A 4-month update. Again, no idea if I’ll keep going, but things keep progressing, so here I am updating.

Gwen and Henry are very much like siblings. They will nuzzle each other and love on each other, then instantly start wrestling and chasing each other around the house. Frequently at 3 am.

Cali has been spending more and more time out and about. She loves to sit on the stairs and just watch us in the living room. Like she wants to be a part of things, but also not a part of things. In just the last few days, she’s spent quite a bit of time out in the living room, eating, sitting on the cat tree, playing with a toy mouse. She seems to keep the stairs as her safe zone, meaning, she doesn’t wander too much farther, or if she does, it’s quick. But I’m just happy she’s out from under the bed. She does still go there, just less frequently. The upstairs bathroom seems to be a safe place for her as well.

We are definitely in our routines now.

In the mornings, Gwen and/or Henry will get up on the bed with me. Sometimes quietly and just to lay near me. Sometimes more insistent that I get up. Sometimes to play “get her feet”, in which Henry tries to stab me under the duvet. I get up and go in the bathroom to brush my teeth and whatnot, and all three will come into the bathroom. Usually Cali will go sit in the cat carrier. Henry will lay on the cat bed. Gwen will flop in the middle of the floor where I’m most likely to step on her.

I’ll go downstairs and put out their breakfast. Cali will be waiting on the stairs for Churu time. Henry usually joins us and sometimes Gwen. I’ve gotten Cali to come down to the fourth stair from the bottom, and she’ll get as close as two steps away from where I’m sitting. She will eat churu from my hand, the tube, or the little spatula I use. I’ve taken the hand holding the spatula and touched her as she’s eating the Churu. She doesn’t love it, but allows it. A couple of times during or just after Churu, I’ve tried to touch her paw. I can gently pet her paw once and then she pulls it up. Once she puts it back down, she wraps her tail around it, like don’t touch it. But she doesn’t run away or hiss or claw. I respect it and we keep doing Churu.

With Henry, I’ll give him some Churu with one hand, and with the other one I’ll pet him. I started just touching his head, but have been able to pet his head, his back, his sides, and his paws. AS LONG AS THERE IS CHURU. Once the Churu is gone he backs up and looks at me like WTF. But huge progress that I can touch him. I’ll keep going with both of them so they can keep learning that I won’t hurt them, and hey maybe petting feels nice.

So at breakfast, it’s usually Gwen and Henry that eat the wet food, then some Churu. Cali just comes down for the Churu and typically (though there have been exceptions) doesn’t eat the wet food at that time. So mid morning, I’ll go upstairs and put down some dry food. She knows the sound the bag makes and will come out of wherever she is to eat it. She’s still incredibly cautious, but doesn’t run away as often. Her “safe radius” seems to have shrunk as well. Meaning, I can walk by her a lot closer now without her running away. I try to point where I’m going, look where I’m going (aka not at her), and just calmly walk by her. In the past, she would either back away, or dart past me, but more and more she just watches me walk by. Another win.

During the day, Gwen and Henry often situate themselves in whatever room I’m in. Like if I’m working in my office, they’ll find a comfy spot there. Or if I’m in the living room, they’ll hang out there. Of course, zoomies and wrestling can break out at any time. Cali can be found in any of the following: under my bed in the cat bed, on the chair next to my bed, in the cat carrier in the upstairs bathroom, on the ottoman in the upstairs bathroom, on the stairs.

Generally in the evening, I’ll put out their dinner (wet food). And we repeat the breakfast routine including Churu on the stairs. Then at my bedtime, I’ll go in the bathroom to brush my teeth, and they all come in. We do some dental treats and I put out another “emergency” scoop of dry food upstairs.

Gwen and Henry will decide that when I turn out the light is the perfect time to yowl and chase each other up and down the stairs. Thanks to the cameras, I can see that the last few nights especially, Cali has been out. She’s been at the bottom of the stairs, on the living room cat tree, eating, and a little bit of exploring.

And then the routine starts all over again.

Very very exciting was when I came home from the gym last night and Cali was sitting on the couch!

So that’s where we are. All three cats seemed to have adjusted to each other. Cali is becoming more brave. Henry is allowing more touching. My next big milestone is for Cali to always eat downstairs so I can get rid of the dry food upstairs. And to move all cat boxes downstairs. But I won’t do that until Cali is fully comfortable downstairs.