The game camera is so quiet without Junior and Sneaky prowling the porch. I get barely 200 photos over a two day period, where before I’d get nearly a thousand. That speaks volumes to how quiet our outdoor kitty world has become with the loss of Junior and the subsequent moving of Sneaky into the house. Sweet sorrow.

Sneaky is moving around more. She and Ajax have not made peace yet, but I believe Sneaky will prevail over our poor Alpha Ajax. Daphne, the Alpha-Cat-in-Waiting, is not happy to be usurped either. And Lady, the resident grump, knows if Ajax is having trouble with Sneaky not to tread there. Sneaky slinks through the house, but she’s finding her way and will be fine. I’ve taken her outside a couple of times since she became an inside cat, and her joy is so obvious that I feel bad for stealing that from her; however, she’s healthy, and I want her to remain that way.

We’re moving to a new plane of operations with Sapphire. She now understands, however reluctantly, that the key to freedom during the day is to submit to a brief petting session while still in the cage. In return, she gets to run and play in the parlor and kitchen all day with minimal intervention from the humans. At night, when it’s time to be put to bed, she disappears under the file cabinet, I get down on the floor, and pull her out, snuggling her before putting her in the cage for the evening. Rossie walks into the cage on her own, or I pick her up from her rocking chair and tuck her in. Last night, Sapphire was holed up in the kitty cube on the bench. I was able to reach in and pet her, and she didn’t leave (she did hiss and bat at my hand). A few minute later, I petted her with the glove on. Not long after that, I tried to pull her out to tuck her in for the night. I eventually got her out, but I believe I would have been better off to just set the cube in the cage and let her emerge on her own (maybe she’ll give a chance to do this better tonight). I hope she will, because after my knee surgery in April, I won’t be able to get down on the floor for a few months.

I believe it’s better for Sapphire to spend as much time out of the cage as possible. She doesn’t spend all her time hiding when she is out. She plays with toys and interacts with the other cats. She watches birds outside the window.

Rossie and Sapphire interacting. It’s good to see both our recluses doing so well. I’ve seen Lady attempt to bother Rossie on the rocker several times, and each time, Rossie has repelled her. Rossie’s confidence is slowly increasing.