Wednesday, October 18, 2017

The Relic Report


It's been a week since Relic's adventure and I'm pleased to say everything is healing quite nicely. He's been cone-free for a few days and has adapted to life as a house cat surprisingly well.
I was hoping we'd be able to convert him to an indoor-only cat. But with  a boy who's been on his own for at least three years... it's just not to be. I managed to keep him in until Tuesday, but by then he was getting pretty squirrelly.

So Tuesday morning I opened the door and off he ran.
But he was back shortly after, looking for a mid-morning snack. In fact, that's become his thing. Back and forth several times a day, grabbing nibbles and maybe a snuggle.
Come evening though, I shut the door and keep him in. He's not overly thrilled at first... but I think he'll get used to it.
And inter-cat relations are going as well as can be expected. He gets along fine with Burton as long as Burton doesn't get too pushy. A quick yell or light swat usually solves any transgressions. He and Peno mostly ignore each other - except for the other night when Peno came down for her usual snuggle with Dave, and found Relic in her spot. Dave got one heck of a look from Peno and I had to take Relic so Dave could go console the old girl.

Rupert and Relic though... well, I don't think they are going to be best friends any time soon. They can occupy the same room without issues most of the time; there's no real over-the-tip aggression where I have to step in (Relic is a surprisingly mellow cat), but Rupert is fond of a good hit-and-run sneak attack.

And don't let that picture above fool you - Rupert is HALF the size of Relic. Relic is a healthy 13.5 lbs of pure muscle, and Rupert is a dainty little 6 lbs 6 oz. If Rupert really pushes things, he's going to come out on the losing end.

I figure things will settle down in a month or so. And who knows... Relic might even join in on Burton and Rupert's nightly game of chase.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear Relic is healing up fine. Come really cold weather, I'm sure he'll appreciate the warmth of INSIDE!

Araignee said...

I had the same issues with my rescue kitties. They had been outside most of their lives so four of them would never convert to my preferred inside status. Two come in at night but two stay out in the huts. It was cold last night so it's time to get the heaters put in.

Delighted Hands said...

I love the inner workings of cats; it's like children, the first one there has privileges!
They will sort things out. It is hard to let him out but I think he has bonded with you.
Sounds like it's going well!

Vera said...

So sweet. Glad Relic is healing well and adjusting to being an indoor/outdoor cat. Great pictures!

chrisknits said...

So sweet! But you just can't keep a god man down, he needs his space.

The Well Fed Wheel said...

Somehow I managed to miss the post about Relic's adventure. I'm so glad he found you guys. He's such a good looking boy....I hope that retest comes back ok but he is definately a lucky guy no matter how that test turns out. He's got you guys now and that's a very good thing!

kathy b said...

AWWW YOU know your kitties. I think you letting him in and out is a good thing. I could not do that here with fox and coyote, but many around here do without issues. Cats are so good at healing. I find them less interesting in ripping out stitches etc, than dogs

bittenbyknittin said...

I tried to turn former stray Finn into an indoor cat but it didn't work. The older he gets, though, the pickier he is about weather and outdoor noises like fireworks. When the weather gets too wintery, he hits the catnip pretty hard! You might try that with Relic. ;-)

Eastside Cats said...

Just keep your thoughts positive and celebrate when good things happen, ignoring bad things. They'll get the message that sharing is worth extra luvin'!

elns said...

Oh I love the Kitty Chronicles at your home! The animals are so beautiful and I find the dynamics between cat personalities just as interesting as human ones.

Jocelyn said...

So glad to hear everything is going so well, both with the healing and cat integration! He's lucky to have found you guys.

Rachelle said...

He weighs about the same as Star! Her sister is more Rupert's weight. Glad he's settling in, even if he refuses to be an indoor cat