Friday, February 18, 2011

Friday...

It is Friday, at long last.  It's been a rough week, especially for Romeo and for me.

We had an unexpected family tragedy early in the week, and as if that wasn't sobering enough,  I started to come down with a nasty cold late Wednesday afternoon and have been slowly tanking ever since.  I'm out of time off at work until March 1, so didn't have the option of staying home.  So, trooper-like, I drug myself into work for two more days, probably to the dismay of my co-workers.

Romeo is still struggling to fit in, as we discovered when Charlotte snuck downstairs and got locked in with him all night on Wednesday.  I am too tired to go into many details, but it is clear that they're not ready for unsupervised time together yet.  I was extremely disappointed.  I have reached out to several people who are more experienced with multiple cat households than I am, and got some good advice. The next thing that we're trying is valerian root, which Kat from Kat's Kats recommended.  I'm going to make a tea out of it this weekend, and then dab it on all of them.  I'm guessing back behind their necks where you'd normally put flea treatment.  Not only do cats tend to like the way that valerian smells, but the hope is that it will make them all smell similar enough to one another that they just accept that they're a pride, and get on with life.    Keep your fingers crossed for me. We need to get these kitties socialized with one another!

And speaking of Romeo, his fur was starting to look really nasty.  He's a big boy, and I think he was having difficulty reaching his back to groom himself.  So Jeff, my beloved husband, knowing that I didn't feel up to it but was going to guilt myself into doing it anyway, took it upon himself to give Romeo a bath before I got home from work tonight.  I'd purchased a cat shampoo from Petco last week.  He looks much better, though damp and NOT pleased, in the picture below.


Please don't judge me for the streaky window behind him.  It's February in Pittsburgh and I can't keep up with the salt and the snow and the ice and the slush!

He does seem to be adapting well to a reduced diet.  It's still his regular dry food, but measured out morning and evening instead of allowing him to "free feed."  I don't know that he's actually lost any weight yet, but these things don't happen overnight.

Some of you may remember that this summer, I made a post about how nicknames for our animals seem to proliferate in this house.  (http://houseofcarnivores.blogspot.com/2010/08/animal-nicknames.html) for those who weren't following at the time or who chose for some strange reason not to commit this to memory.  At the time, I mentioned that Romeo and Argos didn't have as many nicknames because they hadn't been "blessed" to live with us as long as the girls had.

But Romeo has another nickname now.  It start out as Puddin', then became Pud', then inexplicably became "The Duke of Pudding."  So there you have it.

11 comments:

  1. You know, We have 13 cats and some of 'em still fight...after 2 years! Valerian does help a lot, and we shake a can with pebbles in it to startle the spatting cats out of their fighting. Works better than a water squirt bottle!

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  2. I'm sorry the cats still aren't getting along! Fingers crossed that they get over their differences soon!

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  3. I hope ur kittehs are okay soon. :) Hi dere, Romeo! Mew mew! :)

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  4. Me understands completely! Me does not like the brat Kozmo at all!
    Me hisses and growls at him and sometimes me swats him. But me must admit that he is starting to grow on me and after 8 weeks we can be in the same room without me growling (just a merow). Mommy puts vanilla on all of us (the hairy slobbery sisters Bob and Sam too), it has helped.
    Mommy had this trouble with hissy old Licorice when me first came to live here and it took 4 months before wes got along, sort of.
    Me sends kitty kisses and hed butts and me hopes you gets over your cold soon.
    Nellie

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  5. Have you tried Feliway? No personal experience but the dog equivalent can work really well, and it's non toxic, non-invasive and easy. You just plug it in like an air-freshener and the cat-soothing pheromones permeate the air.

    Might be worth a try!

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  6. Oh and I meant to say I'm sorry to hear about your family tragedy. That's never easy. :(

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  7. Sorry to hear about your problems... I hope things will start looking up soon.

    Good luck with the cats, especially the Duke of Pudding... (great name, btw)

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  8. Thanks, all! Jay - we actually got a Feliway plug in yesterday. I've been grumbling about the price and hemming and hawing, but we actually had a veterinarian tell us that he recommended we try it. So, we're giving it a whirl.

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  9. Just a scent-mark here, Carnivores. . . with you in tough times as well as smooth.

    Spring peepers are at it, as I write at night in Arkansas. . . .Last week I couldn't get out of my driveway.

    Life. Sigh. Flop down. Lick paw.

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  10. So sorry to hear about your family tragedy. :(

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  11. Thanks for the thoughts. It is very appreciated, and good to know that my blog friends support me!

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