John's great Aunt recently had to go into a nursing home and was unable to take her ten year old cat with her. Aunt Jean is devastated to have to leave Trudy behind, but is finding some comfort in knowing that family will be caring for her.
Here is a photo of our new friend Trudy, the newest member of our household.
She has been living with us for a week and is adjusting to her new home as well as can be expected. She is going through a really hard change - the loss of all things familiar to her. We brought over a pillow from Jean's house and we keep the radio on for her so it sounds like home, but everything is new. New sounds, new smells, new people, and other cats. Trudy is getting loads of care and attention from us, but loss and change are hard things to deal with, even for cats.
We are slowly introducing her to her new home and the other cats. We started Trudy off in a room by herself and let her adjust to it and feel safe there. The other cats smelled her through the closed door, and she smelled them. Yesterday we moved her to a different room and let the other cats explore the room she vacated. Trudy transitioned really well into the new room, and our resident cats seem to be accepting of the new smell in the house. A few more days and we are going to try a visual introduction.
The slow introduction process seems to be going really well and I hope it results in positive relationships between the cats.
Here is a photo of our new friend Trudy, the newest member of our household.
She has been living with us for a week and is adjusting to her new home as well as can be expected. She is going through a really hard change - the loss of all things familiar to her. We brought over a pillow from Jean's house and we keep the radio on for her so it sounds like home, but everything is new. New sounds, new smells, new people, and other cats. Trudy is getting loads of care and attention from us, but loss and change are hard things to deal with, even for cats.
We are slowly introducing her to her new home and the other cats. We started Trudy off in a room by herself and let her adjust to it and feel safe there. The other cats smelled her through the closed door, and she smelled them. Yesterday we moved her to a different room and let the other cats explore the room she vacated. Trudy transitioned really well into the new room, and our resident cats seem to be accepting of the new smell in the house. A few more days and we are going to try a visual introduction.
The slow introduction process seems to be going really well and I hope it results in positive relationships between the cats.
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ah, shes beautiful. you are so gracious. i went through the same thing. i had to give up my cat. the new home she went to seldom had people at home - just a man and his daughter. but my cat did not survive. she lived only two months after moving. my heart still aches and breaks. i had heard that she might have died from a broken heart (more guilt, right?) but i am so happy for trudy. plus she has lots of friends. she be good for her. wonderful story. cheers!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your cat. That is so sad. :(
DeleteThanks for your kind words about Trudy. I think each day she is feeling more at home with us.
So sorry to read about your cat, so sad.
Deletethanks happy. although she was 16 years old, i think she died still to young. cheers!!
DeleteOh, she's so beautiful. How wonderful that you are providing a loving home for her. I can only imagine how difficult it is for all involved. These types of changes are never easy.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I feel so sad for adult cats that don't have a place to go. :( We are trying to make this change as easy for Trudy as possible. She definitely gets a lot of pets and treats right now. The other cats do too. :) Once Trudy feels more at home here we are going to take some photos that we can take to Aunt Jean so she can see that she's okay.
DeleteTrudy is lucky to end up in your home. I hope that she & Gary end up liking each other when they meet face-to-face!
ReplyDeleteI really hope so too. Gary was anxious the first day but I think because of the slow introduction she's been mostly mellow. She is the current boss of the house so we'll see what happens when they have their first face-to-face. I am feeling really positive about it. :)
DeleteVery good of you to take Trudy into your home. This is always sad for all parties. Pets are family. Glad she has you guys.
ReplyDeleteThanks. :) Pets are family and we are really trying to make her feel like she belongs here. Each day she is feeling more at home I think.
DeleteVery cool.
DeleteTrudy is a real beauty!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for saying so! :)
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