A Bridge Too Far

I've done everything the Feline Advisory Bureau have suggested; rubbing the scent of one cat onto another and back again; rubbing scent into the bowls of my existing cat's food dishes, moving covers and cloths around that either cat has slept on; playing with both through the chicken wire partition... I'm worn out through play. Banjo still hisses and spits when Pebble makes the mistake of staring her in the eye. I wonder if they'll ever tolerate each other.

Whenever I've started a new job, the same sort of thing happened but without the hissing and spitting. We all skirted around each other, sizing each other up and the roles we had, who was more important in the work hierarchy, who was friendly, who was submissive. There have been some whom have never been to my liking, but for professional reasons I have had to tolerate them. Often I escaped into the ladies loo and hissed and spitted until my temper subsided, then came out smiling. After one particular incident, I was expected to shake hands and be friends with someone who'd 'done the dirty' on me; it was a bridge too far... I shook hands but could not be friends with this person, and I made that clear. So we skirted round each other for the rest of the years we were in the job, just managing to tolerate one another's existence. This is one of the reasons I want to have my own business rather than work for an organisation again. I'm not very good at working for those with no aptitude, intelligence or good leadership qualities; it's a fault of mine more than theirs.

So, Banjo, I can empathise with you and your feelings at this intruder into your idyllic existence; and understand how you are sizing up Pebble and where you will both eventually fit into the hierarchy of the house. I just hope that it will not be a bridge too far for you.