Six months (approximately) after we decided to put Rossie in the cage instead of Lady and Daphne, we’re seeing results. Rossie spends the night in the cage. In the morning, she watches for one of us to close the parlor door, then she runs to the door of the cage and waits to be let out, pausing briefly (but reluctantly) to allow us to pet her. During the day, she is free to roam the parlor and the kitchen. She rarely goes anywhere but right where you see her now — in this rocking chair in the corner. She’s approachable here. She purrs. She welcomes tummy and ear rubs. Later in the evening, she lets us pick her up and cuddle her before we put her back in the cage for a quiet evening. We open the parlor door so our other recluse, Ruby, can come get something to eat. All the other cats come and go as we open the door for them throughout the day.

This rocker is a defensible position for Rossie. If Lady or Daphne tries to mess with her, she can tell them to leave her alone. She’s much more confident now, and we are seeing more assertiveness on her part. We like seeing Rossie and interacting with her.

We’ve talked about releasing her into the rest of the house, but we suspect she would take refuge under the dresser again, and we’d never see her. Lady, Daphne, and her do not get along yet, so Mr. L’s sleep would still be disrupted with their disputes. Rossie seems more relaxed and happier than we’ve ever seen her, so while we aren’t comfortable with the cage as a long term solution, Rossie seems to almost like it. This approach is workable, and we are seeing definite progress. Enough to hope this won’t be a lifetime solution for Rossie. But if it is, we get to interact with her (the primary concern for not interacting is she could become ill, and we wouldn’t see it in time to help her), and she’s very comfortable.