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I would like to thank you for another wonderful year with the boys. I am more delighted with them by the day. I hope they feel the same! Howard, in particular, really seems to have blossomed this year. He has become very affectionate, and frequently tries to perch on my shoulder, apparently forgetting that he is no longer a tiny kitten.

A week or two ago I visited your web site (as I do from time to time), and clicked on Yogi-the-dog's video. Howard was with me and hopped up when Yogi started growl-talking. Howard was very interested in Yogi, reaching up to pat his image on the screen, looking for him behind the monitor, and even pulling at the cloth that I use to cover the monitor after the video was over. I wonder if he's trying to tell me that he wants a dog?

Sage has spent the year developing his talent as a hunter. Mice do not even get CLOSE to my house, let alone into the house. Other than that, Sage continues to be his loving, affectionate self, and has learned to use his feline wiles to distract me from housework when he wants som loving or thinks it's meal time.

What sweet guys! I am so glad they are with me, and grateful to you for giving them a home before we found each other.

I did follow your advice…the night-time “attacks” dwindled over the next couple of nights. The kitties are gradually shifting their schedules, getting up a little later each morning, so my nights are almost normal now.

The boys have settled in well and we are getting along beautifully. I have changed their names to Buttercup (Howard) and Sage (Roscoe). (As far as I can tell, it doesn’t make any difference to them.) They had a well-check today and the vet pronounced them very healthy. And he trimmed their claws (and showed me how), which is a blessing because Sage is quite the lap cat…even in this heat, he wants to be in my lap.

They are lovely cats, and I’m very glad they’re here.

NOTE: Owner changed Howard's name back to Howard - he did not take to Buttercup!

Thank you—that’s all very reassuring. I can see how being alone so much would incline them to forget about structure. I am thankful that they are not yowling all night—and that they don’t appear to be grief-stricken.

I’m not entirely aware of what Howard was up to during the night since I was sleeping, at least the first time, and it was dark. I wasn’t aware of growling, hissing, or ears back. It seemed that he jumped up onto the bed and started scratching—that is, he wasn’t responding to being kicked. Clawing or biting in response to movement of the sleeping human I have experienced before. This was different.

I will try wearing them out before bedtime, and I will get sterner about the requirements for sharing the bedroom. Unfortunately the kitties scratch the carpet if a door is closed between them and me, and that has been quite effective in getting me to open the door!

I understand why these guys were favorites at the shelter. Roscoe is very loving, and Howard is starting to show that side of himself, as well. In the course of this morning, Roscoe has adapted to sleeping on a folded towel under my desk rather than in my lap—I am very impressed.

I guess the best thing to do with Howard's nocturnal behavior would be to attempt to not let it frighten you (I know, easier said than done), but instead take a moment to observe what he is doing; maybe then, together, we can figure out what he is thinking. After a few moments of observation, definitely pick him up and remove him from the room.

They are very clever to have already figured out how to get you to open the door! For a quick-fix to that problem, you can take a piece of one of those plastic "under-chair" mats (the kind with the little sharp nubs on the bottom) and place it upside down (nubs up) over the section of carpet near the door... just do NOT forget it's there when you wander out in your bare feet, ouch ouch ouch! Unfortunately, once they learn the method that works to get you to open a door, they will keep on doing it as long as it works. I know, because my mother's cat scratches at the bathroom door every time she goes in there, and they now have a routine where he ALWAYS has to go in with her, LOL, because she started opening the door to let him in. He does it to everyone, now, though I and the other visitors insist on our bathroom privacy. It's quite amusing in a way, he will sit out there endlessly pawing with both paws on the door the WHOLE TIME it is closed, like he thinks we are clearly morons, or hard of hearing....

If you can't find an old piece of nubby plastic stuff, you can put down packing tape, sticky side up (just turn the ends under to stick on the edges of the carpet) over that spot, or a temporary piece of corrugated cardboard for them to scratch on all they want while you ignore them behind the closed door with the benefit of a great pair of earplugs. As long as that door does not open in response to scratching, they will learn it's a waste of their precious energy, and will stop trying and start respecting the closed door.

If all else fails, banishment to the bathroom is not the worst thing in the world (for the CATS, not for YOU - ha). Remember, their world has just gotten SOOOOOOOOO very much better, they will do fine with appropriate discipline. You are in charge, and you won't hurt their feelings if you assert your rules in the home. As you can see from Roscoe already happily sleeping on a towel under the desk, if they know the rules, they are happy to follow them.

I’m afraid we had a very unsettled night. Howard attacked me several times while I slept, drawing blood through the covers. I finally set up camp on the living room floor and turned the bedroom over to the boys. They were very active all night! I’m hoping the nocturnal activity will settle down as the kitties settle in. They definitely don’t seem at ease yet, but they want to be out and about.

The night-time attacks are more worrying. Have you ever run into anything like that? It was really frightening for me.

Generally the cats seem very good and responsive. I need to figure out how to get Roscoe to sheath his claws when he’s in my lap—any hints?

Thank you for the support!

The best way to help curb the nocturnal activity will be to engage them in several short play sessions during the day, sort of "using up" their limited energies. Cats are naturally nocturnal animals, but generally do adapt to human-time once they get a routine in place in a home.

I'd need more information on night-time "attacks" - was there growling/hissing/ears back behavior, or was it more of a "pounce on the moving arm/foot" sort of thing? The best approach for any sort of unwanted behavior - be it nighttime attacks or claws on the lap - is to remove the cat from what he wants. So, if Howard is pouncing on the bed at night, it needs to be him who goes out to the living room, and you stay in the comfy bed. (Don't tempt him out to the living room with treats, though - any positive reward for nocturnal pouncing will just reinforce the behavior, like "oh, when I pounce on Mom, she gives me TREATS!!" heh). When Roscoe has his claws out on your lap, just gently put him on the floor. If he is "kneading" it is natural cat behavior that means he is happy and content, but that doesn't mean you have to let him continue! If the claws turn out to be overly troublesome, you can trim them short and put on Soft Paws nail caps - they are like little glue-able rubbery covers for the nails, and they are available at most pet stores and online. They usually last for about a month without needing replacement.

Things will settle over the next few weeks; the boys are so excited to have a real home with their very own human, I'm sure they don't know what to do with themselves. They have spent the past 2 months making their own schedules in the shelter's cat trailer, seeing people only about 1 hour a day, so they need to get used to having a whole new set of rules again. However, their former owner, who had kept them as indoor-only kitties for their whole lives, said they were just as mellow and loving as we have always seen them to be, so I am confident they will adjust well to your home, too. I have found that most adult cats take 2-3 weeks to fully settle in their new spaces, though I did have one once whose owner had died, and he spent 5 months roaming through his new home yowling at the top of his lungs every night... so sad, but he did eventually stop grieving and adjusted to his new family. They were real troopers to hang in there, LOL!