Jase is still a little excitable, so most of the cats aren’t interested in interacting with him. Lady has been persistent since Day 1. Ajax has been hesitant, but we’ve noticed that over the last few weeks Ajax has been spending more time in the kitchen. He’s usually on the stairs, but he’s watching Jase and beginning to interact with him more.
Tag Archives: Lady
Cats: Scooter and Lady
Scooter and Lady don’t have much in common except for their attraction to Jase. Lady has been enamored with Jase ever since he showed up. She doesn’t put up with him being rude, and she is careful to take shelter under chairs or at eye level with Jase. That makes it easier for her to put Jase in his place when he forgets his manners, which is still too often. I’ll come downstairs in the morning, and she’ll be sitting outside his crate. She asks to come into the parlor and kitchen when she knows he’s out of his crate. She chooses to nap in places she knows Jase has access. I can only conclude that she likes him, clumsy oaf that he remains.
Scooter is an outside cat. He has been fascinated with Jase for several months. Jase kept lunging at him, which did not build trust with Scooter, but Scooter has been persistent, and Jase has been getting less lungy. Over the last couple of weeks, Scooter has been waiting for Jase on the porch when he comes out, and they’ve been sniffing. Jase has been quite gentle most of the time. As with Lady, Jase tends to get a little excitable, and Jase came in dripping blood after one encounter, so I know Scooter is prepared to defend himself and put Jase in his place, too.
Large dogs tend to mature slowly, and Jase is no different. At least we can see progress even if it isn’t as rapid as we would like. Impulse control is an ongoing effort, and him getting more relaxed with cats is part of it.
Cats: Tarzan and Jase
Jase is still a pain in the neck when it comes to cats. He seems to think they are there for his entertainment. He and Lady appear to have an agreement. He nuzzles her, and if he gets too fresh, Lady swats him.
Until this week, Tarzan has stayed far away from Jase. This week, I’ve noticed Tarzan has been spending more time on the trunk in the parlor, fending Jase off with hisses and swipes. I guess Tarzan has decided the big galumph is here to stay, and he’s tired of being exiled from his humans during the day, so he has ventured into the parlor to be with us.
I can only hope this is one more step into Jase learning to respect the cats.
Cats: Walter Update (Yes, Again!)
On Wednesday, I took the carrier over to my neighbor’s back yard and coaxed Walter out of his hiding place. He complained loudly all the way home. I put him in the bathroom with Rossie and Daisy. He complained loudly for a long time. I sat with him until he calmed down. He tried to get on the window and kept slipping off. I moved what was left of the old cat tower into the bathroom, and it sits just high enoug for him to sit on top of it and look out the window.
Whenever he sees or hears me, he is quite vocal. As far as I can tell, he’s had no serious altercations with Rossie or Daisy. I’ve observed him eating, drinking, and using the litter box. He’s vocal when I come into the room, but when I cuddle him, he quiets right down and purrs. In related news, I had an opportunity to pick Daisy up today, so I released her back into the house. Being in the room did not result in her being more sociable, which was my rationale for putting her in there. Daisy gets along with all the other cats and has no problems in the general population except she doesn’t like me. She and Mr. L sometimes reach an accord where he can pet her.
Since taking Rossie for her annual exam, she’s been letting me pet her (after the obligatory hissing). For now, Rossie and Walter are in the room together. Neither one likes confrontation, so it’s possible they may not interact, but I’ll be observing how things go for both of them. Rossie has been drawn to the boys, so she may be interested in seeing how receptive Walter is to her. I want to give Walter at least 4 weeks to acclimate to being in the house. When he sees me walking Jase outside, he’s vocalizing at the window — loud enough to hear out by the street.
When we brought Sneaky into the house, she vocalized at the window for a little while, too. To my knowledge, Walter has been an outside cat all his life with little or no inside time (I’ve had him inside at least three or four times for an overnight stay in the crate). This is a big adjustment for him. After he demonstrates he’s adjusted to being in the house, I plan to introduce, one at a time, Daphne, Ajax, Lady, and Tarzan (not necessarily in that order) to him one on one by bringing them into the bathroom for supervised introductions. How that goes will affect my next steps.
For now, Walter is home, safe, and adjusting to a big change in his life.
Cats: Jase is Back Home and Settling In
Jase graduated from obedience school a week and a half ago and is happy to be back at home. Johnny did a wonderful job with him. I’m still learning the finer points and may have to take a refresher session. Jase willingly goes into his crate when asked and frequently … Continue reading →
Cats: Not Fans of Jase
I’m in San Antonio with Jase and five cats. None of the cats are happy with big, goofy, heavy-pawed Jase. He still hasn’t figured out that a paw slamming down in excitement could be deadly for kitties. The kitties aren’t shy about letting him know their displeasure. Lady is the … Continue reading →
Cats: Upheaval, Stability, and Sadness
Half the inside cats and Jase are coming to San Antonio with me for the month of July. I am on call for jury duty, so we’re not exactly sure what adventure awaits us. I could have hours and hours of mind-numbing waiting (I’ll have plenty to do), or I … Continue reading →
Cats: 14 + 1 Update
For the Plus 1, Jase is off to summer camp for a week and a half. The inside cats are relieved, the outside cats will be missing their curious creature they monitor movements for. Ajax: Ajax is somewhat curious about Jase, but he doesn’t appreciate Jase jumping on him (nor … Continue reading →
Cats: With Jase
The cats are still adjusting to Jase. Ajax tolerates him well. Lady wants to be with him but does not like Jase barking at her. Jase seems to think it’s a game — bark at Lady and she swats at him with her paw. Lady doesn’t seem to be using … Continue reading →
Cats: What’s What and the Pup
The cats are getting adjusted to Jase — most of them. Someone is not happy, and I have not determined who. I am taking steps to address the unhappiness. When Jase arrived, I moved the food tower to the entry hall and added a water tower there. There are three … Continue reading →