Floof

Another very important thing that has happened recently at Casa Anderson is the arrival of our new kitten Flora, also known as Floof. She is very small but already has a huge personality. She is white at the front with tabby patches on her head and back; she has very attractive markings around her eyes and a wee freckle on her nose. She is good-natured, very lively, and curious about everything around her. We had been intending to get a new female kitten for a while and decided to wait until after our weekend in Nice so that we would be mainly at home in her early months to take care of her. I saw an advertisement for kittens on Gumtree and drove down to a farm in Ayrshire (on 10th October) and picked up our kitty. I liked the name Floof but I wanted her to have a "proper" name too and Flora seemed to suit her. So her name is Flora Anderson and her nickname is Floof.

I took her to the vet to get checked over and she said that she was in good health but only about 7 weeks old - so she must have been born about the 24th August. 

The main reason for getting Flora was for her to be a companion to Tom. He really was puzzled and lonely after Ruby died in January; they had spent so much time together and were very close. Needless to say, it hasn't worked out quite as straightforwardly as I hoped. Tom was pretty horrified at the introduction of another cat to the house. He hasn't attacked Flora I'm glad to say (apart from batting at her with his paw once or twice), but he stares at her disapprovingly and hisses at her from time to time. And he tends to leave the room that she is in as soon as possible. This is a shame because she adores him!

Two weeks on there has been some progress. We haven't forced them together and Tom is able to go outside at will, which Flora is too young for yet - this gives Tom space and time away from her. Also, for the time being, we put Floof into the living room at bed time so that Tom has the rest of the house to himself at night. As a result he is becoming a bit more tolerant of her overtures of friendship (she is absolutely fascinated by him!) and has even licked her head once or twice. She is so sweet, capering about and playing with her wee cat toys; I'm hopeful that he will not only get used to her but even grow to enjoy her company. We got a plug-in diffuser from a pet shop which apparently emits pheromones that make cats more friendly with each other so perhaps that has helped. And we keep making a fuss of Tom so that he knows that he is our number one cat!