I realized today that I haven't posted about Good Boy since his dramatic rescue, so let's get caught up, shall we?
One of the first things I did was take Good Boy to my own vet. Seeing as the rescue does not follow as stringent a vaccination schedule as my own vet does, I wanted to take him in for a get-acquainted visit and to see what the vet recommended as far as further vaccinations. I know that opinions vary widely on this topic, but it makes me feel better to err on the side of caution. Are cats over-vaccinated? Possibly. Do I still follow my vet's recommendations? Yes.
Long story short: Sorry, bud, you're getting the needle.
At home, I kept him in the foster room full time at first. Given his iffy past history with permacat Tinks, I knew I was going to have to take things slow as far as introducing him to the other cats. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't VERY happy to finally have a cat who would let me dress him up in ridiculous costumes:
Time to explore:
We did site-swapping ala Jackson Galaxy at first. I would only let Good Boy into a room when the permacats were elsewhere. That way he could get the lay of the land without having to deal with cat drama.
"Well, there's the birdfeeder, but where's the birds, lady?"
Blind date time. "Do you eat here often?"
I started introducing the cats at mealtimes, one at a time, at first placing the bowls on opposite sides of the kitchen, and gradually moving them closer and closer. I doubt they'll ever be eating the same strand of spaghetti like Lady and the Tramp, but they can peacefully eat side by side.
The only glitch so far is that Good Boy is so eager to hang out with the other cats, and he's so big and, well, clumsy, that he tends to galumph toward them at full speed, and they get scared and vamoose.
Long story short: It's going fine, if slowly. I'm so determined to do this right, as opposed to my usual modus operandi, which is slapdash and half-assed, that so far all is well. Nobody is overly stressed, there has been no major cat drama, and I'm hoping that soon, it'll be like Good Boy has been here all along.
What's one more, anyway? :)
7 comments:
I love a happy ending :-)
Kris
Hooray....so far!! You're probably a genius. (I noticed you've sidestepped my son's plan to introduce a new cat by putting them all in a cardboard box and shaking it up.)
That little guy (big guy) just has too much personality to have been living on his own. He's surely happy as a clam now.
Can he go out into the backyard (eventually) with the guys? He might take off, but he would surely loop back HOME.
Ginny, he now has full property privileges, except for when I am away from the house and at night. He chooses to stay inside, unless I am outside, at which point he will venture out briefly before scampering back inside. :)
That is so bizarre....that an "outdoor" cat wouldn't want to be outside! Surely he can't think deeply enough to be afraid he'll have to go back to his old life. (Or, maybe it's that he is living like the Trump boys inside.)
I am a firm believer in you doing what you have to do in order to be comfortable. I know my choices are not the same, nor should they be, as someone else.
It makes me happy that everything is going well for you..
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