Saturday, December 27, 2008

Life in a cat house!

Christmas went well- both days of it. Yesterday we ended up at my sister's to say goodbye to my nephew before he returned to western Kansas; the next time we see him will be his brother's graduation in May. The 2nd round of Christmas took place with her family then Dottie and I came home to try and get Angel and Frankie settled before Bill and Laura arrived with their cats.

Up until now Bill had been renting a bedroom from someone with plans to get an apartment or house when Laura joined him. He's not allowed pets where he is, so until they have a place Dottie and I are keeping her two male cats, 8 year old littermates. Both "large" for housecats, one a very "type A" personality, the other very not a type A (thank goodness)!

We shut our pets in the back of the house to let hers acclimate a bit, then let Angel in. Willow immediately hid; Alley immediately was hissing at her, bu tfinally started to settle down.

So then we let Frankie in. 2/3 their size, he has claws, they don't. It's his house, but Alley immdiately tried to put him in his place which Frankie wasn't having any of. Dottie squirted them both with a water bottle to try to convince them they didn't want to do this, which only irritated them both even more!

This all starting at midnight, finally Laura took them both to the front bedroom to go to sleep at 2, we put Frankie in the bssement; they haven't seen each other since.

Today Angel and Alley have seen each other, but there was no hissing, though Alley won't leave the front bedroom. The only time we've seen Willow is when the breakfast ham was frying.

John and my younger nephew Jordan are helping move Bill because I couldn't really deal with 6 flights of stairs to their apartment. Laura's Mom, Dad and brother are there and most of their stuff they sold or is books and clothes now. Bill's treadmill is the only heavy piece that has to come down the steps, and they should be able to handle it.

So, that leads me back to my header...I'm petsitting!

I keep thinking my back is better right up until I let the meds wear off, then it convinces me otherwise. I'm going to eat something and take the next round and start trying some of the stretches and therapy things they had me doing last time and see if I can loosen it up a bit.

Dottie is off until Tuesday, so I won't be around much in the next few days. Perhaps if I'm feeling better we'll slip out to a movie on my birthday, but we have more than enough things to watch here at home if we don't. One day next week John is going to help me put some more memory in this old Gateway (it's a 256) which should help with Photoshop and such...

Hopefully I'll be around to visit you each before New Year's Day but just in case, I hope each of you has a wonderful Happy New Year and that your dreams all come true in 2009!

alan

9 comments:

ryssee said...

It's a good idea to keep them separated in their own room for a few days, and only let them out supervised, until yours become used to their scent and theirs get used to the house.
However you approach it though, good luck! It will be an adventure for sure.
Sounds like you all had a nice Christmas - glad it was merry one!

Green tea said...

I have Cat allergies, and since we no longer have a dog i won't pet sit any more.
Thank God I decided that when I did.
@ of our G sons have 9 month old 90 lb hald St. Bernard puppies.
Now hey are gorgeous animals, But I wouldn't wan them in my house.
I am going to post the picture of Bitsy with Princess Amalia as soon as I get it, then you will see what I mean.. :D

Kranki said...

I'm pet sitting too! 2 dogs. So Yoshi is in the bedroom, Dexter is in all the rooms and the dogs are in the kitchen and living room. It is, frankly, exhausting. I hope your back is feeling better so you can dance for New Years!

Penny M said...

Happy New Year to you too Alan.

beckyboop said...

Bummer about the pet sitting. I would not even want to compromise my animal's comfort zone. I can see why you are and it is very sweet of you.

I hope your back heals quickly!

Anonymous said...

Wishing you all the very best for your birthday. And may you have many,many more.

Sassy said...

Good thing I didn't buy you a cat for Christmas! lol

Happy New Year to you!

CrackerLilo said...

Happy birthday and Happy New Year to you! I'm sorry your back is hurting and sorry the cats aren't getting along. It reminded me of trying to get my cats and L'Ailee's cats used to each other when I first moved in. But I'm glad you got to see your relatives, and that cat-sitting is a huge help, I bet! The problem will be when the cats don't want to leave! :-)

Unknown said...

Cats... Little furry things, right? 4 legs and (usually) a tail? Often accompanied by attitude best described as "superior to you"...

Yeah?

Yeah. I think we've got some around here, too. :-)

One thing about cats - once they've figured out their local hierarchy... It can change in the blink of an eye. :-)

But they don't keep grudges. ... Often. :-)

Carolyn Ann