The 3 Felines Who Got in the Way of Sacramento Real Estate

Horatio is one of 3 felines in the Weintraub household, and the newest member.

You know what they say about the best laid plans, especially when there are 3 felines involved. I had it all planned out yesterday that I would spend most of the day preparing for my listing presentations on Monday, organizing my desk and entering deposits into Quicken. Perhaps even following up with a few sellers who seem anxious to sell their homes in Sacramento next month and see if I can help to speed things up. But none of that happened, and above is one of those 3 felines who messed it up.

Horatio is the newest member of the Weintraub family. We’ve been grieving since August, after we had to euthanize Pica, and it takes a while to drum up the courage to face another cat. Tessa, in her own way, was suffering a bit from the loss of her buddy, Pica, too. She was becoming more aggressive with Jackson, trying to snare him into her wicked plans, and he was not eager to comply. That probably sped up our process to find another cat.

Like we take care of our clients in Sacramento real estate by putting their interests first, we do the same thing with our cats. Well, within reason. They can’t play pinochle on the dining room table, no matter what. But we do take their feelings and well being into consideration. We strive to do the right thing.

Jackson, one of the 3 felines in the Weintraub household, stares at Horatio.

For most of the week, Horatio has been staying in our guest bathroom, but Sunday we let him out and introduced him to Tessa and Jackson. Jackson is 6 years old, a flame point Ragdoll, and he does not like confrontation. He avoids it all cost. But yesterday, he growled and hissed at Horatio. There were no paws touching paws, no teeth on fur, no scuffle. When Horatio tried to crawl on top of Jackson’s scratching bed, that’s where Jackson drew the line. It became a matter of who sounded more fierce, and Jackson won that growling fest.

Although Horatio came from a rescue, Sisters Animal Sanctuary in Elk Grove, he wasn’t an abandoned cat. He was born at the rescue a year ago and raised there. We have discovered he doesn’t understand the word NO, and he has no boundaries, but he will adjust. He purrs, rolls on his back, rubs on us, and cats that are very affectionate can be trained to abide by rules, well, as long as you can see them. Once you are out of sight, though, don’t fool yourself, they’re playing pinochle on the dining room table.

Tessa, one of 3 felines in Weintraub household, initially kept her distance from Horatio.

Tessa was the least bothered. She is a 3-year-old ocicat, and a lot more easy going than Jackson. She runs the house, too. At first, she freaked out every time Horatio came around the corner, but she found herself very attracted to his his new condo bed on a post and immediately leapt to the top to conquer all that she surveys. Later, as I sorted clothing on the bed, she and Horatio sat a few inches apart without hissing at all. I predict they will be friends much sooner, and she will bond with him.

Trying to do what is best for these guys, I spent almost the entire day on Sunday with these 3 felines. Coaxing them from room-to-room so Horatio could explore and get used to his new environment. Distracting them and softening the introductions by dangling their favorite cat mice on a wire. Shooting treats across the floor. Lots of petting, brushing and praise. If your call went to my voice mail yesterday, blame it on these 3 felines.

Tip: If you are interested in adopting a cat, check out the Sisters Animal Sanctuary in Elk Grove. Real sisters (not nuns) Julie and Kathy and the volunteers are doing a remarkable job caring for and finding homes for the cats who live there. They have about 50 cats on the premises. I especially liked Door Stop Cat, but we have to draw the line at the number of cats who live with us.