A 'Fourgone' Conclusion!

Well, who would have guessed what happened next?
Have a look at the picture below.......

Isn't she beautiful? And she knows it too!

It wasn't planned!! I was still in the 'pondering' stage on Thursday evening when I went to feed Kindle. At that stage I was thinking that I would catch her on, say, Sunday or Monday evening and book an appointment with Aunty Vet for her operation sometime during the week. Or, maybe wait until the weather warmed up a bit. And I mulled and meandered  into Marie's drive carrying food and milk and a variety of clean bowls. And there was a car! Marie had come home from visiting her daughter and they were standing near Kindle who was head-down-and-chewing on a piece of snoek.
Marie was more than happy to allow me to carry on feeding her in the same place, but Nicola warned me that the rest of her family were arriving the next afternoon for the weekend, with their two dogs who were not cat-friendly! The best thing would be for me to go on Friday lunchtime and catch Kindle then and there! Before she headed into the bushes never to be seen again. So, my mind quickly came out of 'vague mode' and I made plans!


The spare room would be the place to put her, with litter tray, food, water and blankets, until we could introduce her to everybody without causing chaos, stress, or panic. To me especially!
So, the next morning, armed with a cat box, I went down the road again. Marie had the gardener there and his bike was parked exactly where I fed Kindle, and I was concerned that she gone into hiding and I would not be able to find her. But I need not have worried, she came when I called her and before she knew what was happening (and where was the food?), I scruffed her and bundled her into the box! Rob arrived and we carried her home. She did a bit of yowling and we had visions of that carrying on for a few days until she settled down.

Her new home, food wins the day!

Anyway, to cut a long story short............or a little shorter anyway, we opened the box in her room and left her to climb out on her own and explore when she felt ready. She had one burst of panic when she climbed up the window and then hurtled round the room knocking one picture off the wall, and then that was it! Panic over! And she has been as quiet as a mouse since then.

The firewood keeps the door ajar!

On Saturday, Rob had a great idea to open her door just enough for her and the lads to smell and see each other but not enough to actually get in or out! So, because we didn't have a hook and hasp thing, Plan B was invented. An elastic bungy thing and a piece of firewood, and hey presto, it works like magic.

Exploring upstairs.

We have let her out every day to wander round the house while the lads are outside, blocking off the cat-flap to prevent a sudden arrival (or departure) and so far so good! She loves to run up and down the stairs and she knows where the boys food bowls are! She and Alfie have touched noses, he wants to play but she puffs herself up like a toilet brush if he gets too rumbustious! (Isn't that a lovely word?)

Like the Duke of York, halfway up or down!

I have Googled everything about introducing a new cat into a multi-cat household, I have asked the experts (my sister and my daughter), and we are doing it right! Basil and Dopey were very interested on Saturday but now they can't be bothered, so the next step is to feed all of them interesting things next to the open door, probably biltong! I suggested to Rob that we spread olive paste over Kindle and let Basil lick it off, that would do the friendship trick.......maybe! He goes moggy over olives, strange boy! But maybe seven kilos of Basil would be a little off-putting to a tiny lady! With regards to Dilly, I doubt that he will notice a new member of the household, probably wonder why Dopey has suddenly shrunk!

And the next step happens tomorrow. She is off to the vet for her operation. I am so worried for her as she is so little, but I know she will be fine.

And by the end of the month we hope that they have all met properly and are happily sharing house and garden space.

Now, hands up if you guessed that this would happen?