Number 2After two long weeks of furious unpacking at every free moment, the place has really begun to feel like home. Therefore, on Easter Sunday, while I was at home with my parents and sister for the holiday weekend, Sohrab and his parents brought our three cats over one by one and introduced them to the new house.

They’ve been taking to it beautifully. Number 1 was first, and she hid in my office for the better part of the day; Number 2 was next and she immediately started exploring; Captain Jack, and the one we were most worried about, gave them hell. He wouldn’t go into the carrier at his parents’ house. He knew what they were up to! So they waited a few hours (during which he stood on guard behind the TV) until he was calm enough to let them take him. Now that everyone is here, it’s a whole new world. They’ve been frolicking around the new place, smelling this and head bumping that. I worked from home yesterday (Monday) to make sure that they had a familiar face around, and Number 1 was my shadow. She would follow me everywhere and demand petting every time I sat down. When she wasn’t doing that, she was trying to get into my closet in the master… and succeeding. All in all, within the first day, she had done it at least 6 times! I was able to get it on video:

In the end, I realized I’d have to leave my closet a little open because she’d get in there regardless. Then the other cats realized that there was more to explore, and everyone had a taste of my closet. It’s a jumpin’ spot!

Sohrab told me this morning that Captain Jack had discovered how to get into his closet (in his office) through a more unconventional route. He would go through the middle, between the sliding doors, rather than from one of the sides. And then he’d be stuck in the closet. So Sohrab will be keeping his closet open as well!

The closet in my office is dedicated to the cats. Their food is stored (but not dispensed) on the top shelf, their blankets are there, and of course their litter boxes are on the floor. We’ve lined the inside of the closet with vinyl tile (the sheet kind) to make for an easier cleanup, and everyone seems to be adjusting well. Even Captain, who has had trouble in the past with marking when he’s upset, has been very calm and using the litter box. Hallelujah!

This house is completely different now that the whole family is here. The cats make it a home!