stress no more

I have previously mentioned that safety is very important to Orket. I think I have solved the mystery as to why she hasn't really been inclined towards using the litter box, instead peeing outside of toilet doors and at my main door. (Whenever she does that we bring her to the litter box in the kitchen). This is probably because we have three cats in the house with whom she is still not that familiar with. The whole house is filled with their scent, and Orket gets easily stressed. Hence she is 'marking' the house with her scent. I have taken to transferring her pee to that litter box, and have not cleared the pee tray for the past 2 days, so that her scent is still there. I also hope that after I have mopped the floor this morning, the other cats' scents will be reduced and Orket will feel more comfortable.

As the days go by during her stay with us, she is however becoming less stressed, which is great news! The signs have been good - she has stopped hiding under the sofa and has found other nooks to snooze in, namely on Andy's chair (metal chair, similar to a cage I suppose, since she is a show cat and sits in cages for long periods of time). She tried to scratch the chair, and has made it hers. When she wants even more quiet, she has taken to sleeping under my table, in a cabinet on top of my notebooks. I will probably create a sleeping bed for her soon, using a towel covered with her scent. Her towel is currently wet from washing because it had pee on it. With all these safety factors in place for her, I hope she will be inclined to using the litter tray more regularly.

She really enjoys being hand-fed, especially if it is wet food. This morning she finished a whole can of Bistro! And then half a can at lunch, and now another spoonful of my homemade chicken, all alongside kibbles for proper nutrition (canned food is mainly only protein). Her appetite is improving. Previously she only ate one meal a day in the evening only. Her appetite is another sign that she is becoming less stressed. We certainly hope that she puts on weight during her stay with us. Himalayan Persian cats should be medium to large size. But she is so light right now, maybe even lighter than Scooter.

Orket actually rather similar to Slinky. Slinky has idiosyncracies too, like she needs to have her own toilet, and that she is immaculately clean. She doesn't mind being stroked but hates being hugged, cleaning herself vigourously after we hug her. When Slinky is stressed she streaks around the house. When she is happy she will come into our room to accompany us, but that is not very often. She prefers staying in the kitchen and sleeping on our dining chair by herself. Both Slinky and Orket are cats that like solitude and quiet. But at least Orket enjoys being carried, and she enjoys being stroked at the end of her tail, unlike any of our cats.

As for bonding with other cats: Orket and Scooter have nose-kissed at least once already. But Scooter, if he tries to play with her, gets a hiss from Orket. Which he is used to I guess, because Slinky is like that too. Last night, both Orket and Scooter were sleeping on the bed next to me, said Andy when he woke up in the middle of the night to go pee. Sayang though is not entirely warmed up to Orket, but just now both Orket and her were in the room together with me, and still are. Both cats are totally relaxed and not in any 'on-guard' postures even though they are in the same room. As for Slinky, well, she keeps to herself, and when Orket goes near her, Slinky will hiss at Orket. Which is all very normal cat behaviour I guess.