Progress, of sorts.

[kyrielle]

Yesterday, we brought Basta and Babe over. They are presently residing in the hallway bath upstairs. We had to chase Babe down as she saw the carrier and freaked. I felt so guilty - and then she cried for the whole 45-minute drive. Basta was ill. I felt so bad for them.

Babe has taken to hiding in a corner of the cupboard in there (when I saw she was trying to shove into corners, and mostly picking the ones by the door which made it hard to open, I opened the cupboard up and wiped it down - I even managed to get some padding in the corner later on but she didn't seem to mind it without). Basta I knew had had some water to drink, and Babe had debated coming out of her cupboard then, but not dared. So I wasn't sure Babe was drinking, but she doesn't pass the nape-of-the-neck dehydration test recommended by the vet, so so far so good.

I just took in a small serving of canned cat food to both of them. I set Babe's up in the cupboard and she was eating it when I slipped out - and even seemed curious about the hallway I slipped into, for the first time.

Basta, on the other hand, has been curious since, oh, about an hour and a half after she arrived. We really need to get more of the house cleaned so we can open that door and let them pick when to come out. Basta's been happy to be petted and to purr; Babe has been willing to be petted but has been a silent blob of cat during the process most times, though I've heard her purr twice. And she has voluntarily come out of the cupboard when the door to the hall is shut, though she huddles either on a lap, or between a person and the wall. (The first time she dared, I was sitting on the floor and she dashed across the open space to duck into my coat, which I was wearing, and hide there.)

Poor scared flustered thing. Poor confused kitties. I felt so guilty last night, even knowing they had to move so we could take care of them. I feel a little less guilty and emotionally-sore about them today, especially since I saw Babe voluntarily eating. I'm going to be adjusting their diets more, but not yet - I don't want to have two or three sources of stress going at once. But the current one lets Babe get too fat and Basta not gain enough weight. (Dry cat food - regular formula. They should probably be on 'older cat' formula and Basta, at least, needs soft-food supplements as more than a treat, as she hasn't got teeth enough to really make a good meal of the dry.)

But...for the moment, so far so good. (And I called their old vet, who recommended a vet here, so I called them and got some info. No licenses needed. I can make an appointment to have them micro-chipped, but that will be sometime after they are more settled in, I think. I don't want it to be too long, though, in case they get out.

So far my allergies don't seem to be any worse, but since they're confined to one room and I can go in and out, that's not as indicative as after they get around, especially in carpeted areas.

Comments

[angelamermaid.livejournal.com]

It's so very kind of you to take them in and to make them as comfortable as possible.

[kyrielle]

It is strange to see it described as kind. It is ... I couldn't have done anything else. They're family. They really are. I love these cats; I've visited them at my parents house, heck, I lived with Basta for 8 or 9 years there. I've held them and cuddled them and I grew up with cats all around me, and they're alive and they're sweet and how could I not? How could I do anything else? I think I was about to drive Scott nuts until we got them here, because I couldn't bear to leave them there without checking on them at least once a day, even though we'd left them plenty of food and water. (I'm still checking on them a lot but at least it doesn't involve a long drive both ways....)

[angelamermaid.livejournal.com]

I guess what I meant is that you're doing it 100% - looking after every one of their needs and worrying about the ones you can't fix, like the loss of your parents - during a very difficult time. Which is extremely kind, but of course you had to bring them into your home and continue loving them.

[kyrielle]

Ah, gotcha. Yeah. In a way it's kind of comforting. I can't make things right for them, but so far I seem to be doing pretty good at making things better. Scott and I appear to be acceptable surrogate parents to them, for which I am grateful. Sometimes I just want to take a blanket in there and curl up on the floor with them because outside that room there is so much still to be done that breaks my heart.... (Of course, the room is a little small for that, and a lot of the stuff still to be done is so they aren't stuck in just one room...ack. Oh, well. One thing at a time.)

I am so, SO relieved that they are doing better this morning, I was beside myself last night having to put them through that.

[joyoflj.livejournal.com]

Am comforted (for both you/Scott and your parents) to know you have your kitties with you safe and sound.

Do you have a back yard they could go out to IF you got a cat door installed that only let them out to a caged in area? I have been thinking of that lately for my two cats. I saw somewhere a cage deal that is made of rope (like a fishing net) and I wondered if I could butt it up to a cat door.

I have allergies and we vac the rugs every day. Hey, great excuse to get a roomba! Or a maid.... hehe

[kyrielle]

I don't think they'd like that. They're accustomed to roaming acres and acres of countryside. And, while we do have a back yard, it is also not near a door. The door lets on to the deck. :/

[joyoflj.livejournal.com]

Well they will be so much safer inside. The cats I had before my current cats lived strictly indoors and they lived to the ripe age of 18. Our current cats are three years old and also have never stepped outdoors. While I am tempted to do the cat door/net cage thing I won't do it because I fear it will give them the urge to bolt at the doors.

Hard for you to plan/deal though when they are used to going outside though BUT in the end they will be safer. We always speak sharply and gently but firmly put our bodies/feet in the cats way whenever they go near the door. Hopefully you will not have a problem but being chipped will help if an escape does occur.

Am looking forward to hearing about everyone settling in.

Take care, Laura.

[kyrielle]

I know, which is why they're getting that. It was always a risk even out on the Ridge to let them roam, though Dad always made sure they were in for the night and usually they came in fairly quick (especially Basta). But here...I'm one block as the crow flies from a moderately major road (still only one lane each way, but...) that makes a good alternate when the interchange between two freeways is jammed up. Um. I really don't want them out there. REALLY don't.

[lunargeography.livejournal.com]

Cats do not handle change well. It sounds like you're doing everything right, givnmg them one room with food and water and litter to use as a home base, and once they calm down, you'll let them explore more.

I hope your allergies don't flare up!

*hug*

[kyrielle]

Once they calm down, and once we get the house cleaned! We can close off several rooms, but to let them out of the one they're in will give them access to the hallway, stairs, downstairs hall, dining/kitchen area, and living room. There's no closing that off. And they're not cat-ready. We have a lot of picking-up to do. It's not that bad, it just feels like it to me because everything is overwhelming right now.