Maquinna's Poop du Jour

Not-So-Cute Things Cats Do

I noted that recent blogs of my classmate Christina and her husband have illustrated their current attempts to integrate a new cat into a household of existing cats. For those of you who have never attempted this, I assure you it is not for the faint-hearted, and even the most optimistic Pollyanna is bound to find this process exceedingly frustrating. It can also be potentially expensive, to the magnitude of becoming the sole supporter of your veterinarian's penchant for new BMWs.

Christina and Alex: please, kids, I am not trying to pee in your corn flakes. While I have been unsuccessful in three separate attempts to do this, your situation has one major difference - you already have multiple cats. I have a theory that bringing in a new cat to a home with more than one cat to begin with is easier than trying to do it where one cat rules the roost alone.

The first two attempts I made were to bring younger cats into the home I had with Cally, my little ginger cookie who passed away last year. In both scenarios, Cally became withdrawn and sullen; she was not exactly the alpha type to begin with, and rambunctious kittens were just too much to ask of her. When I moved in with Craig, she was for the first time put into the role of the new cat on the block - and Motorhead, Craig's cat, was not impressed to say the least. We tried everything - but as they vet said, the older they are to begin with, the harder it is to make the adjustment. By this time, Cally was 17 and in poor health and not in any shape to defend herself, especially against a cat twice her size. They remained in separate quarters until Cally passed away, but not before a chance encounter resulted in Cally's leg torn open and a $500 trip to the vet. I don't blame Motorhead for it; she was merely asserting her turf rights, and behaving like any cat in that situation could be expected to do. Cally's tissue-thin skin didn't stand a chance.

We've decided Motorhead will remain an only cat unless some extremely pressing circumstances dictate otherwise. The same goes for the dog - no others while she's still with us. When the time comes to bring new animals into our lives, we plan to do them in small groups, so that they will learn to share their territory from the beginning and be more accommodating of newcomers as time goes on.

And for those of you staring at that picture up there and wondering whether our abuse of our animals might play any role in their behaviour - Motorhead actually likes being held up and swung like that. Really, she does.

posted by Maquinna @ 2:35 p.m.