So many of you know my Travis cat via my freebie cat textures and gallery art I thought I would let you all know what's up! :) Apparently the smell of my son's family's ANIMALS on them when they came to visit this past Saturday - tipped Travis cat over the edge and he went into HOWLING CRYING, BANGING CUPBOARD DOORS for the next 36 hours, looking for his long lost Clancy cat... (it's been a year already!)...He was just inconsolable!!... So we went to a local "no kill" animal shelter this past Sunday, and found him what may be the perfect little boy for both lifting my spirts (and forcing more exercise) and hopefully bringing peace to Travis (and then our sleep at night!!)... We have had Nikki since Sunday and already this little male fixed brown tabby "beta cat" (read mellow and sooo loving to us and wanting to be friends with the old grouch) is getting closer to Travis... I hurt myself (Fibromyalgia muscles etc.) cat/child proofing the family/kitchen rooms but we are settling down.... but I am resting and not on the computer much at all for now... (both are sleeping now, so I got to come upstairs and be "here" a little).... I do keep Nikki in the bathroom downstairs when I am not there with them, for now. The boys can smell each other through the space under the door (it was built for carpet to go under but we have a linoleum flooring for easy cleaning. Nikki (named Nick at shelter, but really comes to a "kissing noise" more so name might change)... came from Kingman, Arizona!! The Hellen Woodward animal center takes in animals from "kill shelters" in, because they are a no kill shelter... Nikki is a one year old fixed VERY SHORT HAIR brown tabby, and loves everyone, other cats, and does not mind being in cat carriers, in confined cages etc.. he had NO fleas there (the place is VERY upscale, and SUPER CLEAN), and had given him frontline flea stuff on entry, tested at both shelters negative for feline aids and leukemia... just has ear mites (which may actually be gone by now) ..... I am betting the Arizona shelter treated him for fleas too, as well as all the tests, kitten shots etc. Travis's first banshee howl/growled/huffed, and then spit so hard he choked himself and scared Nikki half to death...but Nikki is bouncing back.... now Travis lets him closer and FROWNS a lot, does some hissing/growling...but I know it is just a matter of time... I DO keep telling Travis "is that Clancy cat?" and trying to put the picture of loving buddies in his head.... that helps even if it is just my soothing voice... This morning they were within 2 feet of one another, Travis hissing, Nikki growling - but I don't think they were very serious. We will have pictures when it is feasible... Nikki is either sleeping or like lighting jumping, running, etc... I wanted an Abyssinian .... I think I got the "athlete" of one in a mellow tabby body! LOL!! Of course our boys are indoor boys...Nikki is learning very fast with "NO" and a water bottle to squirt if he does not mind.. but he learns so fast, already he gets down from places and runs to "his room" like he knows he is a bad boy...so I run after him and love/pet/praise him for getting down and he is sooo happy! :) I have to stop typing now or shoulder will get mad... but I wanted folks to know why I am not around too much right now. (also just as I was trying to post this the first time at Rosity, my computer SHUT OFF! I think the keyboard is dying... I saw the lights were off when I tried to turn the machine back on, so I banged it a couple of times and the lights came on and now I have burned a back up CD, virus scanned the whole machine and am posting..so hopefully it is either an old (it is old!) keyboard or maybe even just dust....machine seems fine! I HAVE to have a "split space bar - split to be half space bar and half back space - my dyslexia and shoulder limits make this a MUST, (I back space about three times per sentence!) so this precious NMB keyboard better NOT die!!. Lyne Lyne's Creations

Life Requires Assembly and we all know how THAT goes!

I am so happy to see you so excited! Here is hoping for a short Travis/kitty spat, and a very long Travis/kitty buddy time! Hugs! Diana

awwwwwwww

"I didn't lose my mind, it was mine to give away"

Congratulations on the new addition. (Does this mean we get a new cat texture? ;-)

My cats don't seem to miss each other much. I had to take one of them to the vet for a day to get a tooth extracted, and when I brought him back home, the other cat was very upset to see him. It was like introducing a strange cat. I get the feeling that she wishes she was an only child.

Oh, Lyne that's great that you got Nikki! Travis and Clancy were a pair so it's only natural he'd feel the loss, sometimes I think if I'm being unfair to Mickey keeping him alone with no other comapanion of his kind but then I see him glued to John half the time :) Sorry to hear you can't spend more time on the pc but rest so you can return renewed and hope all goes well with your pc too! Will write to you soon :)

Awwwww, so sweet ! Good luck with your newest family member :)

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Outdated gallery over at DeviantArt

Fics at FanFiction.net and Archive of Our Own (AO3)

Congrats on the new kitty :) I have 2 cats. One was 6 when I adopted a 4 month old kitten into the family. I was hoping that they would become best buddies (both females) and have each other for company when I was working 13 hour shifts. However, 6 years later, they just tolerate each other. The youngest is very attached to me and freaks out when she can't see me. The only time she sleeps soundly is when I'm in bed and she's pasted up against me. The rest of the time she sleeps with one eye open, peeking at me to make sure I haven't gone anywhere. If I get up to go into another room, even if only for 2 minutes, she's right behind me. And they are so jealous of each other. I can't pet one without the other demanding equal attention.

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi

Well new little Nikki guy has a "shelter/stress" cold - sneezing (that I thought was just dust) got worse (stuffy nose and bit in lungs :( ) and now he is in his bathroom while he gets antibiotics and hopefully Travis will be strong enough (even at 16 years) NOT to catch it... I am to start Travis on antibiotics if he sneezes more than one day... I am NOT happy about this, and my back is really a mess from getting down on the floor with poor lonely Nikki in his bathroom...and now the "getting acquainted" time is getting a push back... The one time Travis caught sight of Nikki the evening after the vet appointment, he looked like "you brought him BACK here???" Travis is now quietly cuddly with me, on my lap while Nikki is "locked up"... Argh!! My hubby and I spend as much time in with Nikki as possible and after a couple of days if his sneezing gets less we can let him back out... (keeping food and water dishes separate) I will have to go back to cleaning all counters each time we want to use the kitchen, something my FM does not like... this is getting to be a real difficult time... but we are all persevering in the hopes we will all become a calm happy family in a month or so!! Nikki and Travis did get a neat topical flea and EAR MITE dose at the vets so that now I don't have to fight with ear drops every other day... that helps! Travis didn't catch the mites and Nikki still has some... The new kind of medication is called Revolution. (a once a month flea and mite thing) But again, it's taking all my efforts to take care of the boys and myself so I am not doing too much else... OH and probably not the keyboard, maybe the power pack got a bit of dust in and tripped it off...working so far fine, but keeping watch and hubby can put a new one in if needed! :) Lyne Lyne's Creations PS No pictures until this crazy situation is worked out. My shoulders do not allow me to handle a camera any more and hubby can, but not going to try and take pictures for now... Well I PRAY that they do not just tolorate one another!!! They are males and from all our experience (hubby had A LOT of cat experience in his life) they are much more companionable with both humans and one another... I will have pics when they get together...hope hope!!

Life Requires Assembly and we all know how THAT goes!

I think they are both getting better...turns out poor old Travis has IBS! (irritable bowel syndrome) and so is on cortisone and antibiotics for his sniffles... but both boys are MUCH more relaxed with one another... and sneezeing less....just have to hope that Travis does not give it BACK to Nicki (really need to spell it the male way, but he is just not a Nick...he's too cute! :) I am still spending MUCH time with the boys, and resting my over worked back and shoulders...so we all are getting well... :)

Life Requires Assembly and we all know how THAT goes!