The Explorer

I was having dinner and saw this little explorer come out of her safe-room for a brief excursion. I initially saw only her rear end and the colouring was unfamiliar – or, rather, it reminded me of my late friend, Tucker’s – and I actually spent a second or two wondering who this was. I wasn’t worried, merely puzzled that I had acquired another cat, apparently without my knowledge. That’s how the mind of someone involved in cat-rescue works…

Anyway, Indigo didn’t stay out of the library for long, but she did come out, and that is a big step. (With Imogen no doubt keeping a watchful eye out from the bedroom.)

Moving Ahead, Though Slowly

Newly re-named Indigo and I are getting along well. I can lift her and carry her; I don’t think she likes it, but she tolerates it. I was able to put her into a carrier yesterday without any trouble, which means that a new veterinary appointment can be made for her - probably next week - to give her the once over.

As regards to the other beasts, Indigo still harbours quite a bit of distrust. They come into the library - from which Indie has moved very rarely - each for different reasons. Renn comes to use the letterbox, which he prefers for some reason to those in the storeroom; Neville comes in to eat from Indigo’s hard-food bowl - which contains the same kind of food as is in one outside the library; Brazil comes to to try to make friends with the newcomer - so I believe - and Imogen comes in to assert her authority. So far, none has made contact with Indigo since Imo’s unfortunate encounter with her some time ago. But there is plenty of time for that, and getting her used to humans is the more important relationship to cultivate.

Things are moving ahead very slowly, but they are moving ahead…

Her Touch of Class

Imogen rarely becomes ill, but she has thrown up a few times since coming to live with me. Each time has comprised just a liquidy vomit, and was followed by nothing more. I look for signs of hairballs but they don’t seem to be the cause. It has happened so rarely that it is not a worry to me.

If she is on the bed when the urge to upchuck comes upon her, however, Miss Silky gets off. This has happened twice now. This time, she even went into the bathroom, the floor of which is free of carpeting. Clearly, she prefers the lowest altitude for sickness, and I like to think that she is trying not to vomit on the bed. She reminds me in this of my late old lady, Josie, who, if she felt compelled to barf, headed for the bathroom, no matter where she was.

As strong a personality as she has, Imo still tries to be polite when it comes to puking. That’s class.

Iago Turns Indigo

I’d suspected it for a while, but it was confirmed this morning: Iago is a girlcat. A colleague from the rescue-group came by to take pictures of the newcomer and, with two pairs of hands, we were able to determine that Iago is female. Therefore, Iago has become Indigo.

Indigo did pretty well with a new person. I had to coax her onto my lap first, so that I could hold her when the other person came into the library. Indigo was fearful but not very scared. She didn’t fight me holding her; this bodes well for putting her in a carrier and taking her, at last, to the veterinary. It also suggests that another, permanent, home, with other people, will require only a normal period of adjustment before Indigo warms to different surroundings.

She may not have thought so, but it wasn’t a blue day for Indigo.

Overlooked

One of Imogen’s favourite spots is on top of the kitchen cabinets. There, she can feel safe from the approach of other cats (such as Brazil), and can look both out the kitchen window and over much of the apartment. It also allows her to supervise my writing when I am at the dining table…

Big Tummy Good Pillow

After his haircut, Neville has been using cat-beds more, as well as the heated blanket on the sitting room armchair. I don’t think he is cold, since he rarely changes his location if a window is open. But he probably is feeling a little cooler right now.

That’s good news for a cuddler like Brazil, who here is taking advantage of both his big brother Nev and the heating pad. This afternoon was cool and rainy, the perfect sort of day for snoozing with a pal. Shimmer got to snuggle, and the Nevsky had warmth from several directions. I think both cats were pleased, even if Neville looks like he was asking me not to take such an embarrassing picture…

Clever Boy

Monday, a plumber came into the apartment while I was absent and cleared an impending blockage in the kitchen basin’s drain. The building manager, who is a cat-man and knows about my cats, came with him, so I was not worried about anything untoward occurring with the beasts, especially as Iago and Imogen were locked in separate rooms.

But Brazil was still on the loose, and I knew he would be startled by the appearance of strangers. I wasn’t terribly concerned about his reaction: I knew he would try to hide, find that both the library and the bedroom were closed to him, and search for a refuge somewhere else. But where?

When I came home, I saw the answer.