Mia - a new chapter begins

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ThorpeDave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

booktigger wrote:Do hope Hendrix continues to improve. I know you are concerned about the treatments having an effect on Stealth, but being in rescue, we regularly neuter, vaccinate flea and worm at the same time (when doing TNR, you only get one chance) and it really is a rare occurrence. If I remember rightly, they paid for the treatment, which is why it was done that way, but as I said, it is rare.

Glad that Mia is now officially transferred to you and that she is getting better with attention.
Hendrix is certainly back to normal tearing the place apart.

We actually paid for all of Stealth's treatment except for the neutering, which we reimbursed the rescue organisation for. The agreement was that we would do that if he stayed with use which is what he chose to do.

We are delighted that Mia is now officially our cat and we are helping her original owners the best we can to trace one of her brothers who has gone missing - it is the least we can do.

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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

Wow! A rollercoaster! I'm reminded of the time a kitten of mine scaled a 8' bookcase and came tumbling down in a torrent of books ... result, a 'fat leg'. The vet wasn't too perturbed and like Hendrix she returned to wrecking everything very soon. I think they're made of rubber, some of them.

Glad you got Mia's ownership sorted too. Now she's YOURS :D Congrats! :D

Never a dull moment with cats is there? :o :lol:
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Lilith wrote: Never a dull moment with cats is there? :o :lol:
After our experience with Stealth, our vet is very thorough and gives us the time our cats deserve. We think he did it jumping off the cat tree and slipping on a box that was not far away.

Anyway the little horror is chasing Mia all over the house now and showing no sign of any problem. May give him a bit more medicine as he slept well on it!

It is worse than having kids honest

I was in trouble on Friday night. I bought them a new cat tree which seemed big enough for them both. "big enough?" heck there is room for another 4 on it! It is over 6ft high and Hendrix went straight to the top - sense of impending doom!

It is great to have Mia as our own now and we now know that she was 4 years old on August 12th

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Mayday21 »

Hi Dave great news on Mia & now you have little Hendrix - a kitten at that & a 6ft cat tree. :o You may have to watch him with that when he’s castrated..chat with your vet. And good luck in searching for Mia’s brother ... her previous owners appear to be a bit casual on looking after fur babes... Vivian & still The Famous Four from Oz.
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Mayday21 wrote:Hi Dave great news on Mia & now you have little Hendrix - a kitten at that & a 6ft cat tree. :o You may have to watch him with that when he’s castrated..chat with your vet. And good luck in searching for Mia’s brother ... her previous owners appear to be a bit casual on looking after fur babes... Vivian & still The Famous Four from Oz.
I am already pondering what to do when he goes for the snip! He is a total maniac which is quite remarkable as only a month ago the vet did not think he would make it!

He has be tearing around the house for 4 hours this morning at breakneck speed and has worn me out.

I think I may have to hide the trees for a few days and it will certainly be fun trying to keep him calm.

We actually think that his energy is what is holding Mia back at the moment. When he is calm and quiet she is fine with him but he has a habit of hiding then pouncing on her in what appears to be play. Mia is very quiet and reserved and finds this too much. No contact yet but no fighting either

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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

Oh lol, the little horror. With any luck the anaesthetic will zonk him out ... for a few hours ...

I remember the time one of my girls had her op ... don't let her climb, they said. Took my eyes off her for 2 seconds after she came out of the carrier, and there she was, on top of the gas fire!

It's amazing how they survive ... the blood runs cold, it really does, at their antics, but miraculously, touch wood, I've never had a disaster. I first took a kitten to be neutered when I was 10, at the local RSPCA clinic, under local anaesthetic. On the bus and back, in a shopping bag. With his head sticking out. That was 56 years ago and I've had countless cats 'done' since then and most of them have come back and proceeded regardless ... cats! :o :lol:
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

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Lilith wrote:Oh lol, the little horror. With any luck the anaesthetic will zonk him out ... for a few hours ...
I was hoping for a week - or 2!
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

MESSAGE TO HENDRIX

Hendrix, While I am preparing your dinner, it may be funny climbing up the leg of my jeans. However, when I have just got out of the bath and am preparing you supper, IT IS NOT FUNNY

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Dave
(scared for life)
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

:o :lol: :lol: :lol:

... Could a cricket box be a wise precaution?
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Ruth B »

Ouch, hopefully no major damage done and no visits to A&E needed.

Saturn soon learned he was far better off climbing the kitchen drawers rather than the legs, he was a bit old for leg climbing when we got him, and if he climbs the drawers he can easily get his nose over the side to see what is being prepared and if it is something he wants (whether or not it is destined for him) the long paw snakes out over the edge of the work surface towards his target. I've got very good at doing an odd dance while preparing food, a sideways shuffle and a swing of the hips, then the same in the other direction, all the while preparing the food with my hands. The talents we learn while owning cats.
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Lilith wrote::o :lol: :lol: :lol:

... Could a cricket box be a wise precaution?
A cricket box would be easily defeated - was thinking more of a full outfit as worn by ice hockey goal keepers!
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Ruth B wrote:Ouch, hopefully no major damage done and no visits to A&E needed.
Because he was separated from his mum and the rest of the litter, he has not learned that biting and scratching hurts - but I know it does!
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Kay »

I seem to remember all kittens scratch because they don't learn how to retract their claws until they get older, so there is hope on that front

some kittens benefit from teething aids which they can chomp on - have you tried him on a catnip stuffed cloth toy?
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

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We are now fairly confident that - at least - Mia and Hendrix will be able to co-exist with us. whether this is simply tolerating each or, or they become close is yet to be seen.

We are naturally hoping that the relationship will develop BEFORE Hendrix's hormones start kicking in then vanish as quickly as they arrived.

The only thing that is certain, come Christmas, the only balls that will be dangling will be on the Christmas Tree!

Mia continues to become closer by the day with us and she is now really enjoying the attention she receives. While the stroking and fussing started before Hendrix's arrival they have certainly intensified since. Whether this is a natural development, or, if this is Mia's way of ensuring her position in the household is unclear. As long as it continues, it is simply fine by us!

Mia is now spend a lot more time in the house and now rarely goes out. She still spends quite a bit of time in her sanctuary under the stairs but can also be found on the stairs or in the bedroom. As winter approaches, Mia is likely to be more visible as she knows where the central heating pipes are!

Mia remains soft, gentle, reserved and, at times, timid but we are seeing no arched backs, ears punting backwards or swiping of paws. The occasional growls and the odd hiss are still present but, yesterday, squeaks and chirps aimed at Hendrix also started.

Hendrix's approach to Mia is very juvenile and, as he was separated from his Mum and the remainder of the litter at such an early age, his social skills with other cats is probably lacking.

It is clear, however, that Hendrix wants to be friends and wants to play with Mia. However his approach is often too much for Mia to handle. Generally he hides, or creeps up behind her and pounces causing her to exit stage left rapidly. This causes Hendrix to cry when she disappears.

When Hendrix make a frontal approach he does so very carefully and gently and Mia continues to sit or lie very calmly. Hendrix's often meow when he gets close or when Mia fails to responds or growls softly.

So far, I think we are doing ok

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Kay wrote:I seem to remember all kittens scratch because they don't learn how to retract their claws until they get older, so there is hope on that front

some kittens benefit from teething aids which they can chomp on - have you tried him on a catnip stuffed cloth toy?
Hendrix does retracts his claw quite often but we think the aggression is normal behavior for a kitten who play fights. Because he was separated from his mum and the rest of the litter he has simply not been able to develop with them so has not learned that biting and scratching hurt!

We have introduced more toys with a sisal mouse being his favorite. He is very attracted to catnip and love a catnip stuffed mouse too. His previous keepers did use their hands to fight with him, which was good bonding, but I now need to phase this out otherwise it will become a problem in the future

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Hendrix is now growing rapidly and he appears to be really enjoying his food.

He is now on 3 pouches a day, 1 x 100% natural kitten food (not easy to find in shops) 1 x mainstream kitten food and 1 x 100% natural grain free cat food.

This past week he has gained 188g so way above target!

He is a little star though. I got the kitchen scales out and put them on the floor and he immediate got on them so I could weigh him :D
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

ThorpeDave wrote:
The only thing that is certain, come Christmas, the only balls that will be dangling will be on the Christmas Tree!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Not for long - last time I had a Christmas tree was in '83, just after I adopted a pair of Siamese cross kittens ... crash bang wallop! And two Siamese furries at the top! :lol:

That's great about Mia - she sounds to be training him :D
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

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Lilith wrote:
ThorpeDave wrote: That's great about Mia - she sounds to be training him :D
Mia is most definitely having an influence on him.

Again, because he was separated from his mum and siblings at a very early age, he was not grooming himself and the previous owners had to wipe his bum for him!.

Soon after his arrival Mia would go through a complete grooming session in front of him which he watched intently and started to mimic her.

In the past 2 days he is now grooming himself properly - including his bits :D

Mia is now, occasionally, chasing him and paws are being raised - I feel a lesson as to who is boss is not far away!

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

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The past 36 hours has been very difficult

Hendrix is growing by the day, bigger, stronger and bolder.

We have done our best to keep our routine with Mia particularly fusses and treat and of course feeding time.

However Hendrix is beginning to disrupt these with an increasing desire to "play" with Mia.

While there is no aggression, his approach is VERY boisterous and Mia instinct is to run rather than give him the slap that he deserves. She has experienced aggression in the past, ultimately leading to her straying but this must not happen again but we are certainly finding it extremely difficult to keep Hendrix calm and under control.

He have brought the big guns out in the form of Feliway and Pet Medic de-stressing and calming spray with only minor effect.

this afternoon Mia would rather sit out in the rain than be in the house :(

He has plenty of toys to keep him occupied but Mia is all he wants when she is in the house.

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

Oh the bad lad. You get these setbacks. Yes, you'll have to let him know Mia comes first. My younger cat can be like this and I've always had to defend the oldies. Luckily she (the youngest) has a nickname that I use in a low scandalised whisper when she starts getting bolshy, and she's been so obnoxious in her time that I resorted to squirting her bottom with a plant mister, which the others weren't afraid of, but she is (squirty bottle's coming!)

But of course the REAL remedy is a good hard belt round the earhole from senior cat ...

Hoping they settle down soon and good luck to Mia!
Last edited by Lilith on Sun Sep 09, 2018 2:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by booktigger »

Oh dear! It's times like this you wish you could step in, but they have to figure it out themselves. Feliway can take up to a month to kick in.
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Ruth B »

Oh dear he sounds like my Saturn in his younger days, too full of himself and energy to know better, i was lucky Tiggy wasn't afraid to give him a good right hook with her paw when he got too much.

Depending on how Mia would take it, a well aimed toy mouse at hitting his flank can work wonders, something has attacked him and has to be 'killed', or one of the larger attachments on a wand toy and again 'attack' him with it if he gets too boisterous with Mia to try and divert his attention. Toys that just sit there are no where near as much fun as one that runs away or squeals at him.

As Lilith says, a plant sprayer is also an option and can be a good reprimand device.

Give Mia a gentle fuss from me, she obviously needs it.
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Thank you all for your re-assuring words and wisdom ;)

It is without a doubt that Hendrix is interrupting Mia's routine although there are other things that may be upsetting her too.

Mia did not get a fuss last night but when my wife woke up at 4am Mia was there and enjoyed a fuss - and Hendrix too who also decided to join in but thankfully kept calm.

The 7am fuss however did not occur with Mia staying on the stairs with Hendrix running up and down the stairs. On the way down, Mia "gave him a helping hand" and on the way back up I counted 3 slaps to the back of the head!

The early even fuss was also interrupted which resulted in Mia really expressing her frustration and lashing out at Hendrix. Not sure if she connected or not but Hendrix backed off and came looking for comfort.

There are a couple of other things which may also be upsetting Mia.

On 2 occasions this past week, Mia's original owner has visited, first to give us the paperwork to transfer ownership of Mia and secondly to discuss a plan to try and trace Mia's brother who has not been seen since the end of May.

It is possible that Mia's Brother may have returned to the area as 3 male cats plus Mia are sensing an intruder on the territory. A new scent has definitely been detected which appears to be "spooking" the males but "interesting" Mia

We also have to remember that Mia is a "headcase" at the best of time with the poor girl being bullied out of her home by a male with 2 others also chasing her at every opportunity. The love of her life, Stealth, passed away very recently and she now has to share her home with a juvenile delinquent. she is bound to have off days!

Hendrix does seem to learning though. He is very handy with his paw and I revived a swipe across my nose causing a bad scratch and quite a bit of blood. He did it again today but this time with his claws retracted.

Hopefully this is just a blip and things will get back on an even keel in a day or so.

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

It's hopeful I think, especially as Mia is so vulnerable. Adult cats will put up with more from kittens of course; he won't feel as threatening as a full-grown male (although you could do without those bad boys' presences to unnerve her) but if she's turning round and smacking Hendrix, then that is a step, or a slap, in the right direction. Perhaps she's even doing it because she is unnerved - she senses males but when she sees one she thinks, oh well, I can deal with that shrimp - might distribute the balance of confidence more evenly.

Good luck! :)
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by booktigger »

Lilith wrote:It's hopeful I think, especially as Mia is so vulnerable. Adult cats will put up with more from kittens of course; he won't feel as threatening as a full-grown male (although you could do without those bad boys' presences to unnerve her) but if she's turning round and smacking Hendrix, then that is a step, or a slap, in the right direction. Perhaps she's even doing it because she is unnerved - she senses males but when she sees one she thinks, oh well, I can deal with that shrimp - might distribute the balance of confidence more evenly.

Good luck! :)
Buster used to do that - Molly was the top cat, despite being the smallest, and he knew he couldn't have a go back, so he'd go outside and beat up one of the neighbours cats!!
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

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We gave up trying to understand what makes Mia tick a long time ago. Vets and behavior "experts" were continually telling us just leave her alone, "she will probably live in your house but nothing more"

We now know that she was about 11 weeks old when her feral mum finally deposited her with a couple who already had her siblings and other cats. Mia made in 8 or 9 we believe.

Her original owners were unable to socialize her and it took us over a year to do so confounding all exceptions, even ours although we continually tried.

Her behavior at the weekend really worried us however. She was clearly upset and when we found her looking to cross the road towards her original home we panicked. Thankfully, she did not leave and came back after some considerable time but remained very twitchy.

In the early hours of Monday morning, Mia came for a fuss and she purred loudly rubbing herself against my wife's hand. Hendrix remained calm and lay on our bed close by watching intently.

After her 7am fuss, which was interrupted by Hendrix we had a heart stopping moment.

After turning her back on Hendrix for a split second, he, predictably pounced on her sending her scurrying down the stairs where she stopped, washed herself then lay down appearing quite relaxed.

10 steps above her was Hendrix sitting on the landing looking at her and this continued for about 10 minutes - they never took their eyes off each other.

All of a sudden, Hendrix coiled himself up and jumped landing with pin point precision one inch in front of the still laying Mia. That is one mighty leap for such a small kitten and it seemed to stunn him a little and Mia did not flinch - except for a couple of slaps across his rear end - stupid boy.

Hendrix was uninjured although he was very quiet for the rest of the day!

Monday evening Mia's routine was back to normal, having her treats and then a fuss. Then, to our surprise, in walks Hendrix and they touched noses :o ;)

With a tear in our eyes relief came over us. Mia then, for the first time, jumped on the new cat tree which Hendrix loves so much.

Hendrix is now 11 weeks old and is due for his booster jabs next week - and his claws clipping too! He is gaining weight at the rate of 30g a day and as fast as he is growing, he also seems to be growing up. He is now much calmer and the manic 2-4 hours has reduced to 1 hour at the most.

He is now very well settled and he is very well socialized so really hoping he will bring Mia on too. I had a lovely fuss with him this morning, he was so gentle and I received lots of head butts :D Biting and scratching has drastically reduced to. Hendrix is fine, mad, loving and gorgeous. Mia remains work in progress!

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

OMG a rollercoaster :o

This sounds really good - you'll have good days and bad days of course, but it looks as if Mia has put down roots with you and has decided to let Hendrix know who's boss. Won't hurt him.

Looking forward to the next instalment :D
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

Lilith wrote:OMG a rollercoaster :o

This sounds really good - you'll have good days and bad days of course, but it looks as if Mia has put down roots with you and has decided to let Hendrix know who's boss. Won't hurt him.

Looking forward to the next instalment :D
My only concern for Hendrix is that he wants to be friends with Mia and we are not quite there yet.

this situation is completely the opposite to when Stealth was with us. Mia loved him very much but he only played with her a few times in the short time he was with us. There was a special bond with them but it was never the cuddling type.

I could do without the bad days though!

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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by ThorpeDave »

I will be posting an update next week after Hendrix has been to the vets for his booster, claw clipping and general healthcheck

In the meantime, I have created a public photo album on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/HamShackCat ... 6083244442

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Dave
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Re: Mia - a new chapter begins

Post by Lilith »

Aww lovely - and Stealth too, bless him :)
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