Today's News Report

Quite a bit from the Cosy Cabin to discuss today…

The results of the examination of Moxy’s cyst came back, and they comprise good news. It was a benign growth, a trichoblastoma, a basal cell tumour. Its removal was the only treatment needed, and the doctor does not expect it to come back. The Mixer was as apathetic about its excision as he was about its presence: he has not bothered the site since he came back from the hospital. His stitches are not the dissolvable sort, so he will go back to the hospital for their removal Friday.

(Moxy takes the most uncharacteristic pictures. They all make him look sinister, or at least serious, yet he is the most affectionate of cats.)

Our newest resident, Millie, has used the clay-filled litter-box several times in a row. I don’t want to jinx her progress, but she hasn’t wet outside the box since Monday afternoon. Her previous owner said that Millie had always wet outside the box, but as the human’s personal life is undergoing some strong changes - and probably has been suffering some stress for quite a while - the atmosphere may not have been as subconsciously congenial to Millie’s peace of mind as she would have liked. I don’t know that, and Millie may prove me wrong by peeing on the floor today and every day for the rest of her life - but I believe a change may be as good as a rest, as the saying goes, and maybe she needed a rest. Regardless, she is a warm and affectionate cat with people: despite having just met me, she thought I was perfect for lying against for half an hour yesterday; I read, she snoozed and purred.

For the third straight morning, Sable came out of the bedroom and waited under the dining table for her breakfast. Despite all the other cats - Valkyrie kept coming up to her and trying to engage her in conversation - despite the time it took to serve her, despite my coming and going while she ate, Sabe stayed the whole time, cleaned her dish and sat still for a few minutes before going back to the bedroom. I find this a remarkable development.

Indigo seems to be feeling better, though Neville threw up several times last night, and also crapped outside the letterbox; I think he had no control over either action. I gave him some Cerenia and will see how that works on him before consulting a veterinary about him. He may have a bug that requires antibiotics, but I don’t want to subject him to a hospital visit unless my home-treatment doesn’t work.

The news thus is mostly good, with only the Nevsky throwing a spanner into the works.

Adapting to Changes

My newest cat, Millie, has shown that she does indeed wet outside the litter-box. She did it twice yesterday, despite the new Cat-attract litter in the box. She also wet in the box, which suggests that she has no physical problem; she will go to the veterinary soon for a check-up, anyway. Last evening, I set up a choice of options for her, and at some point in the night, she chose box number two, with the clay litter. The good news is that she did not go anywhere else. I will need to see that repeated for at least a week before she moves upstairs, unfortunately.

Otherwise, she is a sweet little creature. She is very friendly, doesn’t mind being picked up, plays with toys and with me, and purrs a great deal. How meeting the other beasts will affect her, of course, remains to be seen.

And on that subject, both Neville and Indigo have diarrhea…

But Sable was under the dining room table again this morning. I find that strange, since yesterday, she ended up there because I inadvertently cut her off in her attempt to regain the bedroom when I woke up. This morning, she was sitting under the table so patiently that I thought she was Imogen. I fed Sabe her breakfast there and she only returned to the bedroom after she had eaten. I don’t know if she will be there every morning, but she now knows that it is safe to eat there, so who knows what will happen next?

A Bonus From Millie's Arrival

Millie passed her first night in the Cosy Cabin in peace. She pooped in the litter-box and wet in it, but too little to justify believing she might not wet outside, too. She may have just put a small amount in the box because she knows that’s what it’s for; where she actually goes habitually may be somewhere else. I suspect I will know more certainly when I come home from work.

The newcomer seems naturally friendly and happy. She had no fear of me and when I spent time with her last night, bumped her head against me numerous times, eventually curling up for a snooze, while continuing to purr.

A rather extraordinary result of Millie’s arrival occurred this morning. Because our new guest is occupying the library, and must be by herself for the time being, the door downstairs is shut. This cuts off the other fosters and the perma-cats from part of their domain. Though this is hardly a big deal for most of them, it affects Sable, since she spends half of her time in the library, and often travelled there to use the litter-boxes, even if she were upstairs. She cannot now do that.

However, soon after Millie came, Sabe used one of the two boxes in the cat-room (I added a second yesterday) without much fuss - unless one counts her yelping at the closed door to the stairs for fifteen minutes. That solved one concern of mine (though, since she had used upstairs boxes before, it wasn’t a major worry.) I knew that Sable would explore more of the upstairs if the lower level were no longer accessible to her. What I didn’t expect was catching her out from under the bed when I rose this morning.

She remained beneath the dining table watching the breakfast preparations, despite me giving her opportunity to run to the bedroom. I didn’t know how she would want her meal, so, upon serving the food, I simply set her dish under the table, about two feet away from her. She ate, despite being almost out in the open, despite my coming and going to attend to the other beasts (except for Sabe and Indigo, meals are never, alas, a simple matter of one dollop of food; most won’t eat much that way), and despite the other cats who, finished their own breakfasts, stopped to watch the novelty of the semi-feral eating in plain sight. Only when she had cleaned her dish did Sable trott back under the bed.

I don’t think she will be out like that every morning; she prefers the security of her safe spots. But that she did eat in the kitchen is another step forward. And I don’t rule out other benefits from Sable having only the main floor for her activities. The arrival of a new cat can disrupt much - and not always detrimentally.

Meet Millie

Millie has arrived.

She is a tortoiseshell, a little under medium size but quite light for that, though she doesn’t feel or look under-weight. She has, in fact, a round, chubby-looking face; a sweet face. Her fur is very soft. She is nine and a half years old, and has been in the same home since she was three.

She was not shy when released from her carrier, and started exploring the library right away; she also came over to me and rubbed up against me. She even started playing with one of her toys.

These are good reactions, though I know that many cats, when they first enter a new environment, react with interest and curiosity, only to become rather disenchanted later that day or the next. That is natural; after all, everything they know has disappeared and been replaced by the unfamiliar.

I also know, however, that this discouraged stage, if a cat suffers it, fades, usually quickly. The initial reaction tends to be representative of who they are, and how they behave. We will see with Millie, but I am optimistic of a pleasant transition.

Eight Again

Tomorrow, the low cat-population of the Cosy Cabin - seven - receives an increase: back up to eight.

Millie will arrive about mid-day. She is being given up by her person, after having been adopted about seven or eight years ago from my rescue-group and having lived in the same home for all that time. The person is going through personal changes, and moving; as well, she says that Millie has been wetting outside the litterbox almost the whole time since her adoption.

Our foster-homes, never great in number as it is, are at capacity. As well as the financial responsibility of taking in more cats, there is the need to give the cats in the rescue-group’s care the time to keep them socialised and happy. I am hard-pressed to do that with my lot as it is. We receive many calls, probably about half a dozen a week, from people wanting to give up their cats or having found cats, and wanting a rescue-group to take them. There are many more calls for surrendered cats than there used to be.

Millie is different, in that she came from our group originally. If one of our cats is surrendered, we always try to make room for her, after first attempting to work with the human and resolve the problems that have led to the current situation.

My new guest will go downstairs for the time being. I would like her in the cat-room upstairs, but it is simply easier in a number of ways for her to be in the library until we determine if she is indeed wetting outside the box. This will be disruptive, especially for Sable, but it will be, hopefully, of a short duration.

I will let readers meet Millie when she arrives tomorrow.

His Facial Hair

The other day, Brazil was investigating a piece of dark fur that had come off of one of the other cats, and had been lying on the floor. He of course had to sniff it. It stuck under his nose. For about an hour, he sat, looked out the window and wandered about wearing a little moustache.

A Minor Excursion

While Moxy recovers from his surgery - he is acting more normal, complaining when I am slow to give him dinner, and starting to show an interest in playing again - the other beasts in the Cosy Cabin continue their lives.

Indigo, I have noticed, is coming out of the bedroom more, and yesterday, she wandered into the sitting room without any prompting, an unprecedented step. What’s more, she did it when the other cats were present.

It’s true that she didn’t venture far into the room, but she went far enough to be near her nemesis, Imogen, who was relaxing in a cat-bed. I was prepared for some hostility between the two, but I was quite happy with their reactions. First Imo hissed.

Then, Indie hissed.

But a single word from me was enough to break up any prospective battle. Indigo walked back to the bedroom and Miss Silky settled down for some more rest.

I like that Indigo is allowing herself an expansion in her territory. The Cosy Cabin is her home, after all, and, as she is diabetic, and doesn’t care for other cats, her chances of being adopted are small. Therefore, she may be here a long time. Long enough to become friends with Imogen? I don’t know if any of us will live long enough for that, but if Indie keeps changing her world, even by a little each day, who knows?