Oldies update

Things in the senior kitizens room haven’t been entirely easy over the last few months.   What with Maya being ill, and then losing her kits, and being so very timid.   And then Gertie arriving, friendly and purry but blind and confused and not at all well.

Going back about 3 weeks, Maya had returned from being spayed and was in a large crate so she could rest after her op, and hopefully start to engage a little more with the humans.    Gertie was just arrived and in another large crate in the same room because she couldn’t see where she was going and needed a smaller manageable space.  Both very different characters and different needs.

Progress was very quick with Gertie ….. once her blood pressure was treated some of her sight was regained.

on arrival

few days later on meds

confident enough to explore

much happier

The downside of this was that one of the first things she saw was Maya ….. and she was not pleased 😦   Having been released from her crate because she was no longer banging into things, the crate sadly had to be re erected as she was yowling at poor little May.   Maya’s response was to turn her igloo around so she didn’t have to see her.I just love May with this igloo … she’s pretty much lived in it since she arrived here.   Everything she likes ends up in the igloo, her favourite toys, even her food!  In the early days there would be no sign of life with her, then when she thought I wasn’t watching, an arm would reach out, grab what she wanted and drag it back into her cave.

May with her stash of toys

We’ve reached a way of living for these ladies that seems to work. They each have a large crate in the room. In the day time Gertie comes out of hers to snooze on the foot stool in the sunshine

At tea time Gertie has her tablet in some tuna and enjoys having her jacket brushed for a while, and then goes into her crate.   Maya’s crate is then open and we work at bonding over some more of the tuna

Things are slowly getting better with Maya …. despite Gertie’s hostility to May, May is clearly observing Gert being picked up and cuddled and realising that the sky does not fall in as a result.   With the bribe of tuna its possible to stroke her carefully just a little.  Tiny things feel such an achievement ….. at breakfast time when there’s only really time to decant a pouch into her dish and clean her tray, I’ve been aware that instead of cowering in her igloo, Maya has been starting to nosey to see what flavour it is, and hasn’t dived for cover when I’ve picked up her water bowl to get fresh water for her.  She’s played a little more with me, not always from the safety of her igloo, and under the influence of catnip the other day …… she almost looked happy.

So in the evening after the tuna and her supper, I’ve put some cat treats in her favourite toys …… she loves the noisy ball track.  She dives out of the crate to play and get the treats.

In the morning she’s back in her igloo, her crate is closed, Gertie comes out and the cycle begins again.

Love these girls … both very different challenges …. both adorable.