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For about a year since one of our dogs died, we’ve had one dog, one cat and two parakeets. That’s enough for any home, in my opinion. My kids disagreed, but I held fast whenever they suggested we get more pets.
Then, in early June, my uncle Steve died. Steve was a wonderful man, who I always thought exemplified much of what a man should be. He was kind, generous, humble, hilarious, intelligent, and a man of faith. He also loved cats and when he died, he left behind three of them.
My kids also loved Steve and when I broke the news of his passing to them, my daughter asked if we could take in her favorite of his three cats, Amber. I gave it some thought and consulted the family and decided that Steve would probably want his orphaned cats to stay within the family, so we could make sure they were well cared for. I also thought that he would probably want them to stay together because they had always been together and they would likely be happier if it stayed that way.
I brought our new housemates home on a recent Sunday evening. Each of them — Amber, Tabitha and Lilly — were in their own carrier in the back of the car. Lilly, who is known to be rather shy, looked like she might not make it. I’ve never seen a cat breathing that hard before. I couldn’t see Amber during the drive, but Tabitha was quite talkative and looked ready to get out and explore the car. Our dog, Phoenix sat in the passenger seat with her head on the arm rest watching the cats the whole drive home.
When we got home, I unloaded the carriers one at a time. When I returned to the car for the second carrier, Phoenix was keeping a close eye on the car, as though reminding me that there were two more cats still in there.
Once I got them inside, I placed them in a room separate from the rest of the animals where I’d placed some of Steve’s clothing, so the room would have his scent in it, hopefully making the cats more comfortable. When I came back in from unloading the rest of the car, there was Phoenix again, lying on the tile floor next to the door to their room. She typically prefers a couch or soft chair, so I think she’s concerned about these new residents in our home. So am I.
Amber and Tabitha seem to be adjusting quickly, but Lilly, the scaredy cat, didn’t eat or drink, as far as I could tell, for the first day. A coworker suggested I try some cat food with chicken broth in it and she finally ate that. She still doesn’t eat much, however, and she somehow manages to hide in a room that’s roughly 10 by 12 feet.
The standard guideline seems to be to keep new cats isolated in their own space for about two weeks when introducing them to a house with other pets. During that time, I’m trying to gradually remove things from the room that came from their old home, introduce things from their new home and gradually introduce them to Phoenix and our other cat, Rocky. I’ve also used a calming spray my coworker loaned me.
Hopefully, everyone will eventually settle in, get along and not destroy the house. Whatever the case, we will do our best to take good care of our new furry friends, and they’ll serve as an ongoing reminder of uncle Steve.