madison had finally started displaying some real fear of the other, bigger cat - (all an illusion, trust me) – and wasn’t coming out of her room. So I left the door cracked and kept an eye on the stairwell in case she changed her mind.

My back was turned mere moments when I heard a scuffle and some loud screeches on the other side of the kitchen island. Madison had snuck in and pounced Martin! Both were surprised, I’m sure. Next thing you know, he’s running for his life down the stairs, and she’s pounding after him. I chased after and found him in a corner under a table hissing at her in the basement. I immediately took her to her room for a time out.

I was surprised at how quickly Martin recovered that time. I thought I’d never see him upstairs again. But he was wandering around in no time, being extremely stealthy when approaching the top level (where her bedroom is). He’s been good that way ever since.

So, as of a few days ago, now I leave her bedroom door opened an inch or two at all times. I have a door stop and large rubber band keeping her from opening it. Martin will carefully peer in there from a distance, never going too close.

I let several days pass before I tried another introduction. Tonight Martin was sleeping in “his” swivel chair in the living room on the middle level of my townhouse. I let Madison out. Slowly she ventured downstairs, keeping an eye out for the big ‘fraidy cat that Martin is. She went around and around the room a few times, never noticing him in the chair. I stayed between them. Finally she spotted him and hissed. He hissed back. I turned the swivel chair so they couldn’t see one another and removed Miss Madison to the stairwell. She thought about it for a minute and decided to go back to the safety of her room.

I consider that the first quasi-successful intro between the two. No major fight broke out, and I praised them both profusely.

Tomorrow will be three weeks. Slowly, but surely, I plan to make this work! My boy needs a girlfriend. (Or maybe, like me, he knows he’s better off without any complicated male-female relationship in his life.) We’ll see.

Ceiling fan is hung, and just in the nick of time. It’s warming up here in Maryland.