Rossie has settled into a routine. And the rest of the cats have, too. Everyone seems more relaxed. Rossie spends her time inside the carrier or on top of it. I’m not surprised that she does this, she’s always been more comfortable in enclosed spaces. She must do something at night — I come downstairs in the morning and the scratching pad is out of its frame or one of her towels is in the litter box. Thursday morning was particularly emphatic. The towel from inside the carrier was in the litter box. This meant she had to pull it out of the carrier and drag it into the litter box. I cleaned the litter box the night before, but I didn’t change her towels. Did this mean she wanted me to change her towels? Did it mean she didn’t want towels at all? I don’t know yet.

In the evening, I chase the other cats out and close the parlor doors. Then I open the door to Rossie’s cage. The routine we seem to have settled into is Rossie stays in the carrier until I begin her room service, then she dashes to the window sill. I leave her in the window but go over to pet her several times during the evening. She turns her head into the petting and begins to purr. I see the wild-eyed “you’re going to eat me” look less and less. She’s reclusive but calm. After several short petting sessions, I’ll pick her up. I hold her and stroke her. I’m trying to extend the time on this. When I finish that, I need to administer her medication, which she is a wonderful kitty about taking even though she clearly doesn’t like it. Rossie is a very sweet kitty. Until Thursday night, I’ve been releasing her back into the cage. Thursday night, I released her into the room. She spent a lot of time behind the cage, which is a place where she feels safe, because she has multiple escape routes. She will take refuge in the cage and the carrier, which is exactly what I want her to do. I want her to feel the carrier in the cage is her safe place to be.

In other news, Mr. L has taken over trying to catch outside cats, especially Junior. Junior won’t even glance at the trap, so Mr. L is working to win him over the old-fashioned way. Junior loves Fancy Feast and demands it every time he sees us. He will eat from a bowl right beside our leg on the steps, but he’s jumpy about being touched. Mr. L believes he’s been able to extend the length of time he’s touching Junior before he leaps away.

Mr. L was outside giving Sneaky and Junior part of a can of Fancy Feast, and he noticed Walter poking his head out from under the house, so Walter received some Fancy Feast, too. Walter and Junior are both quite vocal and are hilarious to engage with.