Houston, we have a problem
Uncle Beau is not turning out to be the big softy he's shown himself to be previously with the new boys.
In fact he's decidedly unpleasant.
It's not Kitty he's targetting, it's me
yes, ME, his beloved Meowmi is getting the gamut of Beau's displeasure.
Last night he stamped on my head as I lay sleeping, then sat on my face with his bumhole (yes, his actual bumhole - I think he may have been squatting to pee but he thought better of it when I moved), this morning he's ripped up the Valerian Tree that Kitty was playing with earlier, spraying valerian all over the floor and just now he pee'd on the coffee table right in front of me.
I've picked him up and calmly placed him outside because I'm furious, not with him, but with myself for allowing him to have so much contact with Kitty so soon.
Beau's history with gurlcats is chequered to say the least. His soul mate, Cassie was run over when they were both just six months old. He pined for weeks, so much so I brought home another gurlcat - Cora from Cats Protection - for him to love. Biggest mistake of our lives.
He hated Cora from day one. She wasn't properly socialised. She bullied and attacked him, pee'd everywhere, stole his place on my bed and he ended up isolating himself in the airing cupboard. She was beautiful but terrible. After persevering for a whole year Cora was the one and only adoption I've ever had to return, but not before she'd ruined our lives, our home and Beau's faith in the gentler sex. I felt terribly guilty for both Cora and Beau.
Now we're away from that cat, that house, that environment, he should (after 11 years) have got over the trauma (you'd think) but the behaviour he's displaying now is exactly the same as all those years ago. The only gurlcat he really interacts with here is our old girl Pursley, she keeps a wary distance from Beau because he does chase her off the bed when I'm in it, but as she was here before I moved in with Beau 8 years ago he's never gone any further than just that. No marking or spraying, or bad behaviour towards me. Just a grudging acceptance.
I know Kitty hasn't done any of the awful things that Cora used to do to him, as she's been under human supervision every minute the residents have had access to the sitting room, but Beau's obviously expecting terrible things from her and is making his feelings very plain indeed.
I've ordered a fresh refill for my feliway in here and another one to plug in the kitchen to see if I can stop this. Bearing in mind Kitty will be one week into her three week trial tomorrow, this is not the progress I wanted to report.
Kitty on the other hand is behaving nicely. She doesn't want to leave the sitting room now. Has her dinner noisily and enthusiastically and has been making blinkey eyes at Sylvester (who is clueless what to do in return), albeit with the occasional low growl. Tease, so she is.
Here's the poor dead tree