2/19/13:
Spooky has a new FMNAS friend in Dusty, adopted in 2013! They both enjoy Blossom, their BIG sister.
10/8/12:
Spooky is truly the perfect cat for us. He lets Mark (almost 5 years old) carry him around everywhere....he's become Mark's best friend. Spooky just hangs out in his arms and is so patient, and they even play a bit of tag and chase with each other. Mark DELIGHTS in having Spooky chase a ribbon. Mark can barely do anything without knowing Spooky is near. The 200 pound Mastiff, Blossom, is being pretty good with him too. He's got such attitude - it's awesome! He walks right past Blossom like it's not a big deal, and if Blossom comes over to poke him with her nose he lets her. They too, play a bit of chase but Spooky seems to be instigating it a good bit. Blossom is much gentler than I expected with him, which is a relief. And now that he's growing I'm less and less concerned. I'm working from home most of the time so I'm here to ensure all is well.
Tiffany and Spooky are great together now. They are cuddling a bit for sleep time, but most of the time Tiffany just follows him around to supervise. Spooky pretends to attack her and she sometimes expresses disapproval, but Spooky doesn't seem to mind. Tiffany has become more active and engaged - I believe it's good for her to have him here.
We did "lose" Spooky right after we last emailed.... I was in a panic. Mark and I looked everywhere and I wondered if he had somehow found a way outside. I was just sick! Fortunately, we found him....Mark had forgotten he put him on his desk and then leaned a narrow air mattress on the side of the desk obscuring Spooky from view. I went to put the mattress away and there was Spooky, sleeping on a folded up baby blanket, exactly where Mark had placed him. Mark was with me and said "Oh! I forgot I put Spooky on my desk to protect him from Blossom!". Ah, the mind of a 4 1/2 year old.
9/6/12:
Blackbird AKA Spiderman has been officially, and FINALLY, named Spooky. This was decided the day he came home and it's stuck ever since. Mark still asks to be reminded of his original name from time to time but Spooky is what everyone's calling him now.
Overall, things are great. We had one incident of mistaking my couch for a litter box. Annoying but everything was washable - hooray for removable seat covers! And we were in the midst of playing with him so we saw it happen and were able to clean things up immediately.
Tiffany, the older cat, was not pleased by his arrival but that was expected. We are letting them get acquainted at their own pace and the situation is improving well. Tiffany is more interested in watching and sniffing Spooky these days, and I can tell she wants to play when he's in the midst of his imaginary kitty battles with the air. Spooky seeks her out and attempts to be friendly. He's a sweet guy and isn't getting too put off by Tiffany's rudeness.
Blossom is still too interested in Spooky so they are physically separated 99% of the time. They've met with a baby gate between them. Blossom got her big snout too close to Spooky and the little guy beat the snot out of her....she was one shocked, indignant 200 pound dog! She barked "woof, woof, woof!!!!" in protest ...then was dumb enough to put her snout back down! "Bam, bam, bam" - Spookie schooled her again. Bless his little heart - Spooky has attitude! He is aware he needs to be cautious of Blossom if he's within her reach, but if he's protected by a barrier he plays in front of her ( torturing her since she wants to poke her nose onto him and smell him SO BADLY). Or he sits and stares at her. But even their relationship is improving. Blossom is becoming more aware she's not allowed to focus on Spooky too much and she's not allowed to get too close. I intend to supervise things for a long time and won't let everyone roam free until I'm overly certain there's no risk to Spooky. Right now Spooky is running the bedrooms, bathrooms, and part of the hallway, plus laundry room. Blossom is in the rest of the house. When Blossom's outside, Spooky can come out and play in the family room and kitchen. I'm working from home and get little love and play sessions in as much as possible.
Mark is doing well with Spooky. He also is under a great deal of supervision while interacting with the cat. He LOVES that he can hold Spooky and does a great job of holding him properly. Spooky is so sweet and patient - he just hangs out and allows Mark to bring him from room to room. Spooky leaves when he's tired of being told what to do and Mark gets disappointed, but he's learning the way to a cats heart is to invite them to activities, not force them.
Attached are a couple photos from this afternoon. The cats and I were in the living room and Spooky was getting wild. He was playing with feathers then decided to attack the air around the coffee table. Tiffany was pretending to be aloof, but needed to sit on the coffee table to check out his fun.
Thanks for the great experience of adopting and the perfect recommendation for our family.