Thursday, May 29, 2008

Tales of Two Kitties - Introduction to Slideshow

Here we are – the second installment of ‘Tales of Two Kitties’ – yes, way too much time between installments but Mia and Siren were honoring the writer’s strike.

This shows the initial attempts to get Mia and Siren to know and accept one another. Siren seems open to this, I think he wants someone to play with. Mia is not impressed. It doesn’t help that Mia is older than we thought. She is at least two years older than Siren and two years in a cat’s life is a long time. I also think she’s quite content to just hang out on my bed all day – on her purple towel – surrounded by her new toys. She was on the streets for awhile and feels, rightly so, that she deserves some peace and quiet. Siren got here when he less than a year old and is finally showing signs of being happy and comfortable, of feeling safe. So now he wants to play.

After weeks of being kept separate by closed doors it was time for controlled introductions. Siren already knew Mia was here – I made sure they shared blankies and toys and yes – Siren even got to sleep on the coveted purple towel.

Several times a day, for weeks now, Mia goes in the comfy, large kennel. She has toys there and lots of bedding to hide in. It is hilarious to watch Siren watch me carry Mia down the hall and into the living room. The very first time I did it he was very suspicious – he did NOT like Mia touching his stuff, sitting on his floor or breathing in his air. As the days progressed Mia got to like the kennel, she’ll even go in there to hang out all on her own. And Siren looks forward to interaction time – I can’t call it play time since all Mia does is hiss and growl at him while trying to decapitate him through the gate.

Since the time I put this slideshow together we have taken yet one more giant leap for kittie-kind!

Mia and Siren now share the SAME space without safety barriers. Once Mia has eaten her morning meal – she is still on wet food and I don’t want Siren to develop a taste for that – all doors are opened. Siren runs – flies actually – into my bedroom (better known now as Mia Headquarters) and desperately scours the entire room for any wet food dribbles that Mia may have left for him. Then he jumps up on the bed while Mia hisses, he sits there looking confused until Mia gathers up all 6 pounds of her strength and smacks him in the face. He then cries out – only once – and flips over onto his back and does a very odd dance/tantrum – he looks a bit like a giant insect that can’t right itself. He glares at Mia from his upside down position until her hissing becomes unbearable and then he takes off like a bat out of hell, just before she is about to strike a second time. He runs around the entire house, ricocheting off of walls and furniture and then returns to Mia Headquarters to sit in a corner and stare at her.

I will try to get pictures of them together but it’s not easy. I will also try to figure out the video setting on my camera.

For now I hope you enjoy ‘Tales of Two Kitties – Part Deux – Getting to Know You’

It appears BELOW - in it's OWN post because - OK I'm NOT going to cuss - because *bleepin* photobucket created *bleepin* html codes without all the *bleepin* tags *bleepin* closed. AND *bleepin* blogger does not get what the *bleep* a PBW widget is or what it is *bleepin* supposed to *bleepin* do. Since I don't have the rest of my *bleepin* life available to devote just to this I decided to use direct link.

Just sayin'

26 comments:

pink dogwood said...

I have never had cats, and since my daughter is allergic to them probably never will - but I love your cats, they are adorable and love how you write about them :)

CG said...

Great slideshow and captions. Although we had no real problems with Shea when we adopted Basil, it has taken around 8 months for them to really become friends!

Leighann said...

I *bleeping* love it when you talk dirty! *giggle*

On a more serious note, I totally dig it when you talk about your kitties. They're lucky to have you!

xoxo

Ramblings of a Villas Girl said...

Hi Dianne! Well I laughed until I cried. Your description is great, but I hope you figure out the video on your camera.

Here you were worried that Siren was going to be the problem and now Mia is proving to be the bitch of the group.

The slide show is bleeping hysterical. Lisa

Ramblings of a Villas Girl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jay said...

I'm allergic to cats. But, they love me. Anytime I go anyplace that has cats they always come right up to me and want to jump up on my lap. I've read about how they're trying to "engineer" some kind of cat that people won't be allergic to. Won't that be cool?

Dianne said...

thank you so much pink dogwood :)

cg - 8 months for cats to become friends isn't bad at all. Since I always end up with cats with 'issues' it takes a bit more. Glad you liked the slideshow :)

leighann - since it was a kittie post I decided to go PG. My hands were shaking trying to stay away from the F key.

thanks Lisa - I can't believe how tough Mia is!! She looks so tiny and fragile and then she knocks Siren down with one swat.

jay - I found a brush that's supposed to get at the undercoat which drastically cuts down on shedding and dander and makes their skin oilier and healthier. I'm hoping it helps - well once I order it - it's freakin' expensive.
and of course cats like you - you're cool, they're cool.

Sleepypete said...

When we acquired Patch the Cat to go with either Tufty the Beagle or Scruff the Wolfhound/Setter (memory says Scruff, reality is more like it was Tufty), we ended up with a Pooch hiding under the sofa, with Moggy sitting in the middle of the room looking serene at the silly, noisy canine :-)

Sleepypete said...

Doh - forgot other bit ...

I know precisely what you mean with the *bleepin* ! Plus it made me remember when I saw the word "unprintable" appear in a book. The printers had actually replaced all the bad words with "unprintable", which did very strange things to the flow of a character's swearing and cursing :-)

Natalie said...

Sounds you are making forward progress! I'm glad to hear they are sharing some space and it seems patience is the key. You are doing it the right way, rushing things can be disastrous! Love the slide show, you have a beautiful furry family!

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

Tooooo Bleeepin' funny! Did it feel as satisfying? I've only lost it once since and I adlibed a bleep or two (with no kids around) cuz the juice had been spilled twice in 45 seconds and all over the bleepin' chair! LOL!

Happy Thursday!!!

[Oh, the kitty cam was cute!]

Jeff B said...

We have four cats here and they (forunately) all get along great. Never a dull moment though as one of them is always getting into something they shouldn't.

Casdok said...

One giant leap for kitty kind! Love it!

And thank you for the quote, so very true!

Dianne said...

sleepypete - yes I think Mia will eventually rule the empire and Siren will do a lot of hiding :)
your furry family sounds wonderful. if thought bubbles were visible over my head they would all say "unprintable"

thanks Aunt Babe! - the kids sends love. and you're right, cats will not be rushed, it is their timeline that must be followed and I'm so glad I read all the books over the years.

farmers wife - I did feel like a *bleepin* lady by avoiding the using the F word 17 times in one sentence but I have to admit that nothing is as satisfying as a little real cussing. glad you like the show

jeff - they are so much fun! glad your guys all get along :)

casdock - thanks! I'm so happy that you're around more - I think of you and C a lot and I'm always happy to hear what's going on. and your site just makes me feel like the world is a better place.

Doc said...

I have a cat that adopted me years ago... certainly a different kind of animal than anything else... LOL!

oh and I have a Mountain Cat that tags along with me too...

Natalie said...

Haha -I just noticed I got changed on your blogroll to "Aunt Magnetbabe". How cute! I'm honored.

Dianne said...

doc - that Mountain Cat must be something else!? How do you keep him in line? ;)

Aunt Babe - Yep! you're family now!

Knight said...

It takes a lot of effort to get the cats together. You are very patient. I remember growing up our cat (C.C.) didn't care much for the dog (Sweetness) and the dog just didn't care. They eventually just found a way to avoid each other and I never saw them interact even though they were both free to go where they pleased. It was a little odd.

Dianne said...

knight - "and the dog just didn't care" - that made me laugh. Mia appears to like dogs although they've only been guests - don't know if she'd share with a dog. she doesn't like to share.

Akelamalu said...

I'm not a cat person but yours are cute!

Dianne said...

thanks akelamalu!

Odat said...

What a great slideshow...do the cats know they're internet stars??????? :-)
Peace

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

I tried to keep my cats separate when I brought the youngest one home, but that lasted about 2 hours. After a lot of complaining, I let her out of the room, they sniffed each other, hissed and walked in different directions. LOL

Dianne said...

odat - I think Siren suspects but I know he won't tell Mia, she's such a Diva as it is :)

sandpiper - I love when it works out that way!

Jo said...

It's a funny-love-story, but I do think it's a love story that will have a happy outcome. You're so patient & dear to them, it's wonderful.

Their ritual of hissing/swatting & the subsequent bug-dance is hilarious. For some reason it reminds me of my courtship with hub LOL!

Dianne said...

jo - which one of you was the swatter/hisser? and which did the upside down bug dance? I'm guessing you and R took turns ;)
thanks for calling me patient and dear to them - they're such bastards they never admit they love me.