Days 6-8
Well, it has been a week since we've had Buckbeak. He is still timid of us, but has been mewling pathetically to be either out of his room or near the other cats.
Buckbeak escaped Friday evening when I left the door to his room open, and we couldn't get him back into his room. Whoops! Steven and I have decided that he's a socially awkward cat. He doesn't have normal cat behavior. He is so interested in meeting and making friends that he doesn't seem to notice the body language of the other cats. Even when the other cats hissed or growled at him, he kept slowly inching toward them. I thought Jabez was going to lose it on Buckbeak, so I touched his (Jabez's) back and he yelled at me to not touch him. Then he seemed even more violent and was only about 2 fee away from Buckbeak. So I picked him up, hurt leg and all, and was was hissing and screaming and biting me. I put him into Buckbeak's room and shut the door. Then Buckbeak walked right up to Hansel and they smelled each other's noses!! Hansel hissed and Buckbeak backed away a little bit. Jabez was so angry (and probably in pain) that he growled at me when I went to go visit him. I left him alone for about a half hour and then when I went back in I pet him and he purred, but the second I tried to move him he growled. So, he stayed in Buckbeak's room for the night. I didn't want to have Buckbeak and Hansel together while we were sleeping, so we put a litter box in our bedroom and had Hansel stay in there with us all night while Buckbeak had the rest of the house to roam!
The next morning was a little tricky, but I got Jabez out of Buckbeak's room and into our bedroom with Hansel while I hunted Buckbeak. After about a half hour, I had success by using a towel to cover up Buckbeak so I could pick him up. I put him in his box and transported him back to his room. Whew!
Saturday, we moved to the baby gate step since the interaction with Hansel seemed okay. We put up 2 baby gates in the doorway to his room. There was a little bit of hissing, but other than that, relatively non-eventful meetings at the gates. I didn't think two gates would be appropriate for when we were gone, so yesterday we borrowed another gate and put up 3 baby gates in the door. Somehow Buckbeak squeezed through them when we were in the bedroom reading. He was just sniffing around and Jabez didn't seem too bothered. Hansel was under the covers, so he was unaware.
We had dinner plans, so we were hoping he'd go back into his room eventually. Hansel emerged from the covers and there was a little yowling, so I stood between the cats. Things seemed to be going well. Then there was another altercation while I was playing piano. I stopped and went over to check it out, but Buckbeak and Hansel seemed to be moving away from each other. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere, Buckbeak LAUNCHED himself at Hansel. Result: full on cat fight!!! They were latched onto each other, so there wasn't much I could do other than clap loudly and yell to scare Buckbeak. I think at that point, the cats are so concentrated on the fight that they block out the outside noises. When they broke apart for a moment, I swooped in and scooped up Hansel. Steven ran over and shut the door to our bedroom, locking up Buckbeak.
I checked Hansel over, but he seemed to be physically okay. Poor guy. I don't know what the heck happened with Buckbeak! It was such a shock with his high pitched mews and his pleading to the other cats and eagerness to meet them. Buckbeak wouldn't let me touch him and even hissed at me which he hasn't ever done. Also, I noticed pee all over the floor where the fight was, so I assume it was Hansel. :( Major setback.
Buckbeak is now back in his room with the door fully shut. Hansel doesn't need to get attacked EVER in his home. He is 14 years old and has multiple myeloma - he probably already has pain in his now skinny body. I was wondering if Buckbeak sensed that he was weaker and therefore attacked. I don't know. We do think Buckbeak is a little odd.
Anyway, we are back to square one and we won't allow the cats to jump the gun again. I doubt that we will let Buckbeak out unattended even after we try again in a few weeks to integrate.
Buckbeak escaped Friday evening when I left the door to his room open, and we couldn't get him back into his room. Whoops! Steven and I have decided that he's a socially awkward cat. He doesn't have normal cat behavior. He is so interested in meeting and making friends that he doesn't seem to notice the body language of the other cats. Even when the other cats hissed or growled at him, he kept slowly inching toward them. I thought Jabez was going to lose it on Buckbeak, so I touched his (Jabez's) back and he yelled at me to not touch him. Then he seemed even more violent and was only about 2 fee away from Buckbeak. So I picked him up, hurt leg and all, and was was hissing and screaming and biting me. I put him into Buckbeak's room and shut the door. Then Buckbeak walked right up to Hansel and they smelled each other's noses!! Hansel hissed and Buckbeak backed away a little bit. Jabez was so angry (and probably in pain) that he growled at me when I went to go visit him. I left him alone for about a half hour and then when I went back in I pet him and he purred, but the second I tried to move him he growled. So, he stayed in Buckbeak's room for the night. I didn't want to have Buckbeak and Hansel together while we were sleeping, so we put a litter box in our bedroom and had Hansel stay in there with us all night while Buckbeak had the rest of the house to roam!
The next morning was a little tricky, but I got Jabez out of Buckbeak's room and into our bedroom with Hansel while I hunted Buckbeak. After about a half hour, I had success by using a towel to cover up Buckbeak so I could pick him up. I put him in his box and transported him back to his room. Whew!
Saturday, we moved to the baby gate step since the interaction with Hansel seemed okay. We put up 2 baby gates in the doorway to his room. There was a little bit of hissing, but other than that, relatively non-eventful meetings at the gates. I didn't think two gates would be appropriate for when we were gone, so yesterday we borrowed another gate and put up 3 baby gates in the door. Somehow Buckbeak squeezed through them when we were in the bedroom reading. He was just sniffing around and Jabez didn't seem too bothered. Hansel was under the covers, so he was unaware.
We had dinner plans, so we were hoping he'd go back into his room eventually. Hansel emerged from the covers and there was a little yowling, so I stood between the cats. Things seemed to be going well. Then there was another altercation while I was playing piano. I stopped and went over to check it out, but Buckbeak and Hansel seemed to be moving away from each other. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere, Buckbeak LAUNCHED himself at Hansel. Result: full on cat fight!!! They were latched onto each other, so there wasn't much I could do other than clap loudly and yell to scare Buckbeak. I think at that point, the cats are so concentrated on the fight that they block out the outside noises. When they broke apart for a moment, I swooped in and scooped up Hansel. Steven ran over and shut the door to our bedroom, locking up Buckbeak.
I checked Hansel over, but he seemed to be physically okay. Poor guy. I don't know what the heck happened with Buckbeak! It was such a shock with his high pitched mews and his pleading to the other cats and eagerness to meet them. Buckbeak wouldn't let me touch him and even hissed at me which he hasn't ever done. Also, I noticed pee all over the floor where the fight was, so I assume it was Hansel. :( Major setback.
Buckbeak is now back in his room with the door fully shut. Hansel doesn't need to get attacked EVER in his home. He is 14 years old and has multiple myeloma - he probably already has pain in his now skinny body. I was wondering if Buckbeak sensed that he was weaker and therefore attacked. I don't know. We do think Buckbeak is a little odd.
Anyway, we are back to square one and we won't allow the cats to jump the gun again. I doubt that we will let Buckbeak out unattended even after we try again in a few weeks to integrate.
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