Caitlyn
Caitlyn is my "unplanned child". I had gone to the pet store to get something for the boys. There was a shelter with a cage full of kittens they were trying to find homes for. The woman from the shelter asked me if I'd like to hold one, and, stupid me, I said "yes." Yeah, I know. I should just have the word "sucker" tattooed on my forehead. So it was no surprise that I ended up coming home with another addition to the household. I set her up in the front bedroom/bathroom area of the house. I wanted her separate from the boys until I was sure they could get along and that the boys would accept her. Duncan turned out to be no problem. He was fascinated with her from the start and wanted to be in the room watching her. Galen, on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled with the new arrival. His first reaction to her was to start hissing at her and to bat at her with his front paws. However, I'll give her her due, she stood up to him, poofing up her fur, standing up on her toes, turning sideways to show she was a "big cat" and hissed right back at him. Of course, she was all of two pounds at the time as opposed to Galen's 12 pounds. That didn't seem to faze her, though.
For the first week, I kept her separate and allowed the boys to visit only when I was in the room with them. Duncan would sit on a chair or across the room from her and watch her every move. She'd hide behind or under the furniture, run out, tag him and run back to her hiding place, her own sort of counting coup. That is until Duncan one day made a sort of "mah" sound at her as she ran towards him. She stopped in mid run and went back. After a couple of times of that, she stopped trying to "tag" him. When she tried to walk up to Galen, he'd jump backwards as if afraid she had cooties. It reminded me of the reaction of the monsters in the animated movie, Monsters, Inc., to the presence of the little girl. He would usually hiss at her before running off. It took some time, but eventually, he decided she was okay and accepted her. Now he loves playing with her and chases her around the house (much to her delight). He'll even lick her face from time to time.
Caitlyn is decidedly smaller than the boys, being half the weight of either male cat. However, she is far more energetic than they are. When she first arrived, she would sit in wait for one of them to walk by. Then she'd pounce on them and run off hoping they'd chase her. Galen will occasionally engage her though he just can't keep up with her speed and agility. Sometimes she'll tease him from the top of the banisters because she knows he doesn't have the balance to follow her up there. He tried it a couple of times and failed miserably.
For the first week, I kept her separate and allowed the boys to visit only when I was in the room with them. Duncan would sit on a chair or across the room from her and watch her every move. She'd hide behind or under the furniture, run out, tag him and run back to her hiding place, her own sort of counting coup. That is until Duncan one day made a sort of "mah" sound at her as she ran towards him. She stopped in mid run and went back. After a couple of times of that, she stopped trying to "tag" him. When she tried to walk up to Galen, he'd jump backwards as if afraid she had cooties. It reminded me of the reaction of the monsters in the animated movie, Monsters, Inc., to the presence of the little girl. He would usually hiss at her before running off. It took some time, but eventually, he decided she was okay and accepted her. Now he loves playing with her and chases her around the house (much to her delight). He'll even lick her face from time to time.
Caitlyn is decidedly smaller than the boys, being half the weight of either male cat. However, she is far more energetic than they are. When she first arrived, she would sit in wait for one of them to walk by. Then she'd pounce on them and run off hoping they'd chase her. Galen will occasionally engage her though he just can't keep up with her speed and agility. Sometimes she'll tease him from the top of the banisters because she knows he doesn't have the balance to follow her up there. He tried it a couple of times and failed miserably.