Huck's Arrival

I picked Huck about 6pm on Friday.  He's only six months old, so quite a bit smaller than Tugby was when we got him.  It feels really strange to have a smaller cat in the house.  We bought him a collar with a bell on it, so we can hear where he is, instead of looking down to find him directly underfoot.

It took Huck about a day to feel comfortable in our home.  The first morning he meowed loudly and wandered around looking for the rest of the cats from his foster home.  At first Tugby wasn't prepared to be warm and friendly.  He huffed and hissed and growled and generally made it clear that he was not impressed with our new addition.  His hostility seemed to be more of a display than a serious dislike, because Tugby's ears were never flat to his head and he never actually attacked Huck, he was just very vocal.   Occasionally, he swatted at the kitten, but his paw never actually made contact.  

I had become accustomed to the various hiding places that Tugby had found to nap in, but so far I've misplaced Huck twice.  He has an entirely new vision of the house, and has found new nests to nap in.  I guess it will take me a few days to figure out where he's hiding!

We still leave Huck locked safely in the spare bedroom when we have to leave the house, and also during the night.  That way, there won't be a confrontation that we aren't aware of.  When we let Huck out of the bedroom in the morning, Tugby isn't as hostile as he was originally, and they have started to actually play together.  Both Tugby and Huck casually drape their tail over the edge of a table, and then pretend to be startled when the other cat pats at it. Tugby still mutters under his breath occasionally, but they have had a lot of fun playing in the box in the kitchen and chasing each other all over the house.

Now that we have a kitten and a teenaged cat, we realize how much pain Chester had been in.  He rarely romped and chased and played with Tugby, and in almost all the pictures we have of him, Chester is sitting in the sphinx position.  Tugby and Huck play together for about half an hour, then separate to have a little nap and bath, then play some more.

Huck's foster mom has called twice to see how he's doing.  I think they really miss him because he is a lovable and cuddly boy.  I'm optimistic that within a few days we won't have to worry about leaving Tugby and Huck alone together, day or night.  As a matter of fact, I'm expecting them to become good friends and companions for each other.