By now most of my readers know who this is….

But do you know who this is?

This is Louie our new cat rescue. We got him from the Caroline County Humane Society. He is 4 years old and his previous owner had to go into a nursing home. We got Louie for Holly because she really needs someone to play with and to keep her company when we’re gone all day. We had him upstairs for a couple of days to get used to us and his new house. Friday afternoon we felt it was time to introduce Holly and Louie.

Here they are checking each other out for the first time.

Louie ran behind the door and Holly followed him. You can just see his little nose sticking out from behind the door.

Then she followed him back out.

Louie went back in and started checking out her litter box. This is probably the cat equivalent of people looking in other people’s medicine cabinets.

Then Holly watched Louie.

And Louie watched Holly.

After a while they ended up in the sun room “tolerating” each other. And they all lived happily ever after……NOT!

Yesterday morning, just when we thought they were getting used to each other, they got into an all out scuffle with claws and scratching and hissing and me becoming a nervous wreck. Everyone says, “Oh, they’re just figuring out whose boss” etc…And things like, “It will only take a couple of days, or months, or years for them to establish the pecking order”. Huh? We got Louie to be a friend for Holly to play with and cuddle. What I got is a bad case of nerves. I am walking on egg shells hoping they don’t run into each other. At this point I’d be happy if Louie just stayed upstairs where he seems happiest and Holly stayed downstairs where she is happiest. Holly is scared now and stays hidden. Louie comes downstairs, walks around once and goes right back upstairs. Somehow this is not what I pictured getting another cat would be like. 

What I need is my dear readers to reassure me that 1) this is totally normal. 2) this will end tomorrow and 3) they will fall deeply in love and we will all live happily ever after!!!!