Cats
I didn't have a chance to make a post last Friday, if I had it would have been called Fracas on Friday! Let me explain....
On Thursday night, Archie and Casper went to the vet for their annual check-ups (Jimmy and Ben had already been for theirs back in May and Kip is on the November rotation with Rio). After Archie's exam I asked to have his claws trimmed because he is so squirmy and difficult when we do it at home why not take advantage of some professional assistance while we were there. So off to the back he went with a technician while Casper had his turn with the doctor. All went well, they were both given clean bills of health and we returned home relieved there wouldn't be any more vet visits for a few months because I find the ordeal more upsetting than the cats!
However, once we arrived home something odd happened. Jimmy started chasing Archie around the house and hissing at him! Poor Archie, already stressed from the vet visit hid under our bed. Perhaps Archie smelled more vet-like than Casper because he went into the back room at the animal hospital, or perhaps Jimmy was just agitated because the carriers had been out and that is never good.
Whatever the reason for his odd behaviour, I though things would resolve overnight but in the morning Jimmy was still being nasty to his brother. I was really quite distressed about the situation because my boys usually get on so well together. I posted my problem to our CWB (Cats With Blogs) page on Facebook and got some great advice, especially from Teri of Curlz and Swirlz and Janiss, assistant to Sparkle the Designer Cat. Teri told me that this is a very common occurrence and that Archie probably smelled like "fear" as well as "vet" and this wasn't sitting right with Jimmy.
She suggested rubbing Archie with something that smelled like me (PJ's for example) and that this might help to counter his BO problem. She also suggested sponge bathing both cats, swapping their bedding and of course separating them if need be. I thought I'd start with the easiest approach first and spent the day stroking Archie with my PJ's then petting Jimmy with them too. Janiss' recommendation was to rub both cats with catnip and get everyone happy and smelling of something good. Luckily we had some industrial strength BC catnip that Archie's girlfriend Tiri from Clooney's Num-Num Fund had sent to us, so needless to say that idea went over very will with the boys!!! I also dashed out and picked up some Feliway comfort spray which I misted on every cat surface I could think of and two refills for the plug-ins I regularly use that happened to be empty!
All of these efforts combined seemed to get the situation under control and by bedtime on Friday harmony had descended on the house once more. Thank you to everyone who posted a comment or idea on Facebook, it was great to get so much support :-)
- Wednesday Wellness
Let me tell you cats and kittens there was big drama at our house yesterday. ALL the cats went to the V-E-T! interested in the carriers until they were put inside Benjamin and Archie were scheduled for their annual check-ups and were...
- Mancat (and Boycat) Monday
Casper and Jimmy nose to noseThis picture so warmed my heart! Jimmy is getting along with the boys (even Archie) very well. Unfortunately, he has had sort of a relapse concerning his odd skin condition. On Saturday we returned to the...
- Hot Cats In The City
It is summertime and we are having a typical Toronto heat wave. For the last three days it has been 43C with the humidex (that’s 109.4 for those of you who use Fahrenheit) and an extreme heat alert was issued. We have air conditioning in the house but...
- The New Door Horror...
Just when I think I know my cats they go and do something that throws me off. I usually like to write my blog on Friday, but we had a new front door installed yesterday and it created quite a cat stir so I decided to post early. Since my guys are indoor...
- Meet Benjamin
This is Benjamin, aka Ben, Benny, Benners, as you can see he is also a very relaxed boy. When we first adopted him we called him wee Ben, then he grew into Big Ben, but now we call him Gentle Ben. He has matured into a wonderful fellow with a great personality....
Cats
Mancat Monday
I didn't have a chance to make a post last Friday, if I had it would have been called Fracas on Friday! Let me explain....
On Thursday night, Archie and Casper went to the vet for their annual check-ups (Jimmy and Ben had already been for theirs back in May and Kip is on the November rotation with Rio). After Archie's exam I asked to have his claws trimmed because he is so squirmy and difficult when we do it at home why not take advantage of some professional assistance while we were there. So off to the back he went with a technician while Casper had his turn with the doctor. All went well, they were both given clean bills of health and we returned home relieved there wouldn't be any more vet visits for a few months because I find the ordeal more upsetting than the cats!
 |
| We're healthy mancats :-) |
 |
| Hey you at the bowl, you stink! |
 |
| my brother Jimmy was mean to me :-( |
She suggested rubbing Archie with something that smelled like me (PJ's for example) and that this might help to counter his BO problem. She also suggested sponge bathing both cats, swapping their bedding and of course separating them if need be. I thought I'd start with the easiest approach first and spent the day stroking Archie with my PJ's then petting Jimmy with them too. Janiss' recommendation was to rub both cats with catnip and get everyone happy and smelling of something good. Luckily we had some industrial strength BC catnip that Archie's girlfriend Tiri from Clooney's Num-Num Fund had sent to us, so needless to say that idea went over very will with the boys!!! I also dashed out and picked up some Feliway comfort spray which I misted on every cat surface I could think of and two refills for the plug-ins I regularly use that happened to be empty!
 |
| mum says I was naughty to chase Archie |
All of these efforts combined seemed to get the situation under control and by bedtime on Friday harmony had descended on the house once more. Thank you to everyone who posted a comment or idea on Facebook, it was great to get so much support :-)
- Wednesday Wellness
Let me tell you cats and kittens there was big drama at our house yesterday. ALL the cats went to the V-E-T! interested in the carriers until they were put inside Benjamin and Archie were scheduled for their annual check-ups and were...
- Mancat (and Boycat) Monday
Casper and Jimmy nose to noseThis picture so warmed my heart! Jimmy is getting along with the boys (even Archie) very well. Unfortunately, he has had sort of a relapse concerning his odd skin condition. On Saturday we returned to the...
- Hot Cats In The City
It is summertime and we are having a typical Toronto heat wave. For the last three days it has been 43C with the humidex (that’s 109.4 for those of you who use Fahrenheit) and an extreme heat alert was issued. We have air conditioning in the house but...
- The New Door Horror...
Just when I think I know my cats they go and do something that throws me off. I usually like to write my blog on Friday, but we had a new front door installed yesterday and it created quite a cat stir so I decided to post early. Since my guys are indoor...
- Meet Benjamin
This is Benjamin, aka Ben, Benny, Benners, as you can see he is also a very relaxed boy. When we first adopted him we called him wee Ben, then he grew into Big Ben, but now we call him Gentle Ben. He has matured into a wonderful fellow with a great personality....