Tuesday Terror – Kizmet Conquers the Household!
My darling, sweet, precious little angel!!
As you know from my last post about Kizmet, I had carefully laid out plans about how I would slowly introduce him to the other cats in the house so that he would not be overwhelmed with the stress of seven large, adult cats who would in all probability chase him into a corner and bully him to defend their territory. To me, he is my sweet little baby – a helpless, tiny ball of fur that I rescued and I wanted to make sure he would feel safe and secure in his new forever home.
He had gone to the vet for his second checkup – his infection was cleared up and he was given the green light to safely meet everyone which was my main concern and I planned on slowly bringing him out of the office in the next day or two. You know how I had wanted it to go – I would put the other cats in the bedroom so that he could explore the house on his own for a bit, then I would introduce him to one or two cats at a time so they could become familiar with one another, while being supervised by Dan and I. Not only did I want the process to run as smooth as possible for Kizmet, but I also wanted the other cats to ease into meeting him so that they were not overly upset either.
Well, Kizmet had an entirely different agenda and it had nothing in common with mine. I opened the door to the office to feed him his dinner and check up on him like I had been doing every night since we got him. He zoomed out so quickly that I didn’t have time to react and he headed straight down the hall to the living room with a confident swagger and purpose. I tried not to overreact, but I was certain disaster was about to unfold at every turn and I braced myself for the inevitable hissing, fur flying, scratching, batting, fighting, and howling.
Zing, zip, bing, bang – he was literally on every piece of kitty furniture we have and playing with every kitty toy we have, instantaneously, all at the same blink of an eye moment with the zealous passion of a possessed demon. The other cats just stood back and watched him in utter fascination, shocked, and so taken aback by his chutzpah that they almost seemed to be in awe of him, rather than upset.
And so it begins, with his tail held high and proud, Kizmet walks over to introduce himself to Rolz!
In one of his highlight moments, he skirted up on one of the kitty condos, straight to the top, reclined his body in regal victory, and basically said, “Nah, nah, nah, nah,” I am a tough, big boy, I am here to stay and none of you scare me, this is my kingdom, so get over it!” To prove it, he batted at each cat that decided to check him out, as I think at this point, they were so perplexed by his presence that they had to make sure he was real and not something they were dreaming!
Once it settled in that he was indeed walking amongst them and no longer that “thing” that was behind a closed door for two weeks, each cat eventually reacted to his boldness in a different way. Zee reacted with a mixture of jealousy and annoyance – he swatted and hissed at Kizmet a few times, but Kizmet was so unaffected by it, that Zee realized his actions were serving no purpose whatsoever and so now he just kind of looks at him like “I don’t have the time for this nonsense, so fine, you can stay, but just keep your distance.” Which, of course, Kizmet is not! Kizmet is the tiny, shrunken, mirror image of Zee and you can see he is doing his best to emulate his new “daddy.”
Not realizing he was caught on camera being nice, Zee shares his food dish with Kizmet who looks like he actually could be Zee's son! Clearly if Kizmet can eat in peace, the cats are far more accepting of him than they are letting on!
Zoey is definitely miffed. She growls and hisses, but Zoey reacted that way to her own kittens when they were about 10 weeks old. In her mind, she had raised them, they were weaned, and it was time for them to leave the nest, so to speak. Once she resigned herself to the fact that we were keeping them and they were permanent members of the household, she become more tolerant, and actually loves them very much. Kizmet could care less about her drama and since he does not react in fear or cower from her, it really is not that much fun for her and she now just goes in the bedroom to avoid contact with him if he gets on her nerves.
The girls – Mia and Peanut – don’t particularly care for Kizmet, but they are behaving and just tend to stay away from him. I think they will be fine and just need a bit more time to get used to him. Rolz is the most incredible player in this saga – he is completely hypnotized by Kizmet and follows him around in utter fascination – almost like he thinks Kizmet is a cat toy come to life. Rolz tends to be an extremely aloof and lazy cat, not really caring to participate too much in family feline activities. He can be a bully sometimes too and will ambush his sisters and the older cats, Harley and Jazz, on occasion, but for the most part likes to be left to the sidelines. Somehow Kizmet seemed to assess Rolz up in one quick meeting and decided to take charge. He wiggled his little butt and assumed attack mode, going after Rolz in one fell swoop of playful dominance. Rather than get angry, Rolz just kind of let it happen, shook him off his back, and walked away shaking his head in disbelief, but at the same time admiring the boldness of Kizmet!
This picture was literally taken hours after Kizmet rushed into the living room and if it doesn't sum up how perfectly he fits in, I don't what else could. He is sleeping next to his "big brother," Rolz, who could not be more relaxed or happy to have the company.
Since Jazz spends most of his time in our bedroom, he has had limited contact with Kizmet and doesn’t seem too upset, which is good, because I was the most worried about him. As long as Kizmet leaves him alone, all should be fine. Harley has both been intrigued and miffed, but doesn’t seem overly concerned with his presence either. All in all, I would say that the acclamation went about 90% better than I ever could have anticipated and it is all due to the fact that Kizmet took charge of the situation on his own terms and basically told everyone, humans and felines alike, that this was his home and he was here to stay! He is no longer my snuggle, cuddle baby like he was with me in the office – when I pick him up now, he squirms like a toddler high on sugar to get out of my arms, as clearly he has more important things to do, such as running like a madcat through the house and can’t put up with my loving nonsense…
Despite how well it is going, I still have to respect the new dynamic and have been making sure to give all the kitties extra love and attention so that the jealousies remain at a minimum. We are incorporating treats and playtime as a positive group tool with all the cats and we are trying to keep schedules and routines in place. For the first few nights, I also put Kizmet back in the office for bedtime – I did not want him roaming around the house without supervision and I also wanted to give the cats a break from him to catch their breath. I forgot how much fun, yet exhausting a young feline can be. One thing is for sure though, his name, Kizmet, is perfect for him. He truly seemed to understand that he belonged to the family before we did and set the groundwork so that there was no misunderstanding.
This is one very lucky, happy, content, and loved kitty who already seems like part of the household and not a pet we got just a couple of weeks ago!
Yay for Kizmet! I must admit I was a bit concerned about how the “boys” would react to him. When the kittens were born, Breckin (my indoor/outdoor cat) wanted nothing to do with them and decided to stay outside permanently! He eventually moved back in with his original family (my neighbors two doors down). When they moved this past summer, they took Breckin with them – so now my big, floofy mancat is gone! 🙁
Oh… I’m sorry to hear that Breckin could not make it work out with you, Vicki!! I was concerned too, but kittens are so darn bold and resilient that it is hard to offend them for too long!
Breckin always was a rambling man. He showed up at my house one December morning when it was only 16 degrees out. I fed him everyday for 2 1/2 years – plus I had him neutered and vaccinated. Even though he came inside to eat, he always went back out again.
Kudos to KIzmet for being his bold kitten self! I’m so glad he has big bro Rolz as his ally for now. Everyone will adjust in their own individual ways and timetable. Like all relationships, we click and bond more with one than another. Looks like you’ll have much to be grateful for this holiday season!
I sure do have a lot to be grateful for, Layla. Little Kizmet seems to enrich our lives more by the minute and while they might not care to admit it, the others are really warming up to his rascal ways! He would love Odin!!
What gorgeous photos! I love the one of Kizmet relaxing with Rolz. Such good news that he took things into his own paws and told all that he has arrived and he is staying.
I love that picture too, Eric and Flynn – Rolz looks so content and you can’t make that stuff up!
Great news! Kizmet sure knew what he was doing! Did a great job of it too.
He looks like a long lost son coming home, he looks so much like Rolz and Zee.
He’ll be back to his lovey self soon. Right now he has a lot to check out.
Concatulations on your expanded family.
He sure does look a long lost son, Connie!! It is incredible how much he looks like a combination of Zee & Zoey!
Deb, I posted a comment earlier and it’s gone! Kizmet looks like the missing link, and it’s really all up to the kitten with introductions. Most of the time for me my adults just got up on high surfaces and watched the show.
Hi Bernadette –
It actually is there, or at least on my computer, but WordPress can be so glitchy, maybe it is not showing up on your computer?!
Oh Kizmet is so small next to Zee!! Such great news that he has fitted in so well. 🙂
CATachresis – I fear in the next couple of months that he will be bigger than Zee! His paws are huge!
How absolutely fabulous! Kittens are so funny, and never take the hisses of the ‘adult’ cats to heart, usually just going off to make up a new game and not getting offended in the least! What a lovely batch of photos of the ‘meet n greet’, too!
Yes, Teri…. quite similar to when I would “hiss” at my own human kids!! In and out their ears!
I never get the intro thing right. I can’t say I have had the success you most recently achieved. Kismet is beautiful. Hope you will check out our newest arrival, Calista Josette, at http://www.thecatonmyhead.com.
Yeah Janet, not all bonding stories with kitties work out as well as Kizmet. We were very fortunate! I will be sure to stop by to meet Calista Josette as soon as I can!
Very amusing! I’m glad Kizzy is off to such a great start. Rolz looks like he’s in kitty heaven with Kizmet lounging with him, and the last picture of Kizmet, he’s absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what he looks like full grown. Such fabulous eyes and coloring! I want to huggle him!
Cheryl – I will be sure to send a special “huggle” just from you his way!!
Awwww, Kizmet sure is a confident young kit! This males me purr, I’m so happy everything went so well. I think Rolz maybe has been more aloof since his littermate brother Zues went to live with human sister and boyfriend when they were little, and he was the only boy left other than his Daddy Zee. Sometimes brothers need the companionship of another brother, especially when they have two sisters like Mia and Peanut who are so close. I believe mew seeing Kizmet and bringing him home was fate Auntie Deb, and he is the missing link to mewz family. May mew all have many happy times ahead together! Mewmew!
<3 PS- Can I come over sometime and snuggle him, Rolz, Mia, and Peanut? They are such precious baby kits, I was a mama cat once and have continued to love babies! Purrrrrrrr!
Very interesting point, Ms. Phoebe, and I had not thought of that aspect of it!! Maybe he does miss his brother, Zeuss! You never know! Of course, Kizmet is the “annoying little brother,” but Rolz does seem to love him nonetheless! And yes, you are invited over any time for a snuggle!
He may be tiny, but Kismet is “large and in-charge!” What a great new member of the family!
Oh my catness, Cherry City Kitties!! I love that saying, “large and in-charge!”
Good for Kizmet! He has taken matters into his own hands er paws and that is a good thing!
kisses
Nellie
Kizmet seems to be one extraordinary kitten! I really enjoyed reading about his first foray into the household.
How wonderful! Kizmet was definitely meant to come home with you. I remember being very nervous when Brulee came to live with Truffle and me, but she was a lot like Kizmet. She just took over and insisted Truffle pay attention to her.
Glad the introduction went so smoothly. Reminds me so much of how Arty Mouse took over our home. We all miss her so very much as she got along with everyone, even the DOG.
Scylla, Socks, & Fenris… we are so heartbroken too, that Arty Mouse has still not come home… we continue to pray for her…
Hi Deb,
That is hilarious! I love that reaction from all parties.
He is so happy that he doesn’t care how the other cats react. That’s really unusual – especially for a kitten.
I see in the second picture that his tail is straight up – super happy and confident.
Wow, he’s eating right in front of Zee and laying down against Rolz. Rolz seems to enjoy it as much as Kizmet does. Amazing!
Think you could shoot some more video? That would be great.
The big happy family is now bigger and even happier. Too Kool!
=^-^= Hairless Cat Girl =^-^=
He is a hoot, Hairless Cat!! The straight up tail is my favorite!! I am sure there will be many more videos to come!! Thank you for dropping by and I promise I won’t recommend any more links for you to read today!! 🙂
hi Deb, I love Kizmet story! So happy he found a home so full of cat personalities, he sure fits, what a personality he has! I found you through Petpav, and I am happy to read your posts, since you know so much about feline life! Your cat family is gorgeous!