Heat Rises

Because I can’t find a proper cat-sweater for Minuet, I worry about her being cold without her fur. I borrowed a space-heater and, clearing out some books, installed it on the lowest shelf of a bookcase in the library, close to and facing her favourite spot behind the couch.

During the evening and night, Min sleeps on her heated cat-bed, which now has the additional warmth from the space-heater. She doesn’t seem to feel the need of an extra temperature during much of the day, as she spends most of it on the cat-tree, or lying in the gentler warmth of the sunlight, on the carpeted top of the lower bookcase.

I would still like to find her a proper sweater, but unless it fits her perfectly, it will inhibit her climbing the tree, which won’t do at all. This rules out dog-sweaters and any cat-sweater ordered through the mail, as the chances of it fitting just right are slim. For now, though, I think the various sources of heat she is receiving will suffice.

With regard to her roommates, Minuet is doing well. She still yells at them but not as vociferously as she has; nor does their proximity stop her from doing what she is doing, which is usually drinking water. (Though she has a bowl of water in the library, she seems to prefer those in the corridor and the bedroom. Perhaps it’s a case of glass versus ceramic.) The older cats avoid her for the most part, while Hector stays out of her way except when he thinks he can get the drop on her. Then he rushes at her, usually without making contact. When he does touch her, it is not violent. Even so, Min hates it. I try to stop it but have only partial success, and who knows how often it happens when I am absent.

But, for the most part, I am pleased with Madame’s integration. She is free to roam about the apartment even when I am at work, and, of course, the others are free to enter the library. They are growing accustomed, establishing boundaries and learning about one another. And in these lessons are the beginnings of compatibility.