Cattitude

Some explanation may be in order. Bonnie's blood work is normal, by the way. We are concerned that Bonnie isn't the same cat she was before Victor arrived, and that was nearly a year ago. It's not just that she doesn't get along with Victor - that's not surprising. It's the other habits that have changed.

• She used to sleep on our bed almost every night; now Victor does and Bonnie never even tries.
  
• She used to spend time in the living room watching birds out the window; now she spends very little time in that room.
  
• She used to supervise my morning routine and enter the bathroom frequently for water from the tap. Now, after nearly a year, she has hesitantly returned to ask for tap water. If Victor enters the room, she tries to leave immediately. He gets excited and pounces; she runs for the computer room, hissing all the way.

The biggest change is toward us.

• We used to be able to pet her. Now, she growls and hisses at us. Sometimes, I just walk past her and she growls.
  
• I used to be able to pick her up, but now I wouldn't dare.
  

The only room she hasn't given up is the computer room, and there she almost acts like her old self. She spends most of her time there and even tolerates Victor in that room. They seem to treat the boy's room as neutral territory, though it looks more like a war zone.

On the other hand (or paw),

• Bonnie eats from any food dish and mostly tolerates Victor eating from her dish.
  
• They take turns eating treats from my fingers, though Victor mustn't crowd her.
  
• They both sit at the top of the stairs, a few feet apart, monitoring anyone at the door (Bonnie sits in plain sight while Victor hides around the corner).
  
• And they both use both litter boxes.

So, we feel Bonnie is still upset or anxious. At first, she would lash out at Victor, and he would roll over submissively. Bonnie would run away and Victor would shrug and continue to do whatever he wanted. He didn't try to take our bed from her; he jumped up and made himself comfortable. Bonnie jumped up, hissed in his face, and ran away, so Victor stayed. He's won territory simply because she surrendered it! Now, Victor doesn't bother acting submissive. He pounces her and chases her, ignoring her noisy complaints. Victor means her no harm and wouldn't mind sharing the bed, the bathroom, the sink. If we could tone down Bonnie's over-reactions just a little, she might learn to accept the situation and become a happier cat.

So that's where we are with Bonnie. And Victor needs his teeth cleaned. Is there such a thing as too many Temptations?

Now for a game of Where's Victor? He's been hiding from the cold weather a lot lately.
Where's the cat?

Here he is!

Where's the cat?
There he is!