Go get me my pistol, babe

[lizblackdog]

email #1:

saffron is still in her alcove, which as far as i am concerned is
good news because we know where she is! we've made hopefully enticing
dens either side of it with tuna and water in.

hamish is hiding and looking pitiful, but has eaten a bit of tuna
overnight and used the litter box in the night as well. i shall
attempt some quality time with him this evening when i get home.

email #2:

AND upon further inspection, she has left a trail of destruction (well,
3 knocked over things) throughout the house and has both crapped and
weed on the doormat, having had to walk straight past the litter box to
leave her alcove.

Reply: Oh dear. Perhaps she didn't recognise the covered thing as a litterbox?

email #3:

I will give her the benefit of the doubt and take the hat off it
tonight, and leave it in the doorway of the room so she really has to
go right past it. at least she is coming out and exploring overnight,
which means she's not scared stiff. many of the things she knocked over
were on high shelves.

email #4: (from sister's BF, who is being CC'd all correspondence)

I took the lid of the litter tray off this morning. here's the
annoying thing: there are 4 very clear paw prints in it which weren't
there before. she evidently stood in it and said 'i'm not hanging
about here' and went to our doormat instead. which is especially
galling because she's used the litter tray before.

liz, what brand cat litter do you use at home?

hamish has managed to hide in our bedroom to the extent i can't find
him. incredible. mind, i'm not looking too hard as i want him to feel
safe.

Reply: I've always used cheap clay litter - Thomas brand in pet shops, or Asda or Sainsbury's smartprice/economy litter.

I feel I ought to apologise. None of them have ever had defecation dysfunctions like that before... I assume it's a stress-of-new-place thing. Sorry.

email #5: We'll try some of that, thanks!

Don't apologise! It's a lot changing for her all at once--new people,
new noises, new food and new litter. Plus we've split her from her
brother, which I feel terrible about... but the alternative is having
him hiding too, and while they're hiding we can't socialise them
properly. I get the feeling that Hamish hides because he's scared, so
we need to coerce him out, but Saffron hides because that's what
she's used to.

Here's a question for you: Did Saffron come and say hello round the
house at all, when you, the dogs, and the other cats were all about?
I'm wondering what the best way to get her used to contact from us is.

cheers
*sister's BF*

Reply: Saffron would be out and about when it was just us, yes. She'd play with Squish or the other cats, but she's never shown an interest in socialising with humans, and she'd always hide if there were strangers about.

I agree they'd be better together, but not if they're both hiding in a place where they might be able to get into the floor boards. That would be bad.

email #6 - this evening.

Subject: She's out of the hole

she came out, i went and blocked it off. she went to go and crap on
the doormat again i presume, saw *BF* and changed her mind, went to
come back into the hole, saw me in the fireplace and teleported.
neither of us saw her leave the room but she's vanished again.

still, she's not in the floorboards or in the chimney. if she craps
behind the washing machine i am going to kill her, just as soon as i
find her.

she is truly impressive! although i am not really in the mood to
appreciate her skillz.