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Foster Cat Journal: The Last of Santa's Team

Little Blitzen is the last of Santa's Team to be in foster care. The rest are off to their forever homes. Blitzen would have been long gone had he not needed treatment for Ringworm. His last dose of meds will be on Saturday. He's had no sign of any ringworm for a few weeks. Other than an occasional sneeze, his health seems good.

I also let him out of his room a few weeks ago, too. Once the others were gone, it was too unkind to leave a little guy alone for so long. I knew it put my cats at risk of getting ringworm, but since the stuff is airborne, I had to figure they've all had a snoot-ful of it by now.

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Blitzen loves the cat mat that Aunt Clare made him!

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I think he's wear it if he could.

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Bob's not too sure he wants to share the cat mat, even though there's one behind him...yes, it IS considerably smaller and Bob wants what Bob wants. Blitz is happy to have someone to roughouse with. Spencer is staying out of it this time.

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Open the door to the deck and all fighting ends. The boys love the fresh air.

Blitz has been trying to find his place among the other cats. Petunia is very angry about him being here and Spencer has ramped up attacking her. It's a complex situation having eight cats. Spencer wants to bully Petunia and so does Bob. I can't understand why, though I do believe that Petunia might want to be the alpha cat OR she is so fearful that she needs a nicer alpha cat, instead of a bossy guy like Bob or Spencer. Having Blitzen here doesn't help her, but it does give the big boys someone to play with and chase around, so maybe they'll leave her alone a bit more often?

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Someone's tail is growing faster than their body. I'm not sayin' who, though.

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And don't think for a minute that Blitzen is in any danger. In fact, the little squirt instigates many of the clashes. He's not aggressive. he just wants to play. I've seen Spencer race up and down the stairs with Blitzen hot on his tail! It's great to see the cats running around more. Even Bob and Nicky, who have been slow to warm to Blitz, have begun to show signs of accepting him.

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Blitzen and Nicky. Looks like the little guy has a long way to go yet before he's as big as Nicky-if that is even possible!

I feel bad for Blitzen. He's doing his best to fit in where there isn't a whole lot of room. He was sleeping between Sam and I most nights, but now he is under the bed. I think ”the girls,” Gracie and Petunia, had a talk with him and asked him to get lost. He won't even hang out on the bed and they rarely leave it. Something is up.

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I know you want to come outside on the deck, but you're too young! Talk about guilt!

I really want Blitzen to be happy here. Sam is ready to adopt him. I see some definite benefit, but I also see the problems. He might not get as much time and attention from us as he would from a family with only one other cat, but he will have other cats to interact with here in addition to his human family. The problem is that this sweet little guy has had a few cats hiss at him, so now he's confused about being friends with other cats. I really hope he can find one or two of my guys to be closer to. I'm sure he misses the closeness he shared with Cupid and his sisters and it's not fair for him to go without cat companionship.

Blitzen has done very well adapting to a much bigger space, lots more cats and challenges. He remains a sweet tempered kitty and he always makes me smile.

I have to ask myself if I can be happy letting him go and knowing he's in a great home, that's not mine; or decide that although we weren't looking for another cat, that one found us.

It's time to adopt him or put Blitz on Petfinder.

Comments

Prepare for Anne's stream of consciousness: What has Blitzen told you? What's your gut feeling? Blitz has never known anything other than a houseful of cats, so he's not the one concerned about attention - he's known the score since he was a wee man and he's cool with it (he prolly wants as much attention from the Big Kids as he does from you and Sam). Ollie and Moppet sleep under my bed most of the time, and they're happy as clams - they just like to be under the bed at night, coming onto the bed for some serious purr time in the wee hours. The Old Skool Cats hold their own against the babies, and I let them work out their differences as long as it doesn't get douchey-aggressive. Has Blitz touched you and Sam in a way that other fosters haven't? Does the Happy outweigh the Stress? Blitz does not have to go on Petfinder this week. Take a couple of days - don't rush this decision so you can be confident that you made the right one. No regrets!

He looks so happy, and I think he might like having friends to play with.

If the kits aren't fighting then I think he'll be fine. :)

Juno, Quincy and Cougar never really got along, but I can tell you one thing - Quincy SURE DOES miss Juno and Cougar a LOT.

I'd adopt him if Narda would let me! But I think he just needs to find his feet, so to speak with your brood. They are older, but will learn to tolerate the little squirt.

ALL of the creatures in your home are just coming down from a big stress period. The fresh air, the happier bipedeals, all of it will work wonders.

And if not? let me know if I need to start working on Narda. ;)

Thank you for the offer! I know he'd go to a great home if it was with your family! I think Sam is pretty much set on us adopting him, but I have to go through proper channels and such and I need a bit more time. He IS an adorable little kitty. That is for sure.

you could post him and just not place him until (if) you find the right family.

i think blitzen and bob make a great pair. very handsome orange men. and whoa, nicky is HUGE!

You need to see Nicky in person to believe how HUGE he is. He's not even fat. He's just enormous! He weighs around 20 lbs, but he's pushing 4 ft long stretched out-which he prefers to do when laying down.

I don't envy you that decision. But he does look happy and sound like he is fitting in well. So that is a plus. As far as the others going after Petunia, well, if she was the only girl I would say that is the issue - but since she isn't, could it be that she is a crabby old lady cat and that she wants to be in charge - that is how our Lola is (though she is also the only girl, and I think the boys think "pushover" - that is until they realize she is bigger than them).

Blitzen looks so huge until you start posting photos of him next to other kitties!!

I recently adopted my eighth, but I was lucky that his personality fits so perfectly with my 7th, that I think he is more her pet then mine.

Congrats! I'm glad things are going well! i keep thinking Blitz is big, too. Then I see him with Nicky. Fuggitaboutit!

I hope all continues to go well with your new family member! Be sure to upload pix of them on our Facebook Fan page!

You've been through a lot with Blitzen. He looks happy with your other cats, they look happy with him, even if they are all readjusting. I look at the photos of Blitzen and just get the idea of a little cat that will be very confused and sad if he goes off to another home now - you're his mom now.

My eldest cat of my 3 (Candy, 8 y/o female) still grumbles a bit at the 9month old and we've had him since he was 8 weeks. He wants to play and she's at the age where she just doesn't want to now, least of all with a boy who still thinks he wants to make babycats for some unknown reason (he is fixed!) My 'special needs' (he's a bit...special in the head. Kitty autism?) 5 year old monstercat (not as big as Nicky though!) plays a lot more now, he's been learning from the little'un how to pick up toys and carry them around and they run about up and down the stairs and roughhouse a bit.
Candy refused to come onto the bed for a while after the baby moved in, but after sitting and fussing her on the bed for 10 minutes she went back to her old ways of sleeping next to me/under the duvet.
Maybe your old girls think he has cooties.

Definitely all good points worth considering-esp. the cooties comment!

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