Sassy cats – The grays

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Morgan (left) and Gracie saying "Good Morning!"

Morgan (left) and Gracie saying “Good Morning!” Or maybe discussing ownership of the feather.

I have four cats but this is about the younger two. (Don’t be judgmental! Everyone should have multiple cats!)

Somehow the planets aligned and I ended up with two one-eyed gray cats. They are not identical. They differ in age, weight, background and size. They are missing the opposite eyes. They also differ in a different way.

Both came the same way. Morgan was turned into a shelter as a stray with a severe eye infection and Gracie was in a hoarding situation.

I saw Morgan while dropping off stuff at the local shelter. I thought she was old and special needs. Who would adopt her? A tearful story to beloved husband and she was calling us “her staff.”

Gracie’s picture was in the paper. It was a sad picture of a small cat that looked so similar to Morgan. The beloved husband pointed it out to me and the rest is history.

Both came to live with us within 2 to 4 weeks of their eye removal surgery. However, they are so different.

From day 1 Morgan did not seem to know she was missing an eye. We have cautioned visitors not to mention it to her. Best if she didn’t know. She can jump up on the fireplace mantle (where she isn’t allowed) and the window counter (where she is). She loves the top of the cat tree (6 foot up) and can jump clear up to the top of a chest-on-chest dresser (very high). She can be blindsided but hears you before she sees you.

Gracie is different. She doesn’t jump higher than a chair seat and her food dish (that’s about 26 inches). She won’t jump onto the counter and does not appear to like the cat tree at all, even the lower levels. She often misjudges and runs into a doorway or trips on the steps. It may be a depth perception issue. I don’t know how to help her. It’s been about two months since she lost her eye. She may need more time or it may have been her dominant eye (is there such a thing?). Still, she’s a happy, social cat and is unaffected by all this.

Gracie dragging feather toy.

Gracie dragging feather toy. Or maybe leaving the building….

What they have in common is that they are people cats. They do not hide from visitors. Ok, the sound of the super loud doorbell may make them run (their peeps can’t hear it from the back porch unless it’s really loud!) but they come out quickly. They like people more than their peeps do.

Gracie seemed to respond to her name almost instantly. A conversation with one of the rescue folks revealed that her former owners called her Gray (because she was gray). Gray, Gracie…sounds enough alike.

Morgan took months to figure out her name. Fortunately she came out in response to any words including the ones you use when you hammer your thumb. I’m pretty sure she thought her name was “Ohshit” or “Goshdarnit” for a long time.

We have no idea how old Gracie is. There are different accounts but she’s very small (7 lbs.) and very active. She and Morgan have become good buddies. They like a good chase and each one gives as good as they get. There is no physical conflict. No ear bites or tail pulling. (Remember Mom always said it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. They must have heard her.)

I’ve had cats that didn’t like each other. It’s not fun. I am blessed to have four who not only tolerate each other but seem to enjoy the companionship. I know who the lucky one is.

Sharing the toy...sorta

Sharing the toy…sorta. Gracie was clearly more intrigued by the handle than the feather. Morgan is more about the feather.

 

47 thoughts on “Sassy cats – The grays”

  2. I have so many friends with multiple cats in their home and usually there is at least one troublemaker in the bunch that doesn’t want to accept the others. I’m always impressed with how your cats are really a family. You have created a wonderfully accepting environment for them, and that at least must contribute greatly to the harmony!

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    • I have had cats like that which is why I am so grateful now. Jake didn’t like all cats but he liked the crew at the end of his life except when Morgan got frisky and wanted to play with him. He trained her to stay away with a thump on the head. I had a black cat when I adopted Jake and they hated each other. I had to keep them separated. That was awful and stressful.

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  3. Regarding Gracie and her name, I’ve heard that it’s best to name cats that end in an “eee” sound because they can hear it better. I didn’t learn that until after naming our first two, but I’m not sure that would necessarily sway our naming choices. After all, we usually use nicknames anyway, so it works out. Olive is Ollie, Dexter is Dexy and Sophie is Brat! 🙂

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  5. I guess missing opposite eyes means they can stare into the other’s eye when they are nose-to-nose. Very convenient. Good for you and your husband for opening your hearts and your home to two cats that others might not be so willing to take on. It sounds like all four of you might think they got the best deal.

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  6. If it has only been 4 months since Gracie lost an eye, she may adjust. Her brain needs time to become adjusted to a new way of seeing. I have a friend who had a mild stroke that affected vision, causing him to see double images. Gradually, things are becoming clearer as his brain adjusts to the new situation. It is wonderful that you were willing to give a home to these two special needs cats.

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  7. I love your kitty posts. I’m jealous of your 4! My husband says I can’t get a 3rd until we get a dog first. So… that will NEVER happen lol. I’ve had cats that didn’t get along… it was SO stressful. I’m glad all 4 of yours are buddies. That makes it so much better 🙂

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    • We had a little of that prior to Gracie. Morgan, who is a very active cat, would chase Mollie. Mollie is 7 lbs. and Morgan 11 lbs. Morgan would run over her and Mollie would get pretty annoyed. She started staying in her room upstairs because Morgan would chase her. However, with Gracie to play with, Morgan releases her energy there. You need to get the orange one very tired every day.

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  10. I would never judge, I have 13 cats. I had 15 when I started blogging. You are lucky that they do enjoy each others’ company, most of mine just tolerate one another.

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    • I don’t think any of my cats would like to be an only cat at this point. Maybe Mollie but just so none of the young’uns stomp on her tail (and not by accident!) When Gracie can’t find anyone (peep or feline) she hollers. When we answer, she comes trotting. Our house is big and maybe that’s also helpful.

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  13. Interesting about Gracie’s caution but not surprising considering her eye removal was only 2 months ago. She will gain her confidence and be jumping a bit higher in no time. Or if not, that’s okay too. It’s fun to read about their differences and makes me happy they are buds. I love that they are people cats and I think everyBODY in your home is lucky!

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  16. Your greys are so beautiful. Perhaps Gracie did lose her dominant eye. Maybe the remaining one will get up to speed or maybe it was damaged a bit too before she was rescued.
    We rescued a battered young street gray – gorgeous cat who was getting ripped and torn as he was smaller than the other males – and took him with us when he moved, then he almost immediately chose another family to live with…we hadn’t the heart to insist as he was happy and cherished by the kids and mom. We wave and he assures us he’s fine.
    We almost drove to CO. Springs to adopt a dog that look similar to Molly who had her picture in the shelter list for too long. (We donate to a rescue league there my yoga niece asked everyone to support instead of flowers for her funeral). Happily that pup found a forever home just before we started packing. Molly is still browsing images although we say the yard is just too small…so she’s started leaving appropriately sized yards with houses on the computer screen)
    Cat tree. While RC is aging and past her giant instant leaps to the top of any available real tree, she does like to launch herself to perches and smirk at the dog. Must looks a cat tree reviews.

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    • Mollie (the elder cat) doesn’t use the cat tree all. When we got it Morgan claimed it and kept chasing her off. Hazel doesn’t give a rats’ ass what Morgan thinks so they worked out a truce and often both are sleeping there at the same time. I have tried to coax Gracie but she’s not having any of it. We hit 70 degrees at 11 this morning. That’s a miracle for us. (I know no big deal for you) Doors are open and the fresh air smells so good. (except for skunk smell early in the morning. What do they do at night? Party in my back yard?)

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    • I had two cats that didn’t like each other intensely. One was old and sorta senile. I kept her isolated in a nice bright sunny room for the last two years of her life but I don’t think she even realized it. She had stopped sleeping in sunspots and stayed under the bed. Don’t want to do that again.

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