Charlie & Miso in Harmony

Less than one month ago, I brought Charlie home to live with Miso and I. Miso is about 5  years old and  Charlie was born mid July of this year.

There were some concerns due to the reason I had Miso in the first place. Miso had come to live with me 2 years ago after having attacked the other cat in her household three times. These attacks were vicious enough to send him to the hospital for stitches to his back each time.

As their pet care giver, it was not nearly as pleasant visiting them due to the new arrangement that was called for. I had to split my time into two sessions; one with Miso in the basement and the other session with her "brother" upstairs.

Curiously, the attacks were brought on after several years of living together. The first attack occured just after they brought the other kitty back from the hospital with bandaged paws from having been declawed. Miso has always been declawed back and front, so this must have upset the balance of power between the two somehow.

I hadn't considered getting another kitty until now because of Miso's rough history. But for the past year, I've felt bad about leaving Miso at home so much of the time, especially when I am away for vacation  overnight stays. She has seemed to calm down quite a bit and I sometimes imagine a nurturing instict in her.

Since I've always wanted a Maine Coone cat, I went onto Petfinder.com and put in the information. I asked for a male kitten and it turned out that Charlie fit the description. He was also less than an hour away from my home.

I let a few friends know that I was going to be introducing a new kitten to my household and the best advice I received was to let the kitties get acquainted from under a door first. This way they aren't as overwhelmed. They can get accustommed to new smells before having to negotiate space and territory.

Of course there was lots of hissing at first, especially from my Miso. I tried to stay away from their encounters as much as possible and to let nature take its course, all the while watching for signs of true aggression on Miso's part. Gradually I opened my full home to both of them whenever I am at home.

It was also suggested by my Petfinder.com mom, that I keep Miso's routine intact as much as possible. That has proven to be the best advice I could have received.

The most drama that occurred was when Miso would hiss and growl and wack her paw very loudly in front of Charlie which created a startlingly loud popping noise. Very quickly and to my amazement, Miso seems to have taken a shine to little Charlie and I recently caught her butting her head up to him affectionately.

We are now to the point where Charlie and Miso can be on the bed together and co-exist contentedly. I am still careful not to leave them alone in the house for too long together but I am optimistic about the future. I look forward to the day when I can pack up for an overnight knowing that the two of them will keep each other company until I return the next day.

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Finding a New Home for Your Pet

I recently received an email containing a photo and plea for help from a woman who was moving to Europe and could not take her two beautiful, well behaved labs with her. These sweet babies were very attached to each other and it was awful to think they might have to be separated to find them good homes. She was desperate to find them a good home where they could continue to live together.

I received the message from a friend and assumed this friend knew the woman who sent the original plea for help and thereby forwarded the message to a couple of other freinds. Unfortunately, the person who sent it to me arrived at the same conclusion when he received the message, and no one checked snopes.com to determine the message's validity. The animals had already found a new home YEARS ago. 

Although these kinds of "hoaxes" are not malicious, they get started, in part, because the original author doesn't think to include an easy way for people to check back to see if a home had already been found for their beloved pets. It is very easy to send a message to friends who inadvertantly proliferate the message in an attempt to help.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way, via email, to let others' know when the search is no longer necessary, the message gathers momentum and continues on its merry way. Now, anytime I get an email and don't know the original sender, I check snopes.com to see if the email is still legitimate. If I had such a pressing need as finding a new home for Miso, I'd include a website or blog for people to check in and get updates before they pass on the email.

This strategy might keep me from having to change my email address as the message makes its way across the world, illiciting help from hundreds of animal lovers. Besides helping me keep my life simple, providing a check back link is just a considerate thing to do.

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