Harnessing Buster's power

I've been continuing to integrate Dot and Buster. Megan recently
suggested to me that since Dot has been avoiding Buster, I should take
steps to actively introduce them. I'd been thinking the same thing,
as it was pretty clear Dot wasn't going to take the first step.

The first thing I tried was putting a harness on Buster, and bringing
him to Dot. When I tried this, Buster squirmed around in his harness,
Dot hid behind the desk, and the furry little snake freed himself from
the harness and ran away.

So next, I tried carrying Buster in my arms past Dot, and also playing
with him occasionally while Dot watched from a distance.

During this time, I started to become more lax about keeping the two
apart. Before, I always kept two doors between the two while I was in
the process of switching them or going between their zones, sort of
like an "airlock", so that there was no chance of one dashing past me
into the other's area. I stopped doing this and just used one door,
because I noticed that Buster's not all that interested in Dot, and
they're both easy to handle and separate by hand.

But twice, Buster has gotten past me and confronted Dot. The first
time, I had gone to the bathroom, and Dot's room's door was ajar.
When I came back, I found Dot in her bed, growling at Buster, and
Buster nose-to-nose with her, murping and sniffing her. I picked him
up and carried him off to play with the cat dancer. Another time, he
wove past my legs and dashed up to Dot again, stopping just a couple
of inches from her. Dot hissed. Buster sniffed her curiously. I
picked him up and carried him away again.

It occurred to me that on that first day home, Buster may not really
have been chasing Dot. He's always in a hurry, and will just dash up
to anything that interests him, whether it's a sound, a window view, a
toy, or me.

Anyway, while all this was going on, I hadn't given up on the harness
technique, as I had gone online and ordered a walking jacket for
Buster as soon as he squirmed out of his regular harness. I received
the walking jacket today, and Buster is now wearing it. He doesn't
like it any better than the regular harness, but he can't escape from
the walking jacket.

I played with the two of them while Buster was under control with the
jacket and leash. Dot was on the tree, on high ground, looking down
at the poor fashion victim. I played with the two of them,
alternately dangling the streamer down by Buster, and then bringing it
up for Dot to bat at. I'll keep doing this occasionally. Maybe
someday they'll play peacefully together without Buster being on a
leash.

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 16:13:02 -0400, Takayuki
wrote:

But twice, Buster has gotten past me and confronted Dot. The first
time, I had gone to the bathroom, and Dot's room's door was ajar.
When I came back, I found Dot in her bed, growling at Buster, and
Buster nose-to-nose with her, murping and sniffing her. I picked him
up and carried him off to play with the cat dancer. Another time, he
wove past my legs and dashed up to Dot again, stopping just a couple
of inches from her. Dot hissed. Buster sniffed her curiously. I
picked him up and carried him away again.

It occurred to me that on that first day home, Buster may not really
have been chasing Dot. He's always in a hurry, and will just dash up
to anything that interests him, whether it's a sound, a window view, a
toy, or me.

Reading of everyone's adventures in kitty introduction makes me *so*
happy that I never really had a problem when I introduced Natasha (RB)
to Tribble (RB). He was about a year older and had had a year to claim
his turf when I brought her in. All that happened then was he ran up,
knocked her over, held her down with one fore-leg, and proceeded to
wash her to within an inch of her life!

But back to Dot and Buster - I seriously think that since it appears
Buster is just curious about everything, and it appears that Dot will
warn him when he's within her comfort zone (the above mentioned
staying in her bed but growling at him while he's nose-to-nose with
her), I'd really just leave them alone to work it out for themselves.

Famous last words, I know, and I don't have to live with them, but
that's my unasked for opinion. YMMV



Jeanne Hedge

============
http://www.jhedge.com

On 2007-07-07 15:13:02 -0500, Takayuki said:

I've been continuing to integrate Dot and Buster. Megan recently
suggested to me that since Dot has been avoiding Buster, I should take
steps to actively introduce them. I'd been thinking the same thing,
as it was pretty clear Dot wasn't going to take the first step.

The first thing I tried was putting a harness on Buster, and bringing
him to Dot. When I tried this, Buster squirmed around in his harness,
Dot hid behind the desk, and the furry little snake freed himself from
the harness and ran away.

So next, I tried carrying Buster in my arms past Dot, and also playing
with him occasionally while Dot watched from a distance.

During this time, I started to become more lax about keeping the two
apart. Before, I always kept two doors between the two while I was in
the process of switching them or going between their zones, sort of
like an "airlock", so that there was no chance of one dashing past me
into the other's area. I stopped doing this and just used one door,
because I noticed that Buster's not all that interested in Dot, and
they're both easy to handle and separate by hand.

But twice, Buster has gotten past me and confronted Dot. The first
time, I had gone to the bathroom, and Dot's room's door was ajar.
When I came back, I found Dot in her bed, growling at Buster, and
Buster nose-to-nose with her, murping and sniffing her. I picked him
up and carried him off to play with the cat dancer. Another time, he
wove past my legs and dashed up to Dot again, stopping just a couple
of inches from her. Dot hissed. Buster sniffed her curiously. I
picked him up and carried him away again.

It occurred to me that on that first day home, Buster may not really
have been chasing Dot. He's always in a hurry, and will just dash up
to anything that interests him, whether it's a sound, a window view, a
toy, or me.

Anyway, while all this was going on, I hadn't given up on the harness
technique, as I had gone online and ordered a walking jacket for
Buster as soon as he squirmed out of his regular harness. I received
the walking jacket today, and Buster is now wearing it. He doesn't
like it any better than the regular harness, but he can't escape from
the walking jacket.

I played with the two of them while Buster was under control with the
jacket and leash. Dot was on the tree, on high ground, looking down
at the poor fashion victim. I played with the two of them,
alternately dangling the streamer down by Buster, and then bringing it
up for Dot to bat at. I'll keep doing this occasionally. Maybe
someday they'll play peacefully together without Buster being on a
leash.

I think that he will learn he musn't rush her. Then she will be way
cooler about the whole thing. It sounds good!

Jeanne Hedge wrote:
Reading of everyone's adventures in kitty introduction makes me *so*
happy that I never really had a problem when I introduced Natasha (RB)
to Tribble (RB). He was about a year older and had had a year to claim
his turf when I brought her in. All that happened then was he ran up,
knocked her over, held her down with one fore-leg, and proceeded to
wash her to within an inch of her life!

They were so cute. I remember they were so hard to let go!

But back to Dot and Buster - I seriously think that since it appears
Buster is just curious about everything, and it appears that Dot will
warn him when he's within her comfort zone (the above mentioned
staying in her bed but growling at him while he's nose-to-nose with
her), I'd really just leave them alone to work it out for themselves.

Famous last words, I know, and I don't have to live with them, but
that's my unasked for opinion. YMMV

Nah, I a follow-up opinion about my integration issues is hardly
unsolicited. Really, it's appreciated - I might just be back to where
I was in the beginning right now anyway, just going around full circle
to yet another introduction.

What I've been trying to avoid through this convoluted exercise is an
initial violent or traumatic encounter that would implant a lasting
impression of the other cat as an "enemy".

I'll see if they can "work it out", but I won't let them do it by
themselves, at least not right away. That last step will come later.
I got to observe them interacting a bit while they're supervised, and
Buster is restrained, and I find it encouraging that at least neither
of them have ever been aggressive so far. I'll continue walking
Buster around in his harness for a while longer to verify that he does
interact okay with Dot.

Karen wrote:
I think that he will learn he musn't rush her. Then she will be way
cooler about the whole thing. It sounds good!

Buster told me that he's the one who's cooler, since he wears a
jacket.

I don't think he'll learn not to rush her, unless they have a variant
of those invisible fence systems that can keep Buster away from
another cat.

"Dot be so fat, she got her own invisible fence!"

"Karen" wrote in message
news:2007070720591775249-kchuplis@alltelnet...
On 2007-07-07 15:13:02 -0500, Takayuki said:

I've been continuing to integrate Dot and Buster. Megan recently
suggested to me that since Dot has been avoiding Buster, I should take
steps to actively introduce them. I'd been thinking the same thing,
as it was pretty clear Dot wasn't going to take the first step.

The first thing I tried was putting a harness on Buster, and bringing
him to Dot. When I tried this, Buster squirmed around in his harness,
Dot hid behind the desk, and the furry little snake freed himself from
the harness and ran away.

So next, I tried carrying Buster in my arms past Dot, and also playing
with him occasionally while Dot watched from a distance.

During this time, I started to become more lax about keeping the two
apart. Before, I always kept two doors between the two while I was in
the process of switching them or going between their zones, sort of
like an "airlock", so that there was no chance of one dashing past me
into the other's area. I stopped doing this and just used one door,
because I noticed that Buster's not all that interested in Dot, and
they're both easy to handle and separate by hand.

But twice, Buster has gotten past me and confronted Dot. The first
time, I had gone to the bathroom, and Dot's room's door was ajar.
When I came back, I found Dot in her bed, growling at Buster, and
Buster nose-to-nose with her, murping and sniffing her. I picked him
up and carried him off to play with the cat dancer. Another time, he
wove past my legs and dashed up to Dot again, stopping just a couple
of inches from her. Dot hissed. Buster sniffed her curiously. I
picked him up and carried him away again.

It occurred to me that on that first day home, Buster may not really
have been chasing Dot. He's always in a hurry, and will just dash up
to anything that interests him, whether it's a sound, a window view, a
toy, or me.

Anyway, while all this was going on, I hadn't given up on the harness
technique, as I had gone online and ordered a walking jacket for
Buster as soon as he squirmed out of his regular harness. I received
the walking jacket today, and Buster is now wearing it. He doesn't
like it any better than the regular harness, but he can't escape from
the walking jacket.

I played with the two of them while Buster was under control with the
jacket and leash. Dot was on the tree, on high ground, looking down
at the poor fashion victim. I played with the two of them,
alternately dangling the streamer down by Buster, and then bringing it
up for Dot to bat at. I'll keep doing this occasionally. Maybe
someday they'll play peacefully together without Buster being on a
leash.

I think that he will learn he musn't rush her. Then she will be way cooler
about the whole thing. It sounds good!


Our cats certainly learned not to rush Kayla when she was a pup. Or to
rush around Kayla. They got to where they could ooze in and out of the
room. She had a built in motion detector and it was always on.

Now she is all growed up and the worst watch dog on the planet. If she's
napping and someone knocks at the door, she doesn't even know which door
they are at. Where guard duty is concerned, she has decided it just isn't
her job.

Jo

"jofirey" wrote:
Our cats certainly learned not to rush Kayla when she was a pup. Or to
rush around Kayla. They got to where they could ooze in and out of the
room. She had a built in motion detector and it was always on.

Now she is all growed up and the worst watch dog on the planet. If she's
napping and someone knocks at the door, she doesn't even know which door
they are at. Where guard duty is concerned, she has decided it just isn't
her job.

I'm hoping that Dot will become a less diligent watch-cat. I don't
know if Buster will learn not to dash towards Dot, as he doesn't get
any negative reinforcement, aside from me interceding, but he does try
different techniques.

His latest thing is to crawl and roll towards Dot. I place Dot on her
carpeted platform, and let Buster approach her within a few feet.
Today he seems to be in awe of her. Dot growls, and he makes a wide
circle around her, murping and rolling over to show his belly. Then,
as he makes sure Dot is watching him, he pulls himself along the
floor, rubbing objects with his cheeks and rolling around several
times along the way. It looks like he's groveling. Dot hisses.

I call Buster away from Dot, and he dashes to follow me. Dot gives
one more growl before turning away from him, lying down with a yawn.

This is a good exercise. Each time we go through this, I learn a bit
more about the situation. I don't think that Dot will like Buster
anytime soon - she still hates him as much when I first met them at
the shelter. Either much of her history was as an only-cat, or she
was bullied by other cats in a previous home.

I think that Buster is the key. He's really a good cat - I think he's
going to be the one who will make their relationship work.

"Takayuki" wrote in message
...


I'll see if they can "work it out", but I won't let them do it
by
themselves, at least not right away. That last step will come
later.
I got to observe them interacting a bit while they're
supervised, and
Buster is restrained, and I find it encouraging that at least
neither
of them have ever been aggressive so far. I'll continue
walking
Buster around in his harness for a while longer to verify that
he does
interact okay with Dot.


Hey Tak!!!

Congrats on your new owners! A good mutual friend sent me a copy
of your post where you explained how you were adopted and which
included video of the two. I'm so impressed, and so proud of
you. You ducked out on getting three of mine this time, you
stinker you. Next time you may not be so lucky. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Pam S.

On Jul 8, 8:08?pm, Takayuki wrote:
"jofirey" wrote:
Our cats certainly learned not to rush Kayla when she was a pup. Or to
rush around Kayla. They got to where they could ooze in and out of the
room. She had a built in motion detector and it was always on.

Now she is all growed up and the worst watch dog on the planet. If she's
napping and someone knocks at the door, she doesn't even know which door
they are at. Where guard duty is concerned, she has decided it just isn't
her job.

I'm hoping that Dot will become a less diligent watch-cat. I don't
know if Buster will learn not to dash towards Dot, as he doesn't get
any negative reinforcement, aside from me interceding, but he does try
different techniques.

His latest thing is to crawl and roll towards Dot. I place Dot on her
carpeted platform, and let Buster approach her within a few feet.
Today he seems to be in awe of her. Dot growls, and he makes a wide
circle around her, murping and rolling over to show his belly. Then,
as he makes sure Dot is watching him, he pulls himself along the
floor, rubbing objects with his cheeks and rolling around several
times along the way. It looks like he's groveling. Dot hisses.
================================================
This sounds like Buster is acknowledging Dot as the Alpha cat in your
house. He's submitting to her I think.

Suz&Spicey

==================================================


I call Buster away from Dot, and he dashes to follow me. Dot gives
one more growl before turning away from him, lying down with a yawn.

This is a good exercise. Each time we go through this, I learn a bit
more about the situation. I don't think that Dot will like Buster
anytime soon - she still hates him as much when I first met them at
the shelter. Either much of her history was as an only-cat, or she
was bullied by other cats in a previous home.

I think that Buster is the key. He's really a good cat - I think he's
going to be the one who will make their relationship work.

"Takayuki" wrote in message
...
"jofirey" wrote:

I think that Buster is the key. He's really a good cat - I think he's
going to be the one who will make their relationship work.

He sounds a little bit like Chester. I'm sure he'll make it work!

Susan M
Otis and Chester