The all important (and pretty long) cat update

[mikekn]

It has been about two weeks since I last posted an update. The camera works great. Tyr continued to settle in - eating food, using the litter box and playing in the office. Eventually I got to the point where I took down the baby gate and let him explore if he wanted. Both of the girls peeked into his room (he was behind the door at the time) spotted him and then went back out. He explored a little while I was downstairs, but was back in the closet when I went to bed.

That night I heard him playing with the ball and track toy. In the morning I found the toy in the middle of the upstairs hallway. He was back in the room at that point, so I put the baby gates back in place while I was at work. I repeated the same thing the next night. I didn't hear him, but that morning after the girls got me up to get fed, Gunther pointed looked under my dresser for a moment before heading downstairs. Sure enough, there he was. By the time I got them fed, he was back in the office.

A day or so later (April 27) I got a message from Kim that they had caught the sibling - and that she looked pregnant. They brought her over that night and we had an exciting time when as we tried to get her out of the carrier and cleaned up (had an accident), she took off like a bolt of lightening. Scaled/jumped the baby gate, ran downstairs in the kitchen, knocked over the recyclables, ran in to the living room, scaled the floor to ceiling book shelves, jumped down, ran back into the kitchen, jumped on to the curtain rod and went for the second one before we caught up with her.

Eventually we calmed her down (she does fine when she can't see anything) got her cleaned up and set up in the office with Tyr. She is still very skittish, but has eaten and explored a good deal. Still not big on litter box use, but I can work on that. I don't think she and Tyr are interacting much yet (positively or negatively). She hides better then Tyr so I haven't caught her on the camera much until today when she took over the closet and he stayed under the desk. Having her in there hasn't changed Tyr's behavior any, so that is good at least. When I try, I can pet him - usually while he is hissing at me. For her if I get to close (a couple of inches away) she takes off for a different hiding spot.

Yesterday (May 2), Kim called to say that they had caught Bootsie. Bootsie is Tyr and the girl's mother, and is also pregnant again. Kim and Derek have been trying off and on for years to catch her with no luck. With her finally caught, we set her up in my garage. The plan is for her to have her kittens and wean them, and then we'll get her fixed and back outside at Kim's house. Is a good plan.

Tonight when I got home from work, I discovered that Bootsie has had her kittens (or is possibly having her kittens). Hard to tell how many (at least three have been spotted) or how they are doing. She didn't really get a chance to settle in, so I'm keeping an eye on her to make sure she eats soon.


Here is a good shot of Tyr and his leg.


Here you can see him playing with red mouse and the ball track. (The girls have blue mouse)


And here are a few of his sister hiding in the closet.


I'm still working on name ideas for the sibling. My short list is all Norse gods to go with Tyr.

Eir - only because of the one translation which says: "Eir, who is the best leech." (Well, she gave Kim a good bleeding...) I've no idea how it would be properly pronounced.
Nanna - which one source defines as "the daring one"
Syn - a goddess associated with defensive refusal (and another nice three letter name)
Zisa - relatively unknown goddess known near Augsburg. Her name is the Upper German feminine form of Tyr. Possibly a wife or sister of Tyr.

Comments

[bertana.livejournal.com]

I don't know about cat names, but I think we need to name your house "Catmandu" or something more clever. Holy cats, batman!

[cellio]

Woo hoo! Exciting times!

[serista.livejournal.com]

You're not going to be some crazy cat man are you? :)

[mikekn]

Only for a little while :) My plan is to have no more then 4 total - Gunther, Grimalkin, Tyr and his sister. The kittens will get other homes and Bootsie will go back outside.

Meanwhile I seem to have gone from 2 cats to 8 in a pretty short period of time :)

[serista.livejournal.com]

I know, you're beginning to remind me of my parents... though I would love to see cute kittens.. Of course we have a 1 cat per human rule in our house so unless I get knocked up....

[mikekn]

Once things settle down (assuming they do...) I'll invite folks over for kitten viewings :)

[mare-in-flames.livejournal.com]

Crazy cat men RULE :)

[freya46.livejournal.com]

As long as he doesn't keep a shopping cart, he's okay. :-)

I named one of my female cats Sif. :-)

[dame-margarete.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad that all of the kitties have been caught and are headed for far happier and healthier times!

[kathy-the-geek.livejournal.com]

You know, the sister looks like her eyes are lined in Kohl, so maybe something Egyptian?

"Bastet ( Bast, Ubasti )
Egyptian sun, cat and of the home goddess. As a sun goddess she represents the warm, life giving power of the sun. A goddess of the home, pregnant women and of the domestic cat, although she sometimes took on the war-like aspect of a lioness. Normally said to be the daughter of the sun god Ra, but sometimes her father was said to be Amun. Bastet was wife of Ptah and mother of the lion-god Mihos. She was also associated with 'Eye of Ra', as such she was a instrument of the sun god's vengeance. She was depicted as a cat or in human form with the head of a cat, often holding the sistrum. Her cult was centered on her sanctuary at Bubastis in the Delta region. A necropolis has been found there, containing mummified cats."

or better yet:

"Mafdet
The first deity to be mentioned who is half-cat (domesticate). She appears to be associated with the protection of the king's chambers. OR Panther Goddess Her ferocity prevails over snakes and scorpions."

or

"Pachet (Pakhet)
Lioness Goddess of the Eastern Desert and a night huntress. "

or

"Tenenit
The Egyptian goddess of beer."

[mare-in-flames.livejournal.com]

Oh, also, Valkyrie names! Because, is she a warrior or what??

[kathy-the-geek.livejournal.com]

Personally, I like Tenenit. How appropriate is it for Mike to have a goddess of beer?

[mare-in-flames.livejournal.com]

Good luck and bless you for helping those newborn infant housetigers! Also, Eir is an appropriate name. :) Are there any particular treats that they nom with great abandon? Because being a source of special-occasion nomz is a working substrategy, for sure.