Gus and Socks

I live in a native village.  This puts things into a unique perspective.  First, white people are definitely not first class citizens, maybe 3rd or 4th class.  Next, most school teachers, like me, only stay up here when school is in session, because their homes and often their families are somewhere in the lower 48. They leave for Christmas break, and they leave for summer break. 

I don't leave.  My family is scattered, I don't have another home, and my sister and niece live up here with me so Barrow, AK is my home year round. This puts me in a unique position for some of my friends.  My neighbor has me watering her plants and picking up her mail, and my very dear friend (she works with me and we are in the same church) left me her cat for a part of the summer. 

I might have mentioned Socks before in a previous post.  Socks helped us decide to get Gus.  We love Socks.

This is Socks playing with Gus's electronic mouse toy.

Socks is a very different personality from Gus.  He's very shy.  I don't think he's lived around another kitty before, but I'd have to run that by my friend!  Anyway, he struggled for about 3 days when he came to stay with us this time (the first time took him a week or more).  He wasn't really shy of us after a day, but he was terrified of Gus.

Now, if you knew Gus, you know that is the funniest statement ever.  Gus is a cottonball.  He looks and feels like one, and there isn't a mean bone in his body (his daddy even calls him the giant q-tip among other things).  He was confused by Socks.  Gus lived in a household with other cats, and we have long surmised that he may be lonely for another one.  He followed Socks around a little, curious, but wary (since Socks growled at him), but he wanted to make a friend.

Socks was so afraid, that he hid under our bed.  He went to the litter box, but he was afraid to get in it (maybe that he'd be ambushed? Unknown.) He was so afraid, he held it for two days, then exploded with pee all over my bed.  (I'm sorry I didn't tell you Deb, but everything is fine now Socks is good... no worries, I have pets and I have a very expensive mattress cover that protects the bed from everything!)

I felt terrible.  I cleaned up and put a new litter box under the bed for Socks, so he'd feel more welcome.  (I should have thought that through in advance, but Socks had spent time here before so I didn't think it would be a big deal).

Well, you guessed it. You can't separate cats.  Gus started using that litter box and Socks started using the old one in the utility room.  So, problem solved. After a week I put both litter boxes in there and there hasn't been a single accident or complaint since. 

Socks didn't eat for a couple of days either. I'd get him to eat a few treats if I put them under his face, but he was too nervous.  Then Gus started eating his food (the grass is always greener, you know) and Socks started eating Gus's food.  So I didn't have a righteous set of diarrhea to clean up, I had to start mixing their foods together. 

That progressed to tandem treat time.  Sorry Deb, but we have the bad habit of giving Gus his treats on the kitchen counter.  Raz trained us to do that, and we taught Gus.  Gus taught Socks. 

Gus and Socks eating treats on our kitchen counter.

Then, they started playing together.  First it was chase, you know, one cat would chase another down the hall and they'd reverse and come back. Then it was tandem running (Chad said they ran like a mule team up and down the hall shoulder to shoulder), and now it's full on wrestling. 

wrestling

These two are now fast friends. They sleep on the bed together, with or without us. They play together.  They still don't eat together; they like to eat out of each other's bowls though.  They are buddies!

Sorry it's so dark, but both boys on bed.

Gus and Socks playing