My weekend (and then some) as a single mom

WARNING: cat lady content ahead.

Well... It's Saturday night. I just got back from Snow White and the Huntsman (SO good!) and am watching Friends before bed. M is in Canada.. he left Friday at 5:30 in the morning with my dad and brother, and they're all holed up in the woods with a bunch of other guys until Wednesday night. 

My mom has PCAs staying round the clock, but my dad worries about Lucky's care/I'm not sure as a part of their "job" that they'll take care of pets. At least one other time when my dad left town they wouldn't watch Lucky. SO guess who gets the honor of watching him while Dad's away? this girl. Ordinarily I would love this. Lucky was "my" cat long before TJ came along. He's big, fluffy, and SO docile. He's NOT a snuggler though (which is what I love about TJ). BUT naturally, being away from home stresses him out. He's a bit more skittish, vocal, and sad. Which breaks my heart because I love him and I tell him all the time (yes I'm nuts) that he's going home in a few days... because in my world he's thinking I've taken him away from my dad, and honestly thinking about that makes me want to cry/has me tearing up. Yes, again, I'm nuts. 

Anyway, Lucky is 7. TJ is 11 months old and CRAZY. You do the math. I brought Lucky home late last night... and ordinarily when introducing cats (who will live together permanently) there's this long drawn out process of letting them sniff each other's belongings, letting them interact under a closed door, etc. Yes, I know these things. Anyway, I don't have time for that shit. In my perfect world, the cats would frolick and lay together, and angels would sing. WRONG. I bring in Lucky's crap last night and put it in the guest room. I give TJ a heads up sniff before bringing in Lucky's carrier. I bring in Lucky's carrier and let TJ sniff him through the bars. They'd met once before... when we first got TJ we were watching Lucky. I opened the doors and BAM: Lucky bolts under the bed, TJ follows, and Lucky makes noises I have NEVER heard him make... growls, hisses,...scary. TJ's eyes bug out and he's meowing (quite distressed) not taking his eyes off Lucky. fuckkkkk. 

I start panicking thinking if either of them hurt the other I'll have an upset man in my life (either M or my dad) so I get them apart, put TJ in his room, put Lucky in the guest room, and both just start HOWLING. I had a long, dumb Friday...8 hours of work, was exhausted from tuesday-thursday 12 hour days, had 3.5 hours of BarBri after work, and now these 2. I walked into the living room and burst into tears. It was at least an hour of ugly crying while watching Say Yes to the Dress:Bridesmaids. I go to bed puffy eyed.. Lucky's in his room (and mad) and TJ is roaming the house (which mostly entails sitting outside Lucky's room and sticking his paws under the door. Such a shit.) 

4:45 a.m., I hear "BANG BANG BANG". My heart is in my throat, 9-1-1 is punched into my phone, and I'm slowly walking downstairs (something I swore I'd never do if I REALLY thought there was an intruder, but I was 80% sure there wasn't one). Nope, just Lucky, knocking over picture frames and rattling the door because my dad is CRAZY and feeds him at 5:30 in the morning and Lucky was throwing a tantrum because he was hungry. 

Anyway, this is what today looked like when I tried to let them be in the same room: 

 Here's a close up of the bottom 2 frames. It LOOKS like TJ has his arm around Lucky and is telling him a story. In REALITY TJ was mid-"go for the throat"-lunge.

and another standoff (seconds before TJ swung that paw at Lucky's head)

Meanwhile, I'm trying to do this: 

(Make flash cards for the bar exam)

 Annnddd another attack by the back door. 

I finally put TJ away for a while and let Lucky roam around. Poor guy was exhausted from being assaulted by the 8-lb terror. 

SO, this is the next 5 days of my life. I have had a perpetual headache. My problem is I care too damn much. I've been rotating them in and out of their rooms, to give each a chance to roam the entire house, which means the one in their room at any given time hates me, and is howling. (although usually only about 10 minutes and then if I'm quiet enough they think I've left and they shut up). TJ is worse than Lucky. Although right now, TJ is in his room and he's whining, and Lucky's out in the open and HE won't.stop.grunting.

Having 2 strung out cats and having to play cat-roulette is stressing me the fuck out. I feel like I'm just upsetting both of them at all times..and that every time I let TJ out of his room and he smells Lucky all over, or put TJ away, that I'm "betraying him" because this is HIS house. omg, I KNOW how nuts I sound, but the whole thing is going to give me an ulcer. Not to mention, I like both of these cats independently because they're QUIET. I don't do well with vocal cats (aka cats that just meow ALL the time, for no reason)... TJ usually trills or purrs but it's sporadic and not annoying. Lucky never meows unless he's hungry. Neither one of them have shut up for the last 24 hours.

Pray for me, people. This is hyper dramatic of me, I realize.... but OMG these 2 are driving me crazy.

-Kelly