Houston? We have Nose Touching!

[mythteller]

So after three days of hissing, spitting, and general yowling, the two cats have seemed to come to terms with sharing the apartment. My joy and relief know no bounds.

We had our first nose touch on Saturday morning. I took Dinger into my office and closed the door. The door has a window in it, so Newton came to the door and peered inside. The two cats hissed and yowled, but I kept petting Dinger to calm him down. Then I open the door slightly and released Dinger to see what would happen. Newton slowly poked his head inside, Dinger moved cautiously forward, and their noses touched! Progress!

After that, both cats seemed to be able to move around more easily. Dinger came out from underneath the couch and Newton kept coming up to him, pausing, and then walking away as if to say "See? I came right up to you and I didn't attack you. Chill."

Yesterday, a friend came by with her kids to visit. I didn't see this myself (I was away), but apparently the 2 year old lumbered up to Dinger to pet him, but Newton placed himself between Dinger and the boy and swatted the child away. Amazing!

So things seem mostly resolved. I say mostly because Newton seems determined to catch Dinger unaware. It reminds me of the Pink Panther movies when Clouseau (Dinger) is walking around his home and Kato (Newton) attacks him out of nowhere.

Dinger will be sitting with his back to Newton, Newton will galump towards Dinger as if to pounce, then Dinger turns around. Newtons skids to a halt and then tries to look surprised and innocent as he walks away. I've even caught Newton trying to sniff Dinger's butt and climb up on his back. This is really confusing because both cats are neutered and both cats are male.

*gasp* Does this mean Newton is gay?

Comments

[milk-an-honey.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd definitly say that means Newton is gay. :P

No, it's a dominance thing - at least it is in dogs. Either that or Dinger smells like a girl. Tee Hee I couldn't help myself, sorry.

[dragonmoone.livejournal.com]

Time to get them pink bandannas.

[lunar-phoenix09.livejournal.com]

It is most definetly a dominance thing. I used to work in a pet shop many years ago. Males especially have to show who's boss. No worries my Teacher.
Happy faces.

You are not alone!

[sorceror.livejournal.com]

Don't be upset!

In spite of all the nasty religious propaganda against it, it's actually perfectly normal.

Remember, you are not the only cat-owner experiencing this issue.

Remember you are not to blame. You did nothing wrong.

Remember you can't change your cat.

There are many local support groups available. Find one you like and attend regularly. This will be a great opportunity to meet other caretakers of gay felines.

Take your time to understand and accept what your cat has told you.

Educate yourself about homosexuality.

You can expect to move through six stages of acceptance to this news:

Unless a pet-owner has previously expected that their cat is gay, the first stage they go through when they are told is shock. This is a common reaction to any stressful situation. The average amount of time that a pet-owner spends in shock is a few days. It is not unusual, however for this stage to last for a week or two.

The second stage , as one may expect is denial. Denial includes rejection of the news, crying, ignorance, and doubt. This is a normal reaction to have.

The third stage is guilt. It is not uncommon to feel that you did something wrong in raising your cat. The reality is that you did nothing to make your pet this way. You also should not ask or expect your cat to blame you. There is nothing anyone can do to change the sexual orientation of a feline. It is important to accept them and support them rather than feel guilty.

Stage 4 is expressing your feelings. It is during this stage that it will be common to feel hurt. You may come to the realization that you won't have any grandkittens, that your cat will never get married, or you may feel fear that he will live in a world of discrimination.

Making decisions is stage 5 . Just as the title indicates, it is at this time that parents make a decision to support their cat and their lifestyle or to no longer discuss the lifestyle of the cat. Obviously, both decisions will have valid reasons but it is important to remember that your cat is still the same person. They need your love and support, not for you to condemn their homosexuality.

The final stage is acceptance. This stage is not easy to attain, but is a huge step when you do attain this goal. Acceptance means that you have dealt with all the homophobic issues you may have, you accept your cat and their lifestyle, and you love and support your cat unconditionally. It takes a long journey to get there, but when you reach stage 6, you will find the relationship you have with your pet will be stronger than ever.

Good luck! Remember, Newton is the same cat he ever was.

Re: You are not alone!

[jdhobbes.livejournal.com]

Copy/Paste and Search/Replace are your favorite functions, aren't they?

Re: You are not alone!

[sorceror.livejournal.com]

They do come in handy! ^_^