The fosterer has a cat room and Grace was hiding in a cat carrier on top of a cat tree in the bathroom. She's very frightened and skinny but sweet. She had already been spayed when they took her to the vet, so she must have had some contact with responsible people before her time on her own.
We were all willing to let her stay in that carrier, and we too her home, i petted her in the carrier all the way. She loved being scratched under her chin, and gave very gentle nips once or twice when i stopped. I was smitten.
So, when we got home, Christine took GreyBeard for his evening walk -- he zoomed out right under the cat carrier, totally ignoring the new presence -- and i took the carrier back to the bedroom. We knew we were going to set her up in the full bathroom, but i just wanted to sit with her for a while longer.
But, you know, the bed is very much the other cats' territory. So Mr M came in, sniffed the back of the carrier, and slunk low around to its front, and peered in. When he started to hiss, i reached to pull him away, and that's when his amygdala fired. He chomped me HARD. I doused it with hydrogen peroxide, but maybe i'll go to the doctor today. I drew lines around the pain region yesterday evening, assuming that was the bruise region, and now the extent is further. The temperature is slightly elevated there.
Anyhow, Christine took charge on coming in, took Grace into the bathroom, took the roof off the carrier, and tried to settle her in.
When i started writing, this, i thought the story was going to be about how frightened and scared she is. While she was on the bathroom sink when i first saw her -- and i think she'd been talking to Mr M under the door -- the next time i went in, she was in the dark cosy place we'd made for her. And, when i came in with my laptop, she was in the trash basket, under the shower curtain. And she hissed at me. Ohh, ohh, this is going to take forever. But after a while, i pulled the basket near me, petted her while i typed, and as i finish up, she's snuggling in my lap.
She seems a good bit more chatty and bossy than the others.