It Was A Long Night

I got my second cat Tuesday night. To set the background, Ginger, my first cat, a small calico, was found abandoned and starving in a barn with about five other cats and some dogs. They went to foster homes and, having an attraction to neurotic females, I adopted her. Well, my second cat, Guenevere, a long-haired black cat, came from the same group. As did Ginger, Guenevere tried to meow all the way back home on the 60-mile trip, but she had to take a few 2-minute rest breaks. She is a bit louder than Ginger, but her meows are much more pitiable because they rise in tone at the end, as though she's asking what's happening to her and whether she'll be ok. Ginger just meowed to protest her treatment.

It was a long night.

Any fantasies I had about Ginger greeting Guenevere like a long lost friend evaporated the second Ginger caught sight of the pet carrier.

I put the carrier in the middle of the kitchen floor and just left her for awhile to settle down. Ginger heard the meowing and went to investigate and the second she spotted Guenevere, started hissing and huffing and puffing like the Little Engine that Could.

I let Gwen (I'm tired of spelling Guenevere) out of the carrier about half an hour later and shut Ginger in the bedroom for about an hour. Gwen did the exploration thing. I didn't realize how big she is until I saw her in my apartment. She swished her tail and knocked a Coke can off my coffee table. And I have a big coffee table, made out of a ship's hatch.

She is so black, my eyes have trouble focusing on her. I swear when she walks into a room, the light dims. She soaks up light like a black hole. And despite the mean expression on her face, she is sweet to the core. That's exactly the opposite of my ex-wife, who had the sweetest face...

I opened the bedroom door after about an hour and Gwen explored in there. I could tell whenever both cats were in the same room because of Ginger's hissing. Gwen didn't respond at all except to keep out of her way. So, I spent the next few hours just getting between them and giving Ginger a little tap on the nose and a "no" whenever she hissed. I finally got her to bed and was prepared to sleep in the recliner with Gwen on my lap for the rest of the night, but she decided to sit on the window ledge and watch the lights below, while Ginger seemed to have run out of steam. So, I went to bed and shut the door. But then Gwen wanted to come in. So, I opened the door and she headed under the bed. That set Ginger off again for a few minutes, but she soon collapsed in exhaustion. It isn't often she goes four or five hours without a nap. I think we all got about three hours of sleep.

Much to my relief, I heard the litter box clean itself at about 3:30, so Gwen is using it. I put separate food and water bowls out but I don't know who's using them. I'll have to watch.

Things seem to be better this afternoon. They are both in the living room and Ginger hisses only when Gwen walks within about two feet of her.

I'm glad Gwen has been declawed, because she does a massaging thing while I'm petting her. She gives as good as she gets. My chest would be in ribbons now if she had claws.

And that's the latest. I'm going to try to catch a nap. I'm glad it's my weekend, because I don't think my total immersion experiment is going to let me have much sleep.