A New View for Madame

Minuet goes to the doctor today for her general examination. I will also have her claws cut (she’s getting stuck to the carpet in the library) and her bum-fur trimmed.

She has been with me for less than three weeks, but I think she is doing well, considering she was dropped into a strange world after sixteen years in a familiar one. The problems that caused her to be surrendered would appear to have been resolved.

Minuet spent sixteen years wetting in front of, rather than in, her litter-box. Prior to her adoption, she had been returned at least thrice by people who didn’t want to work with a cat who couldn’t hit the litter. At least the person who at last gave her up stuck with her for a decade and a half, abandoning her up only when she had to move and a cat who had litter-box issues was too great a difficulty. From the start, however, Min has used the litter-box correctly in the Cosy Apartment. I attribute this to my liberal application of Cat-Attract litter, which the previous owner used, but sparingly. Minuet has wet outside but not since her first week here, and then only twice, in isolated instances. I can’t help thinking that the ease with which she changed her aim, after sixteen years or more, suggests that she simply grew to think of the litter-box as the place to wet in front of, rather than in; habit, and not need.

Her diabetes is a non-issue. I will consult with the veterinary about this and have her test Minuet’s blood today, too. But from what I can see, Madame never had diabetes. The belief that she did was another reason she was given up.

Minuet’s certainly had her troubles with me. Stress caused her tremendous diarrhea, and that left its evidence all over the library, unfortunately. It was clearly something she could not control. Extensive use of Feliway, aided by pro-biotic in her food, appears to have corrected that problem. She later experienced another bout of diarrhea, but this time, she made every deposit in the box, so I wonder if the cause, resulting in a more controlled if still fluid output, was different this second time. Her last three deposits have been firmer.

I am not complacent about the end of these issues. Minuet appears prone to stress, so wetting or pooping inside the litter-box may never be something I can take for granted with her. But if she is still uncomfortable and untrusting, each day lessens those qualities. She is beginning to know the routine, and routine is a great comfort to cats. As well, she is exploring her new home more. Unable to hear, I think she judges that the coast is clear by watching for other felines passing by her open door; when none does, she feels it’s safe to look about.

And then there is this. I nailed a strip of carpet to the top of my low bookcase under the library window, not just for a soft surface but for grip, but pondered how to entice Minuet up there, or whether I should, considering her age. But yesterday, I came home to see this.

I watched her climb up there this morning. She does it slowly, carefully, but steps from the back of the couch to the top of the bookcase, using her front claws. Coming down, she relies on momentum. She is in good shape for such a senior, I believe, and this move has given her something to break the monotony of her day while I am gone.

We have a long way to go, Minuet and I, and I hope she  - and I! - will stay long enough for the Cosy Apartment to become Madame’s home.