Friday, October 15, 2010

I've blogged about a lot of topics lately, but I haven't made one of my good "old-fashioned" posts just about how my animals are doing.  So here goes...

Argos is doing well - but he is ALWAYS doing well.  He really is one of the most trouble-free animals that I could have ever asked to have.  He never shows any inclination to chase the cats (thank God!)  he loves going for walks, is okay with being home by himself while we're at work, is polite and well-mannered in public...  good stuff!  He is turning into a ridiculous beggar, though.  OMG, that dog is food-motivated!   He was extremely picky about what he ate when we first got him - we could get him to eat meat and rice, with a little plain yogurt mixed in, then he turned his nose up at the yogurt.  We had to beg him to eat his kibble most meals.  He just wasn't that into it.  He wasn't even interested in most "people food," though he never turned down a piece of meat.  Now...  he loves people food, and will happily hoover down anything that I drop on the kitchen floor while cooking.  Spaghetti, cheese, and most recently, french fries.  He'll also hoover down his kibble like he's breathing it in.  What we used to have to beg him to eat now gets gobbled up in less than 5 minutes.  It's astounding, truly.

Argos, sun dog.
Charlotte is fine too.  She's still doing really well on her medications, and rules the house with an iron paw.  Seriously, the other cats are terrified of her, and it's very obvious to everyone but Romeo that she is dominant in this house.  More on that in a bit.

Charlotte, queen.
Annie has discovered a little kitty-bed that I bought for them this past summer, that no one was using.  (I think it was because it was too hot outside.)  But now it seems like every time I turn around, she's on the bed.  It warms my heart when they actually like the stuff that I buy for them.  Silly, isn't it?  The picture below is of her and Bit on the bed.

Annie and Bit, snuggling.  Sorry for the poor light quality.
Bit.  Bit is being a little nightmare, STILL.  She is obsessed with Romeo the way that a stalker is obsessed with his hapless victim.  She pesters him constantly, and has him very jumpy.  I'm concerned about him.  We've escalated it now... if Bit starts harassing Romeo, she gets picked up and dumped into the bathroom, which she HATES.  Don't worry, we're not mean about it, or inhumane.  She is in there with a litter box and at least a bowl of water.  She's never in there for long enough that she misses a meal.  We're hoping that it starts to sink into her head that when she's mean to Romeo, she goes into the bathroom.  

Romeo.  Romeo is currently napping between my feet at the foot of the bed.  He's in here with us by himself tonight, because we know that Bit will just antagonize him the whole time and we won't be able to intervene because we're, well, sleeping.  I thought that they were getting better, but they're not.  Bit had him so agitated this week that he pooped in the window sill rather than to jump down and try to get to the litter box.  And I can't blame him, because it would have gotten him ambushed if he'd tried.  I feel bad for him - he'll hiss and growl and make a good show of defending himself, but doesn't really stick with it long enough to really deter her.  We do what we can for him, though.  If we're gone, he gets to hang out in our bedroom by himself, with his own food and water, and his own litter box.  If we're home, we make him "mingle" with the others at least a little bit, because they do have to eventually learn to get along.

And now Charlotte has gone after him a few times... she was previously content to just glare at him from across the room, but now she's gotten more stroppy about it.  I think she's trying to assert her dominance, and when Romeo doesn't immediately roll over for her, it annoys her.

I don't know.  Cat people?  Do you have any other tips or advice for me?  I would love to be able to wave my magic wand and have the felines in my house less willing to beat each other senseless, but have the feeling that we're in for a long battle.

Here's Romeo, on his new favorite perch, the dresser.  That is normally forbidden to the cats, but we've been letting him do it because it gives him the high ground.  This is the only thing that keeps Bit from trying to stalk him.


It's not all gloom on the Romeo front - he's getting more affectionate with us, and seems to trust us a little more.  At least, I'm choosing to interpret his lack of desire to claw, bite, or hiss at me as a positive sign!  He loves getting petted now, and even purrs when I give him a light hug.  So I think he likes us humans just fine, but probably wishes that Bit and her sisters would go jump in a lake.  (And when I say that he did used to claw and bite at us pretty often, it was almost always as a warning.  He was never trying to hurt or draw blood.  The only time he drew blood was an accident, when he went to jump off the bed, and hooked the cuticle of my toe with his claw.  Ouch.)

10 comments:

  1. I'm glad to hear that most of them are doing alright! I don't really have any helpful advice on the cat front, though. I hope it works out soon!

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  2. What lovely cats you have. I hope they learn to get along. I wonder if DAP would help.

    Argos is lovely. I like to see them soaking up the sun.

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  3. Sounds like you have a happy bunch of pups and kitties. Opie is picky about his food too. He turns his nose up at his kibble as well. We don't give him people food though. His tummy is too delicate and I don't want to walk him with poop bags and paper towels like I had to when he first came to us. Oh that was so not fun and he was miserable poor poochie. I can bribe him fabulously with a piece of broiled chicken. It's a true treat for him. Poor guy. I know the kibble doesn't wow him, but it's what's best for his delicate little tummy.

    Thanks for the update.

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  4. Hello! I found your blog via the blog hop. That's a lot of animals for two humans, but it sounds like it's a house full of a lot of fun and a lot of love. Good luck with the cats. I wish I could offer some advice!

    Argos, by the way, is an awesome name! It's one I've kept in the back of my head for when I get a male dog.

    I hope you have a great weekend!

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  5. Is Bit's pestering aggressive or is she trying to get him to play? Is she trying to show she's boss and/or get this cat out of her territory? Sometimes the best solution is to let the animals sort things out but if Bit is causing real harm, you might need to consult a behaviorist who can understand details that the rest of us don't.

    Two of my chickens are having similar problems right now. It's all very unfair and painful for humans to watch.

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  6. Sasha the wiener dog here. Sounds like he is being a cat. He thinks like most cats that he is the supreme leader of the whole pack. Apparenty, the sounds of it the other critters either are on the I just don't give a poop philosophy or the my poop is better than his anyways philosophy. They will work it out no matter what cause we animals have been dealing with each other much longer than you humans have been dealing with us. Hope they work it out quickly for you though.

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  7. BOL! Dillon and I always want people food! Today I vaccuumed a super crunchy peanut buttery thing from the floor after Mom got up from her seat! (Mom says it's called a "Reeeses Peeeses." It was super yummy, but very small...)
    Mom says to say that my Grandma and Grandpa have a kittycat who was skittish and not too friendly like Romeo and he got better, even though it did take awhile. Grandma says he is quite cuddly now!

    Barks & Wiggles,

    Jackie

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  8. Oops, my first paragraph disappeared! It said:

    Thanks for stopping by my bloggie! I enjoy reading your blog! :-)

    Didn't want to leave out that part!

    Jackie

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  9. Have you tried using Feliway plug ins? They plug into the wall like an air fresheners but are supposed to release soothing pheromones. I have them but cannot say for certain whether they work or not, but my boys all get on quite well. There are also calming sprays that you can spritz onto their beds and I have heard some bloggers talk about success with "calming collars", but I have no experience with them myself. Hope some of those suggestions help :-)

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  10. Thank you for stopping by our blog, and for following us, too! We always love making new friends. :)

    Oh, we feel so bad for poor Romeo! Our pal Cat makes some great suggestions in her comment above. We have the Feliway plug ins at the shelter, and they *seem* to help with some cats. Another, more drastic option would be to keep them in separate rooms for an extended period of time, and then try to re-introduce them...

    Your new pals at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life

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