Pages

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Story of Benji

It's been almost two months since we got our second kitty, Benji. 

To be honest, we were perfectly happy with having just one cat. But some time in February, we noticed a change in Pheebs' behaviour. She would chew up scraps from paper bags and cupboard boxes during the day when we were at work. Besides being destructive, she also got increasingly needy and would whine and try to nip at my legs whenever I tried to leave her room.

L, my cat whisperer friend, said these were symptoms of boredom and asked me to consider getting a second kitty so she could have a playmate. Although cats are independent by nature and not pack animals like dogs,  they are not solitary and need to socialize as well (although not as much as dogs). We decided we'll get a second cat to keep her company. Based on my web research, it seemed it would be easier to introduce a younger, male kitten (sterilised of course) to a female cat so, a tom cat it would be.

I found a post on Benji, on the Cat Welfare Society's Adoption Board. The fosterer described him as a 6 months old cat who has been given up by his previous owner due to financial issues.



"Benji has grown into a handsome looking cat, has a lovely calm nature, friendly and trusting. He has beautiful long straight tail and wearing a nice shade of light patterned brownish fur coat. Litter box trained and newly sterilized with ear tattoo. He gets along with other cats and settles in easily. He is all ready now and looking optimistic in finding his new family for good."

I had a good feeling about Benji (I must admit, I thought it was fate he shared the same nickname as the husband) and made an appointment with the fosterer to see him.

We brought him home the same day we viewed him. Benji had another sibling who looked exactly like him. But we choose him because he was quiet, less active than his brother and completely relaxed around us. A complete contrast to our vocal, active female feline who never sleeps when we're around. I knew I wanted to take him home when how he fell asleep in my arms like a little baby. (Note to self - first impressions are deceiving. The naughty boy goes ballistic whenever he smells any kind of food and jumps into the sink, onto the kitchen counter and the dining table, much to our dismay.)

Once he was home, we did everything the 'experts' said to do when we introduced him to Phoebe. We let her get used to his scent, before allowing him out from his cage. There was hissing and growling and she would follow him everywhere he went, to make sure he wasn't up to any mischief. She would also pick a fight with him, although I was told it's normal for the older cat to get territorial and it would take a while before two cats learnt to get along.

Two months later, it's obvious from the way she treats him that she dislikes him. Even today, she still chases him around and smacks him with her paws if he tries to eat from her food bowl or hang out at her favourite spots. She acts like an older sister who's insanely jealous and upset by the fact she has to share her paw-rents and space with another cat. The poor boy's frightened of her and keeps his distance from her.

So much for being a playmate. Benji seems to be her prey-mate!

Oh Pheebs, can you stop being so unfriendly?

I don't expect them to be best buddies, but I hope she'll learn to tolerate him in the months to come. Till then, fingers AND toes crossed.

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Subscribe: