Smudge & Zeus
Posted on July 5, 2018 Posted by John Scalzi 24 Comments
This picture pretty much sums up their relationship at this point.
In general the rest of the cats are slowly learning to tolerate Smudge, who to be fair does not make it easy for them by running right up them and getting into their respective furry faces, which they do not like at all. They’ll all figure it out eventually, I expect.
I’m currently house sitting in a house where the established animals are also learning to live with a new animal…but the new animal in this case is a Great Dane puppy, so the cats and the turtle are both displeased and mightily outsized. The puppy is confused, but keeps blundering into attempts to make friends that are rebuffed because he is huge and clumsy and can’t *not* be in their space.
He’s still got kitten immunity which will help keep things peaceful while the older cats acclimate. Having had cats for a while, you know the older cats will be hissing & spitting one day & the next day they’ll be washing him. It looks like he is picking you to be his person, which is nice of him.
Elizabeth Mancz:
Well, I’m the one at home all day, so I’m sort of the default person. He’s super cuddly with all the humans, though.
Big cat, little cat.
“Hi, Zeus!”
“Go away, kid. Yer botherin’ me.”
Smudge: WANNA PLAY WANNA PLAY WANNA PLAY WANNA PLAY WANNA PLAY!!!
Zeus: FFS, not again…
@Julio, that reminds me of my childhood, With my younger brother going “Wake up, it’s play time”.
I’d read a picture book about Smudge and Zeus.
This happened to me when I brought home a tiny rescue. It took more than a year, but they have a wonderfully codependant relationship now. I’m sure it will happenmuch faster for you, as these things are usually about territory and you have lots of space, especially if you allow them outside.
How old is Zeus now? – tolerance can improve with age.
Death from Above.
Oh my. We have a new kitten & she does not pick up on social cues like hissing. Out of the 3 older cats, only one deigns to play with her, which mostly consists of her launching herself onto his face. One other cat, despite being like 5 times her size is deathly afraid of her & you routinely see him running for his life, with the kitten at his heels. My cat (the 3rd cat, and also the oldest of them all), hits the kitten exactly 2 times and then retreats to the top of an 8 foot cabinet where the kitten cannot reach (not for lack of trying). We finally got a pet enclosure & we zip the kitten in there for time-outs so the big cats can have some peace.
Poor Zeus.
A “vulture” is watching over him. :-)
Zeus: “Shut up about my bald spot.”
Goodness gracious, you adopted a Charles Schultz fan. http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Fierce_Vulture
I’m amazed that no one has yet noticed that Smudge is Zeus’ “Mini-Mew.”
Meeee and my shaaadow…
@Julio, Sandy: Do you want to build a snowman? It doesn’t have to be a snowman…
Our vet pointed out that older cats often have an easier time coming to terms with a new interloper if said interloper is still young enough to roll over submissively when his elder aims a swat. We did see our two young cats behave in exactly that fashion when the senior gentleman cat reprimanded them, at least when they first joined the family as 4-month-old kittens. Not so much now that they’re nearly as big as the old guy, but the assimilation was easier because of those first few months when they mollified the old fellow by rolling over whenever he yelled at them.
I hope that Zeus and the Scamperbeasts quickly figure out that the little guy isn’t so bad, even if he does suck up to Dad by playing Fetch.
That photo is a caption contest just waiting to happen.
Teach me, O wise one, the ways of the Black&White!
We’re in the process of integrating a kitten as well, except we have 2 dogs. 2 dogs that previously hated cats, so you know that works out beautifully.
The cat has a death wish, the dogs would like to make his wish come true and I’m the human shield. We’re in the third week and at a point where the dogs no longer attack on sight, they wait until the cat really makes a blunder, like pouncing on them. I am so proud!
Zeus looks deeply unimpressed.
Smudge (thinking): Should I make a flying leap onto Big Me and play with him?
Zeus (thinking): Don’t even try, kid.