The New Cat

So this is the new cat, Grace. It had been raining black cats at the shelter where we got her, and the odds were we'd be taking home one black furball.

She came to the shelter as a stray, and had been there for over a year. She had been introduced to a number of other cats, and seemed to get along fine with them. Never did I imagine the fur that would fly when we got her home (both literally and figuratively). I was told she was very fat when they got her, and she had visibly lost weight during her year-long stay at the shelter. There was still some hanging flab, and as soon as we got her home she was on the 'low-cal' cat food.

While we expected that some clouds of fur would pollute everything: cats shed like crazy when they're nervous or scared -- both words describe the adoption and introduction process -- Grace had the thickest winter coat I've ever seen on a cat. And she was shedding like mad. It took the better part of two weeks of brushing as much as she would let us to reduce the total amount of fur she'd been hauling around. As a grumpy cat, she will only tolerate so much brushing before trying to escape and go hide behind something. Try and hold her into place, she'll turn into a blender. So, for the sake of our blood and skin, we usually let her to do as she pleases when this happens.

Poor Spike was anxious to meet her, but she didn't take a liking to him: every time he came near she'd hiss and claw. That has diminished now that she's had a chance to settle down, but she's still a bit territorial. Grace has some food aggression -- only towards other cats -- and not humans. Spike is secure, and very placid. He'll play, but he's not agressive. Periodically, he will tire of her constant hissing, and bat and chase her around a bit. Which is not all bad -- he won't hurt her -- and she could very much stand to lose some weight yet.

She's settled down now, and is actually playful.

That still doesn't stop her from being crabby at times, though.

We've had her for just over a month now, and she has indeed lost weight. It's difficult to tell how much of that was shed fur, and how much was flab.