Saturday, January 29, 2022

Minuet on Day One

Minuet’s first night in the Cosy Apartment went very well. She arrived at about 3.30 Friday afternoon, and went into the bathroom. She arrived with various items, the most important of which was her insulin, a different kind than Neville uses. It is delivered by syringe, rather than pen; I am currently moving her injection schedule a little time each day to correspond with the Nevsky’s.

She also came with a rather terrible ‘house’ (a covered cat-bed) that was, I was told, of great comfort to her; it was, however, where she had wet numerous times in the past. Though it had been repeatedly washed, it was in bad shape, and was not only unhealthy but encouraged Minuet to continue wetting there. When she came out for her first meal – she has had no reluctance in eating – I removed the house and threw it out. This led Min to find a substitute. Though I had hoped she would use the soft, folded blanket I’d placed for the purpose, she chose instead to lie in the litter-box.

Lacking a ‘house’ to give her, I made one from the bottom of an old, cleaned litter-box, with the thick blanket in the bottom. Some coaxing with a catnip toy brought her into the box, which she continued to use through the night.

Minuet has so far exhibited no hesitation in using the litter-box. Though her former owner had resorted to Cat-Attract cat-litter, she had merely sprinkled it on Min’s normal litter. I put only Cat-Attract in the litter-box. Minuet has used it repeatedly (as with many oldsters, of varying species, she seems needful of wetting in small amounts many times) for both liquid and solid waste. Though it is a relatively expensive clay litter, I will use it from now on, if that is what works.

Right now, Min is in the library. I thought it safe to move her there after seeing her correct application of the litter-box. She has not taken advantage of the relatively generous space of the library, after the bathroom’s confines, but the expansiveness of the room may be its own disadvantage at this stage of her acquaintance. I am, in fact, pleased with the progress of her situation: she has not only not wet outside the litter-box (so far as I can tell) but is amenable to new human friendships, purring loudly in response to petting, stroking and brushing.

Considering how her world has changed, those responses are quite remarkable, and remarkably good.

17 comments:

  1. What excellent news! All it takes is love, and an experienced caretaker. Well done with this elderly prima diva.

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  2. No kidding, good for her and you too, she is off to a good start.

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  3. We are so happy for Minuet. Thank you, John.

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  4. Maybe she just needed some love, attention and understanding. You are the cat whisperer, John!

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  5. You may have unlocked the 'secret ingredient' to proper litterbox use, and she seems to be a lovable little darling!

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  6. That is very good news. Love and understanding makes all the difference.

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  7. oooooO! As they say John..
    It's ALL coming along nicely! :0).

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  8. It sounds as if things are off to a good start. Maybe it's just the loving touch that you were providing that will help her make the changes that she needs. Good luck with the continued progress because she certainly is a cutie and deserves a good home for the next few years of her life.

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  9. Well done, Minuet! Agreed, she needed an experienced cat caretaker. I hope things continue to go well, even if there are a few sidesteps along the way. ❤️

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  10. Thank heaven her start with you is so good! I had hopes, but I was concerned. Maybe the worst thing WAS her old house! It was, as you pointed out rife with reminders from her past usage, for her to wet inside. And it had to be unhealthy. She is adorable looking I wanted to add that. Such a dear little face.
    May things continue to go well; and I thank you as well for bringing her home!

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  11. She's such an adorable little lady.

    That's fantastic news that she's already responding well to you! Maybe she's thinking, "Hm, I may like it here..."

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  12. I agree with Patty - All Minuet needed was some love, attention, understanding, and the correct brand of kitty litter! She looks so sweet. I know she'll enjoy living in the Cosy Apartment.

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  13. This is just fantastic! I am so happy for both of you!!

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  14. A promising beginning, Minuet!
    Dr. John will continue to improve your situation, you can bet your bottom dollar on that.

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  15. goodness minuet may I start by saying you are truly a beauty and a FABulous one as well and both mackerull and myself welcome you to the Cosy Apartment and we are pleased beyond measure that you are settled in nicely and all paws crossed that everything from this point forward gets better and better and when you feel totally rested please send me a text and I will tell you about the fantastic online shopping site my friend Katie and I use when we can't get out and about as they have probably the best deals on handbags you can imagine and St Francis' blessings to you with hugs from dai$y queen of the run on sentence =^..*= ♥♥

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  16. It sounds like a promising start. Welcome Minuet!

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