Hei, Skogkatter — 02aug26

It’s been just over a week since our two new family members joined us and I really wish I could say that we were all a big old blended family of felines but — as the fates would often have it — it was not meant to be. Not yet anyway.

While the current trend of kitten introduction is to slow-walk it over a period of weeks, I had honestly planned for a weekend (plus or minus a few days), let a little fur fly and paws catch air as the older cats got used to the idea of having new housemates. The band-aid method. I assume the sooner they go through the motions, the better and the quicker everyone will acclimate.

But… well… there was a slight issue with that.

On Sunday, Wraith [the Maine Coon] threw up. No big deal, you have five cats and you don’t think much about them barfing, especially if there’s fur in it. And, around this time of year, his allergies start to ramp up, so I didn’t think much about the loose stool he left behind either (his allergies contribute to that as well).

And then it was done. Another reason to not think much about it. By then I had decided to hold off more that the weekend and just wait closer to five days to a week for Integration Day for other reasons.

Then Pixel [the ragdoll] did something similar on Tuesday. Strange, as he is less prone to seasonal allergies. Okay, a bug then.

Later that day, Rogue [a shorthaired rescue tabby] barfed.

Definitely a bug. Time to extend Integration Day to a later date.

Then Banshee [another rescue, a black cat the crosses my path daily] a day later.

The only problem with the last two cats is that they both have different, but similar gut issues. Rogue has a acid-reflux flavor of irritable bowls syndrome (IBS) and is on a special diet for it. Banshee rarely barfs, but gets really bad diarrhea flavored IBS if she eats food she is allergic to (which is most things cat food is made of), sometimes with blood.

Great. Super. Yay.

Goblin [the rescued calico], is doing just fine. She hates the other cats and chases them off, so she hasn’t picked up what is making them barf. Yet, anyways.

Rogue has been refusing to eat or drink the past few days because his IBS is so bad, so everyone has been taking turns hand-feeding him high-moisture soft food and treats. On Friday, he was given a fluid infusion under his skin to rehydrate him and plethora of drugs to consume (appetite stimulants to antacids to anti-nauseants). All weekend long we were watching for signs to go to an urgent care or afterhours emergency room, but he’s started perking up from just being a puddle of cat and is eating enough treats to rehydrate him and get him a few calories.

Our skogkatter, while anxious to meet their new friends, have been kept separated from everyone until this runs it’s course and we get Rogue back on his feet.

Such cat drama in this household…

Meanwhile…

I’ve been spending time with Grendel and Grímnir [the new Norwegian Forest Cat kittens, norsk skogkatter) when I’m not running around cleaning up barf (thankfully, the poop is making it into the litter boxes) and they are both very loving and interesting guys.

Grendel is still the bigger of the two. Last I checked he had gained about a quarter of a pound since he came home and he sure likes his food. If I weighed him today, I would not be at all surprised to see he had gained a full half-pound in just over a week. He’s the goofball who is slightly klutzy, but that is because he seems unused to the gangly teen legs he has. Interestingly, he is (currently) the kitten least interested in people, although he does like to give and receive affection. But play and food are far more important to him than people. And, for being so food motivated, treats don’t seem to have much appeal for him. I’ll have to figure out what gets him interested in training to be a harnessed cat. And he’s cautious around new experiences, but doesn’t seem to mind car rides (I’ve made a few impromptu rides to get both used to being in the carrier and car).

What Grímnir/Grimm lacks for in heft, on the other hand, he makes up for with heart and courage. He loves people. Loves loves loves. If he hears someone coming into his area, he lets out a meep? and comes trotting over to see who it is and instantly rubs up against you, purring like a little lawn mower. He likes to sniff my coffee and my canned diet soda, and likes putting his nose to mine and then rubbing his cheek against mine. He’s a real heartbreaker, lemme tell you. If there is a new place to explore or a new thing to do, he is right there doing it with you. For example, I overhauled all of the litter boxes and washed them in the tub and he was watching what I did — when I was done, he splashed in the water, not caring at all the faucet dripped water on his head. In the morning, he wakes me up by rubbing all over me in bed, making biscuits on the way. Not too early, just about the time I’d get up anyway. And, of course, there are plenty of chirps and meeps. Treats are like, erm, catnip to him. He loves doing things for treats. He’ll probably train quickly and easily.

There you go… Life adding two skogkatter to a five-cat household. Far more drama than I had hoped for, but that’s how things go most of the time for me, so I expected something to put a wrinkle in my plans.

I’m going to order their harnesses today and see if we can at least get them on and used to the harness by the time the first snow falls. If I’m lucky, they will know their names by Halloween and get to experience snow first-hand shortly after.