Tootsie the Terrorist Cat |
There have been four accidental introductions. But, she is so aggressive and in the flick of a cat hair she's in attack mode.
First, was Timmy. She slipped through my legs as I entered the bathroom where she was residing. Since he was nonchalantly strolling by and totally unaware of what I was doing (his usual state of being) she went ballistic! Before I could move he had hightailed it through the house and ended up cowered in the kitchen window behind the curtains. Tootsie hadn't been in the kitchen before, so she was looking around cautiously when I caught up to her and got her back in the bathroom. It's odd... I haven't seen her have her fur standing on end.
Next was Queen Bambi. I made sure all the cats were shut in the bedroom. But, Bambi was having none of it. Finally, I was able to put her in the spare bedroom by herself. Unfortunately, I didn't make sure the door was latched tight and Bambi clawed her way out just as I was entering the bathroom. Same scenario, except Bambi headed for her sanctuary queen bed on top of the dryer. Needless to say that came crashing down along with a number of items throughout the hallway. I can do a pretty mean tigress hiss and that puts the fear of Dog into them. So, I was able to gather up the New Queen and put her away into the spare room.
My Maine Coon kitten, Shadow, (9 mo old) is three times her size, of course. But, he is terrified of her. He was victimized next. He follows me around like a puppy dog. I should have known! I got all the kitties into the bedroom. Door latched securely. I had Shadow in the kitchen and gave him his food. He was happily munching away when I went to the bathroom to pick up and carry the New Queen into the spare room so she could have some space to roam. Unbeknownst to me, Shadow had followed at my heels. Tootsie broke from my arms and the rest is history. I've got to give Shadow credit, though Even though she got a mouthful of fur before he headed under the bed, he spat at her with fervor. Once I got her back into the bathroom, I got down on my hands and knees by the bed to coax him out. He was okay.
Timmy is 3 yrs old but outsized by Shadow |
However..... when the two had their encounter, it was no better than the rest. I have to face it. Tootsie is a Terrorist! You will notice... spelled with a capital T.
All this time I've had her and I haven't been able to get her acclimated yet. The best I am able to do is move them from room to room so they all get to smell each other, eat out each others food bowls, use mutual litter boxes. That's all working well, knock on wood. Nobody is peeing where they aren't supposed to.
I moved Tootsie out of the comfort of the bathroom and only use it for her temporarily now. I've got the cage in the living room and Tootsie is housed (er.. incarcerated) there. It's about four feet by three, by four. So, Tootsie is able to be in the midst of things without terrorizing them. She doesn't have to feel isolated. Even if the other cats are off snoozing somewhere she gets attention from me, and from The Monk, and a little bit from those who visit. She has food, water and litter box as well as three shelves to be on, plus a comfy bed. The Hilton it is not, but it's the best accommodations I can provide to keep them all safe from one another
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If I pick up Timmy and walk anywhere near the cage while Tootsie is in it, he stiffens into an arching, hair shredding mess! But, he doesn't struggle to get away. If I loosen enough for him to jump down, he curls into a tight ball and squeaks, "Hold me! Hold me! Protect me from the evil deemin!"