Why Kitty Treats Are Now Locked Up

These posts are way behind, stuff that I am adding on now.  This particular incident happened last year.  Everyone who has a cat knows about "Temptations", aka kitty-crack, and how cats really will do anything for them.  I thought this bag was safe, high up on our panty shelf.  I could not have been any more incorrect.  I woke up to find the evidence, bearing many teeth marks.  Poor bag of kitty crack met a violent end, I am sure, lead by Dexter and Orion with Rupert and Priscilla getting in on the action.  Sigh, RIP kitty-crack bag, I am so sorry I could not protect you.  :(

Like Husband and Wife

The first two weeks with Priscilla were interesting, to say the least.  Priscilla is about three weeks younger than Rupert and Orion, but you wouldn't think that if you saw her when she first came out of her kitty kennel.  She strolled out of her kennel like she owned the place and everyone else was intruding in her space.  There was hissing and growling towards everyone, except the dogs, of course, she didn't care about them in the least. 

Over the next week the growling is only on her part and it is down to a minimum.  She allowed Rupert, Orion and Dexter to get close to her but not for very long.  Orion, being the little jerk that he can be, likes to run through the house and tap her bum, thinking it's some great game.  Hate to tell you little buddy, it's not.  Priscilla gets REAL cranky when he pulls this stunt on her, retaliating with hiss and a high pitched growl.  Orion so badly wants to make friends with her and as you can imagine, he keeps trying to get her to play and her attitude is essentially, drop dead you pervert.  He is wearing her down though with his antics. After three weeks of "tap and run", she finally stopped the high pitched growling at him.

Rupert has been given the privilege of being her minion after she slapped him silly, right off the edge of the bathtub one night.  I guess she got sick of his hissy fits and laid down the law.  Priscilla allows Rupert to lay with her, groom her and if he is lucky, she even grooms him for a bit.  At first, Rupert was fearful when she would lay with him, I could see it in his eyes.  He was frozen with sheer terror, paralyzed, unable to run away from the biotch that had taken over the house.  Alas, he started to understand that her acceptance was a good thing.

Orion on the other hand, is another story.....

There is a coveted box on the kitty castle that she had been hogging for the four weeks since she got here.  I think Orion and Rupert were a little disgruntled that this new girl had been hogging such a prime piece of real estate.  Orion climbed into it one day and stayed there for about three hours.  During this time, Priscilla hovered around it like a vulture waiting for it's meal to die.  However, Orion ignored her; I am convinced he did this on purpose, just to piss her off.  Priscilla, figured she could bully her way in and approached the entrance emitting a growl.  Nothing.  A snort, then another growl, still nothing.  To my surprise and horror, she went in.  I was expecting a spat for sure - can't say that I was expecting fur to fly because they don't have any, but I thought something would come flying out of the box and I was pretty sure it was going to be Orion.....but nothing other than a low growl.  I peeked inside the box and saw Orion in one corner and Priscilla in the other, with the most disgusted look I have even seen on a cat and still growling.

Needless to say, Orion's eyes were closed and he was completely oblivious to her verbal and non-verbal death threats to get out of her sanctuary.  I was even further surprised that the growling stopped after a few minutes and they stayed in the box together for about an hour.  Now if we can only have all cats laying together in peace.

Introductions

I must introduce our resident animal family members, in order of their arrival.

Diva *sigh* is our resident village idiot, to say that she is a "special" dog is being very kind. This dog's only claim to fame is being able to urinate on command. Hell, I'm surprised she can even manage that. The rest of the time this dog has a dial tone echoing in her head. Driving in a vehicle with her is the ultimate test of one's patience and sanity. She will emit a noise similar to that of a dying animal once she is in the car. This horrendous noise will continue without fail for the entire drive. This dog needs a near lethal dose of valium to keep her quiet. She is the most neurotic dog I have ever come into contact with, although getting more animals has really seemed to mellow her out....or it's just her getting older.  Looking at her the wrong way can make her drop her bladder all over the floor in an instant.  She has not been the easiest dog to love, but I do love her.  

Bijou is our little Princess. Really. She has "interesting" quirks. She wouldn't jump off our bed or jump up - she had to be picked up. It took her almost three years to jump up and off the bed, with a step up unit, of course. She doesn't like wet or snow on her paws and will demand to be picked up. One year we let her out the snow, not even an inch, and she was yelping like we had beat her or something. Diva on the other hand was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Go figure. Bijou can at least sit, come, stay, and lay down on command like a normal dog.

Dexter is our only "furry" cat, but don't let this cute pose fool you. He is one of the moodiest cats I have ever had the 'pleasure' of living with. I know he wasn't hard done by in his life as we have had him from the second he was born, my mother's rescue cat being pregnant. He is all snuggles and purring one minute and biting the next. He loves my husband though. However, he is another animal in our home that seems to have mellowed out with the addition of other animals. After bringing our two hairless male brothers home, he has become quite affectionate and I have not been bitten in a few months now. Bonus.  

Rupert is mama's boy - mine. This boy is very particular, yet loving and sleeps with me every night. Not a fighter, he prefers to keep to himself and snuggle which is fine with me. He is my soul kitty.

Orion is our shit disturber and my husband's cat, no surprise there, LOL. He likes to terrorize others while they are trying to sleep, especially Dexter. He isn't much of a snuggler unless he is with my husband or it is bedtime.

Priscilla is our newest addition to the family, arriving in late November 2010.  If she looks surly, it is because she is.  Although she really is lovable and affectionate.  I think that her surly-ness is just a female thing.  She is just really, really persnickety and doesn't like "boy germs". Yes, that's what it is.  I bought Priscilla from a breeder in New Mexico and she was shipped to me by air to Seattle.  Picking her up was a relatively simple process.  I got in the car, I drove to the border, I answered the ridiculous questions (why are you buying a cat from the US? Um, cuz I can?! not the answer I gave, but sure wanted to!), I crossed the border, I drove 4 hours to the airport, I got her and I went home without any incident.

I think I got maybe 2 hours of sleep 'cause I had a lot of emotions the night before.  I was so excited to see her, I was hoping that she wouldn't be overly stressed out and scared, and I worried that she might not come due to the cold in Seattle.  My boys' breeder shipped in a male from Russia the night before she came and he ended up not coming as it was too cold in Vancouver, so I was thinking what if she can't get shipped out, then what?  I was panicking a little, yes. I was also trying to think of a name and everything I came up with just didn't feel right or sound right.

As I said, the drive down to Seattle was pretty uneventful, so I can tell too much about that other than I was so glad it didn't snow until I got home!  My cousin, Denice, and I talked about names off and on the entire 4 hours, but still no name for her at the time.  So glad Aunty Denice came with me cuz I am not a good driver AND navigator....that is a recipe for disaster!

Needless to say she did arrive safe and sound.  Big thanks to American Airlines for the top notch service.  She was warm when I got her and I could tell that she had been handled in gentle manner.  The staff were wonderfully pleasant and I would definitely use their services again.  We made it back to my car as quickly as possible cause it was freezing outside!  We ran to get her inside the car and get the heater pumped full-blast for her and to get her out of the kennel she had spent a long time in.  She was very, very friendly and purred a lot!  She rode in Aunty Denice's arms all the way back, purring off and on, she really seemed to enjoy the ride and was very calm; actually she slept most of the way.

When we got to the border crossing, I was fully expecting to pay my 12% in taxes for her.  When the officer asked what my purpose was, I told him that I went to Seattle to pick up a kitten.  He looked in the car from his booth and this is how the conversation went:

What *IS* that?....Is THAT the kitten?! (I swear I saw the color drain out of his face at this point)

Yes

Is it ok?  What's wrong with it?!  

She is a sphynx, it is a hairless cat...they are born that way.  (Officer turns green!)

Oh.  Do you have the rabies certificate?  

I hand over her paperwork 

My cousin says: do you wanna pet her?!?!  

I say: she's so soft 

Noooooooo, I'll take your word for it.  You have a nice night and drive safe. 

Thank you officer  

I think he was a little afraid of her, LOL.  It worked out great for me 'cause I got to buy her and the rest of the brood more toys 'n' treats since I did not have to pay any duty!!!!

We didn't get home until around 11pm, but at least we were home, safe and sound!  I put her kennel in a quiet spot in the house and let her come out on her own and she did very well.  She wasn't afraid of the dogs and was very curious.  Orion and her seemed to be friends pretty quick, Dexter was indifferent (as usual) and Rupert, for some reason, did not like her at all.  Lots of growling, hissing and arching on his end.  

Not much happened the first day she was home.  She slept most of the day, getting up every few hours to come and visit everyone in the house.  She was very talkative and would come if you call her and she is so affectionate.  I don't think I have ever had a cat so affectionate and loving.  

And to top it off, she came home with a name!!!!  As I was paying for the airport parking, I noticed the cashier's name.  I liked the way it sounded and when I looked at her and said it, she responded to it.   

Everyone, meet Priscilla, our princess.