Several months after adopting my first cat, Vincent, I came across an opportunity to add a second cat to our family. It might have appeared to be a sudden, "Oh! Cute Kitty! I want!" but I actually had been thinking about it for quite a while. So when I met Periwinkle, everything fell into place and I knew it was the right decision.
I brought him home and after three days of Vincent being terrified of the new kitten (even thought Vincent was 5 times larger than it) he decided this new kitty was a great idea and they have been very close ever since.
A couple months after adopting Periwinkle, he accidentally shut himself in my bedroom while I was at work. This effectively separated him and Vincent all day long. When I came home, I found that Vincent had completely shredded all the plastic off of a new pack of toilet paper and destroyed two of the rolls that had been in the pack.
I had forgotten how Vincent used lie in wait for me to walk around the corner and how he always was dive-bombing my legs and ankles. All that stopped when I got Periwinkle (thankfully) but his affection for me never lessened, so I lost most of the bad and none of the good!
Reading this cartoon made me laugh because in a way it's true. I suspect my cats are totally domesticated wussies but I'm not about to give them the chance to "prove" themselves on the mean and dirty outside world of Feline Leukemia and expensive vet repair bills.
Pip chasing Vincent's tail from Amanda on Vimeo.
(1 week after bringing Pip home)
But I do feel happy that their predatory needs are met by each other. It always make me happy when I see either of them crouched behind a corner, wiggling their little rumps getting ready to pounce.
So my advice is, if you're having behavior problems, might I suggest getting a second cat? It sure worked for me!
3 comments:
That is good advice, wish I had had the common sense when we first got Shilo. Hind sight is very, very clear. Good for you, you are a very 'smart' girl, and I'm not talking about your academics either.
That video clip is the cutest thing ever! I loved seeing Pips bubble tummy even at that age.
Oh, and the other night I heard a thump and got up to see if everything was alright. I was still asleep enough that I was hanging on to the wall to walk, and it might have been a good thing because just as I stepped around the corner my foot was slammed out from under me. Once I was over the initial pain and shock I realized all the n)oise was the two cats playing. There were rocketing around chasing each other. I hobbled back to bed feeling very glad I had two cats so that at that awful hour when all I wanted was to sleep they had each other to play with. Otherwise it would be just one trying to get my attention. So I say "oh yah!" to the two kitty thing. (As I write this one cat is sleeping on my $40 vet bill and the other is unfolding something I just folded...)
I love that video! And to think what a tub Pip turned out to be. Both your kitties are such a great addition to your home - I wonder what would happen if we got Sid a friend? We've been able to move the catbox to the laundry room (I think), but he still tears over everybody to get to G's bed if he hears the dog's tags.
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