Filou's Diary

Dear Readers,

You may recall a handsome cat called Filou who was trying to welcome a new companion, Molly. Molly was having difficulty adjusting to her new circumstances. Their story has been told in several blog entries:
I've Been Kidnapped (4/6/10)
Molly's Adventure (5/6/10)
Possessiveness on the Rise (6/1/10)
Molly Takes A Big Step (6/10/10)

I’m pleased to report that all is going very well. And to give you some idea of the progress that has been made, Filou agreed to share selected entries from his diary.

Over to you Filou.


Thanks, Greyce.


I have kept a log of the changes in our household since Molly arrived. While I won’t bore you with all of the details, I think you might find selected excerpts (since that issue about possessiveness) interesting.

It all started when we contacted Greyce again – this time about jealousy and she recommended trying the Bach Flower Remedy called Holly.


Entry #1: I am looking forward to trying the Bach Drops because we really need the stuff. I know I do. I still get quite jealous when Herself comes home and we, the two furry roommates, charge to the door to greet her.


Another day: Our Purrson started giving us the drops. By the way the stuff smells a wee bit, but it's okay. These drops are not bad at all for me.


I don't know what's with Molly. She bit our Purrson twice in the leg even though She didn't do anything unusual. In both cases immediately after biting, Molly wanted affection. If you ask me, that's not the way to get some, eh? Can too many drops increase aggression? Please help. I don't want Molly to bite our Purrson a third time.


Another day: Most times I’m very well behaved. I don't even get a kink in my crown when Herself feeds Molly first!


Another day: I behaved badly last week. Molly hissed at me and I snapped. I smacked her a couple of times with my paws. Herself witnessed what I did. She said that magic word, "phooey" and I stopped. However, I still had the nasty facial expression. Herself plugged in the Feliway diffuser again after the "boxing match" and I haven’t challenged Molly since.


Another day: Molly is indeed becoming bolder (relatively), but she's still very fearful. She still hisses quite a bit, but it's improving.


Another day: Molly is taking her flower remedy well. Herself puts drops on the wet cat-food. Molly gulps the stuff like an addict.


Another day: Another major development, albeit is a s-l-o-w one, is her increasing tolerance for me - her "brother". Although she still hisses at me, she no longer growls. Oftentimes she will hiss at me while she's lying down lazily on the floor. Her body-language does not indicate anxiety or hostility any longer. This doesn't mean that we don't have arguments any more. We still do, but they don't last long.


Another day: Molly’s pupils are very normal and have been for a while now.


Another day: Molly started personal grooming again. Our Purrson tried so many times to brush her, only to be met with great hostility. Now she is grooming herself and spitting up fur balls. Who knew that this would be an exciting development?


Another day: Molly started "talking" loudly. Until then I doubted she had a real voice beyond the hissing and growling. She has also started a funny habit after seeing me do it many times - calling from a distant spot to make our Purrson look for us. We get a kick out of this!


Another day: Guess what Molly has started to do? My bold little "sister" started visiting our Purrson in the bathroom whenever she spends a few moments there. She must have copied that from me because I have been doing that since I was a kitten. Now our Purrson has absolutely no more privacy. Ha, ha, ha - too funny. She likes to annoy our Purrson in the bathroom, but she knows when to leave too.


Another day: Molly roams the entire apartment freely. We no longer have hiding spots I (from each other) at home. Instead, we have nap-retreats.


Final Entry: Molly has made a major transformation - from being terrified beyond belief the day she arrived to being at peace with her new home and with me. We are now a three-creature household (instead of being one handsome cat, one purrson and scaredy cat.


Our Purrson has shown great patience, which is something she didn't know she actually had in such abundance. She was determined to make this work. Our Purrson made certain that Molly was safe and was able to heal at her own pace. It has been a challenging time for all of us and there will be some more bumps ahead for sure, but time and patience are great healers.

We all know that Molly is where she belongs. It's just a matter of time before the three of us are curled up together for a good snooze.

So to all you cats out there who are suddenly given a feline companion who wants nothing to do with you - take heart! With time, patience and know-how, things CAN work out!

Yours, Filou