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Remember Freya and Sweetpea, who needed a new home after their disabled owner died? Just got a great update from Alexi:
I am glad to report that we have a happy ending for Freya and Sweetpea! They have a new home in Ann Arbor with Asuki, who was newly catless.
We used the wheelchair lift van to transport the gigantic cat tower and all their other stuff.
As you can see in the photo, Sweetpea is already using the tower to surveil the Huron River and the critters who live by it.
Freya mostly stayed under the couch, but she did venture out to investigate her litter box’s new location. Their new human guardian is semi-retired, so they will get plenty of attention.
Thank you to everyone for networking and brainstorming to help us relocate Sweetpea and Freya. It’s a huge relief for my friend, B, because she isn’t able to keep her apartment now that her partner has died. Having the cats really complicated the search for affordable housing, and she was worried about future vet bills. Now B knows that the cats at least will have a good home.
P.S. I asked about setting up donations, but B isn’t comfortable with that. We didn’t end up having any cat relocation costs except driving them across town. Thanks again to everyone who offered help!
Always good to have some happy news on a politically stormy day… which is just about *every* day, right now…
Mnemosyne
Yay! I’m sorry that B was unable to keep her pets, but I’m sure it’s a huge relief that you were able to find a new forever home for them so she doesn’t have to stress about it.
TaMara (HFG)
Thank you everyone, and especially Anne Laurie, for making this happen and brightening my gloomy day!
CarolDuhart2
Great news for everyone concerned. Good work everyone.
Spanky
HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT OUR RAGEGASM WITH THIS NEWS!
Yay for Freya and Sweetpea and especially Asuki! Happy to see cats and hooman have rescued each other!
eclare
This made my day. Happy cats! I’m taking in both of my parents’ cats in the next few weeks as they move into assisted living. Tricky thing is that I adopted a cat from a former coworker about a year ago, declawed (former coworker), who has finally started to be affectionate, getting used to the place, etc. My parents’ cats are much larger, have all of their claws, and I don’t know how to introduce them. I’m worried that they will terrorize my little kitty. Any advice is appreciated!
Mnemosyne
Also, since Werebear isn’t here to give the advice, Asuki should buy one of those cat toys that has a toy on a long string and a stick for the human to operate. Best thing for shy kitties since they can play at arm’s length.
Also, weird advice I got from a different cat person: if possible, lay on the floor with your belly up. Putting yourself in a vulnerable position helps the nervous cat relax.
CarolDuhart2
And while it is at the top of my mind, thanks everyone who donated to my GoFundMe. My bills are current, I was able to get some grocery and cat food, and I still have a little left to go into February. Things are going faster than I thought, so hopefully by March it will be set.
The cats look happy and all, finding a new home and owner and a great window with a view. B, while you may not feel comfortable with donations now,don’t completely rule them out. Moving is expensive (just the physical part alone can be costly).
Gex
@eclare: I introduced my cat to a household with another, older cat a while back. Here’s what I did.
I kept the cats separated by a door for an entire month.
Before I started introducing them I set up a couple Feliway dispensers.
Co-mingling (opening the door) only occurred supervised for a while until I felt comfortable the cats wouldn’t fight.
The two cats never liked each other. Rather the other cat never liked mine, mine grew up with other cats and was always sad she didn’t have a new friend. But we had not negative experiences. Just a few hissy warnings.
Good luck!
zhena gogolia
I love the giant box from Chewy.com. Yay Freya, Sweetpea, and Asuki!
And Alexi, of course!
LAO
Thanks. I need some good news today.
Aleta
Thank you Anne Laurie and all others.
janeform
So happy this has such a happy ending and new beginning.
The Moar You Know
Good. At least one thing in the world is OK.
JPL
Anne, Thank you for the update and pictures.
SiubhanDuinne
Good news. Thank you.
germy
Happy cat news is always great to hear.
Our cat had a bad dream this morning. She sleeps at the foot of our bed and usually wakes up about 5:30 a.m. As a result, I’ve been trained to awaken about 5:27 a.m.
This morning she was still sleeping but made sad little crying sounds while twitching her paws. I assume she had a nightmare about being harassed by a dog or caged in a kill shelter (where we found her).
When she woke up she got extra attention, love and treats. We want her to know she’s safe here.
Kristine
Yea–good news!
PS: that river view looks pretty
germy
I like the photo of Freya walking purposefully past her food dish. She looks like she’s in full “new home exploration” mode.
With a good view of the river, these cats will enjoy bird watching, I’m sure.
rikyrah
Glad that they found a home together.
Mary G
Always helps to be reminded that there are good people doing good things in the world. Love the river view. Thanks to Asuki and everyone involved.
Sab
Inexpensive cat toy my sister suggested. My cats love these.Take one of those annoying subscription postcards that fall out of magazines. Take scissors and make close spaced parallel cuts on bottom half the postcard. Roll it up around a string and tape it, so it looks like a badminton shuttlecock on a string. It’s even better if you tie it to a stick like a fishing rod. Flick it around a cat as if it were a mouse scuttling. Your cat should go nuts.
MikeInOly
Nice to have some good news on a dreary day. So happy for these two muffins.
geg6
Oh, what good news. I really need it today.
Love the big Chewy box. My pups always recognize a Chewy box and mill around it until I open it.
Spanky
@geg6: I got a Christmas card from Chewy this year, being a customer and all. And rather than the typical corporate card, it seemed more personal than most. I appreciated it.
And of course, a satisfied customer, no financial ties, etc.
blackcatsrule
@germy: Oh yes, we do the same with ours! It really hurts your heart to see that.
Aleta
@germy: When I first got this cat
(the one curled up here on the bed–not the one who’s in my face purring like an old motor to ask for catnip)
she had nightmares for about 2 years. At first they were every night. I had no idea this happened with cats. (She’d been abused for her first 3 months, then in a cage at a very crowded shelter for 3 months, then came here to live at 6 mo.) Then they stopped and have never come back.
schrodingers_cat
Great news, Freya has the classic tabby pattern like my awesome but bossy kitteh.
J R in WV
My nightmare is Trump and his dictatorial reign.
I dreamed last night, I used to remember them pretty well, but now just a glimpse. My late friend Dan was in the dream, and it wasn’t an unpleasant dream, so that’s good.
And for tonight’s SOTU speech, I have a nice book about upright and honest spiritual people, as in witches, vampires, seers, and such other-worldly people who try to be good and do good. I’m going to start reading it around the time of the idjit’s speech, and later on see what stupid things were said by Trump and his minions in the MSM.
Who will be the cabinet person not attending to maintain the succession of power? You know Trump will be suspecting that person of having harmful intentions about the speech. Maybe it will distract Dumpf and keep him from sounding “presidential”…
Eric NNY
Thanks for the good news AL! I needed it today.
Aleta
@eclare: I had an experience with two cats that were pretty aggressive, and I did some things wrong; eventually found some introduction steps that worked very well and I still use them. (Similar to the humane society link below.)
General advice that also helped:
this pdf from the SF Spca, which includes shy cats
and this section at the SF Spca site. Also the SF Humane Society site.
That might be enough for most cats. A lot varies for individual cats, because of individual differences in how territorial they are, how much early socialization they had to other cats, whether they are easily startled or anxious, how they react to perceived threats, etc. It was very useful to read the tips at those sites on how to read cues to their stress level and to defensiveness in both their bodies and their behavior.
The introduction steps that worked for me even after several failures with the same (hard case) cats) were similar to these.
Specific things that seemed to make a big difference: Take a lot of time in each stage of the introduction steps. If problems come up after they’ve met and were getting along for a while, start the introduction steps over again. The smell exchange before any visual contact seemed to be key. It also helped to exchange (after several days) which side of the door each cat was on. They then explored the side where the other had been, but still without meeting, and before any visual contact. This seemed to calm them down a lot. I did it again for the stage when they could see each other but still not meet. When I had to redo the stages, I went through them a lot faster, and skipped some. Eventually it worked entirely.
More litter boxes than cats was also important. Ideally in two different places at first.
There’s another thing that helped me understand what’s going on at first when they meet. I can add it later if you’re interested.
Aleta
@Aleta: The intro steps are in the Humane Soc. link under the section called Starting the Relationship Off Right. But I’ve never had luck with using the bathroom as one room to keep a cat in. Too small or boring for them maybe. Somewhere it says that keeping them interested in their ‘habitat’ is also key to them relaxing, and also giving them places to hide.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
Thank you for the good news for the kittehs and their new person.
Aleta
@Aleta: Er, what I mean, and being tired, is all 4 sections at the HS link about cats getting along are close to what helped me for introductions. Link is same:
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/cat_problem_solver/other_pets.html?credit=web_id103701348#tab-4
Also: https://www.sfspca.org/sites/default/files/cat_bringing-your-new-cat-home.pdf