Dust up

 Sylvester spent all of lunchtime nestled in my chair with me even while Griffin walked around the room.  Progress.

Sylvester and I were outside planting and weeding. He was scared by the hose so ran under the RTV and the spruce in the lavender bed.  He stayed there for quite a while.  Until.  Griffin and Paul can back from their afternoon walk and Griffin nosed around in Sylvester's hidey hole.  Sylvester made a run for home and Griffin couldn't help himself.  He chased.  Sylvester stopped only long enough to give a full-throated hiss and full-pawed swipe. Then he ran for the open door.  Griffin went back to Paul.  
Progress denied. 

Sylvester's new Super Power

 Paul left Sylvester and me to mind Griffin all morning.  Griffin wasn't happy at all. He moaned and whined and ran from window to door wondering why the big red truck left without him.  Sylvester was having none of this so he crept from his loft hideout to the stairs landing and stared at Griffin.  When Griffin saw the cat who is like smoke and won't stick around for lovin', Griffin immediately stopped his anxiety and lay down, once more proving that he just needs a cat babysitter.

Sylvester's bravery

 After dinner we read or doom-scroll in the living room with a fire when it's cold. Griffin sits with Paul on the sofa or by himself on the settee with one eye alert for Paul's movements.  

Tonight, Sylvester snuck down from his upper-level safe spot. It took a couple of tries but he eventually settled next to Paul, all the while glaring hot arrows at Griffin who stayed peacefully on the settee. We were a whole family for a little while.  Now, to get Storm involved. 

2 cats

 The cats now eat face to face with a closed glass door between them.  Storm is in the breezeway by the washer/dryer and Sylvester eats in the hall by the pantry.  Usually, food is priority over territory but occasionally after the food is gone, Storm will hiss and mumble something that offends Sylvester.  He then scratches at the door and might say something back.  It's not a violent interaction any more but it doesn't seem friendly either.  We'll continue this protocol for a while.  

Dinner at Antifragile where the choice is Philly cheese steaks.  Beer is also limited to hazy IPAs and a couple of other selections.  We've heard they will be building a larger space next year and brewing there, so maybe their menu will grow. 

Sylvester explores

 He sits by the door with a begging look but doesn't say a word.  We usually go out after lunch, I weed.  He explores but usually stays within sight.  Today he went further than ever; I don't know how far he actually walked but he was coming up the driveway from below the garden when I finally found him.  I'd been calling and walking around the house looking for him.  It looked like he picked up his pace when he heard me, none the worse for being out of touch for 15 minutes. At least he wasn't on his way back to Malvern.

Watchcat Sylvester

 Sylvester alerted at the (closed) living room door with a hiss and a lunge.  He saw a small black cat approaching on the porch.  I couldn't see any white boots or mittens but I think it had a collar.  Both were gone like smoke in a NewYork minute.

First big cold and snow of the year

 It's 27 and snowing.  We had about 3 inches when Paul went out this morning.  He plowed but it's still coming down at 2:00pm.  Storm got as far as the stones steps before she gave up on the morning walk. She did make it all the way around the house on the afternoon hike. Sylvester doesn't even try.  He's content to watch the birds from his hot pad in thebsewing room.  We have a bell collar on him because he is so quiet.  I was at the machine this morning when I felt a paw on my shoulder.  I turned around to have him climb onto my lap. I hadn't heard him come in or jump up on the table.

Last night I tripped as I was wriggling out of my jeans.  I went down hard enough on the bed frame to knock the wind out.  It hurt enough that there should be a dinner plate sized bruise, but there is nothing showing.  It hurts to lift, cough, and hiccough. 

January is fabric diet month.  I'll be finishing binding quilts for Comfort Covers and using bits and pieces and pre-cuts.  I have enough supplies that I shouldn't need to buy anything for at least this month.

Sylvester: End of dental week 1

 Sylvester doesn't seem to have a problem with so few teeth.  His breath is definitely better.  He chows down his pate.  He is finished with his pain squirts (meds).  He still looks for his "catch" games which we can't play for another week.  I think his left upper is still swollen.  We are very careful to keep a closed door between the black ones as we don't want any ripped stitches. Storm slinks around the house looking for her nemesis every time she comes over.  He watches carefully every time he comes upstairs and spends a few minutes under the Windsor chair or on the second step to assure himself the scary ones are not around. 

"Sly"vester likes to climb

 After date night last night, I went down to say hi but the boy was nowhere to be found.  Oh dear!  Storm had been sitting by the refrigerator cocking her head to hear better.  Hmmm.  Then I heard a noise overhead and saw a flash of cat high in the rafters.  Sylvester had climbed into the floorboards and was wandering around.  I offered treats, a long board to scale down, and my shoulder on a ladder.  He just fished himself through the joists, mewing a bit but not panic-y.  He had done this once before when the Puris were here and he was very new to our set up, but he got down by himself.  

Paul came down to offer his strong shoulder. That eventually worked.  It took us about an hour to nudge he rascal down.  

A good day with 2 cats

 The cats have been living separate lives for a couple of weeks since I found a wad of cat hair after a tiff.  After a morning with me in the sewing room, I thought Sylvester had gone to his safe spot for lunch. Storm and Paul always come over for a few hours.  HA! He found a sunny spot on the treehouse bed and stretched out.  Storm found him in her private sunbathing space.  We heard their discussion and negotiation  We ran up to intervene before it got physical.  Big eyes and big fur, but no claws or teeth.  I put a pillow between them to break eye contact, and Paul took Storm to the Carriage House.  

I'm counting this as a win. Even though Sylvester was cornered, he didn't fight or rush off to his lair.

Storm and Remington take a wing around the house with Paul every afternoon, in good weather and bad.  Sylvester and I opt for sunny, windless, and relatively warm days to see the larger world.  He doesn't go far.  If we get to the top of the basement walk, we've done well.  Any overhead noises, crows or airplanes, worries him.  He slinked out of the harness yesterday but as he was headed back inside, we didn't have a problem.  

Both cats saw Dr Seims in January.  Sylvester will need his teeth looked at more thoroughly in March. Both had shots, had mani/pedi, and were at their best weights.  

Sylvester's first outing

 Today was a beautiful late fall (cool) day but the sun was bright and there was hardly any wind. Soooooo, I put the harness on the boy. He was not at all sure that was a good idea.  Finally, we got to the door.  He looked out and quivered.  I don't think it was excitement, I think he was afraid of leaving his lair. He and Storm had had 2 fur-flying, ear-bending tussles earlier, one upstairs under the furniture by the back door, and one when Storm invaded his territory.  Once he got out the door he explored the walkway and seemed to calm.  We were only out for 10 min or wo when I noticed the harness was slipping to his belly. In we went to leave some exploration for another day.

Sylvester: end of week 6

 The 2 felines are not friends yet but are making progress.  The door between Sylvester's lair and the rest of the house stays open now.  He manages the long climb to the landing and slinks a quick look around the corner for danger, or sometimes he crouches in the doorway and looks up. Storm is almost always overhead daring him to move.  They have an occasional shouting match, but no blood has been shed although it sounds dreadful.  

At night when Storm and Remington are in the Carriage House, I can lure Sylvester all the way up.  He explores all he wants including walking on the dining table, kitchen counter, and my bed. I think he even goes up to use the upstairs kitty litter tray. He has joined me in the sewing room, too.

I am much more optimistic that someday they will tolerate each other on the same floor, if not the same chair.  

Sylvester: End of week 5

 The kids have had a couple of hissing matches this week, at least one swatting led by Sylvester, but mostly they separate themselves.  Sylvester prefers his woodpile and mushroom chair while Storm glares at the door from under the table over the stairs.  She won't go down the basement steps. He only comes up of he is lured with food bits and he's sure no one is around.  He comes up at night with his tail high and is always waiting at the top of the stairs in the morning to guide me to his food dish,

He spent a little while helping me sew with the door closed, most of the time willing the door to open so he could run back to safety.  

He doesn't mind Paul making lathe-noise as long as he gets a little cuddling along the way.  

Sylvester: End of Week 4

 Sylvester is much more confident this week.  He springs up the stairs at night when he knows it's just the 2 of us.  He bounds over to greet us at the door to his lair.  He carries his tail high.

He survived the Thanksgiving bounty of Puris but stayed in his lair.  One day Paul found him in the rafters. That was a surprise. 

I've begun tossing kibble treats under the door when Storm is watching: one for her, one for him.  She occasionally hisses but he reaches under to get any treats that didn't make it all the way. We see his ear shadow and she backs up.

I carried him upstairs in his quilt. We sat together for 20 minutes but Sylvester didn't take his eyes off Remington who was sleeping quietly in his corner.  Sylvester never relaxed and ran downstairs when he couldn't take it anymore.

One night I was surprised in my sewing room by a helper lounging on my pressing board.

Sylvester's Confidence Course

 Paul has lots of wood for turning in Sylvester's lair.  I put a couple of planks across the logs so I could lure him up since I'd never seen him climb.  He is certainly food motivated.  The lures worked and now he scrambles around like the cat he's supposed to be.  He even chose a log to scratch the bark.

He also played for a short time with the feather toy and the laser light.  He's seen them both before but today's play was a little longer and a little more intense.

Sylvester: End of Week 3

 Sylvester is more comfortable with Paul and me but still not comfortable with the other 4-leggeds.  I saw him fish his paw under the door toward Storm and they talk a bit to each other but no face to face has happened yet.  

He has full run of the house at night but usually meets me at his food dish in the morning.  He seems to ask to jump up on the bed or a chair; a couple of pats on the furniture signals to him to jump up.  He sometimes sleeps on my bed, but I usually find him in Paul's chair around 4AM. I've lured him upstairs during the day, but he can only get to the gate. When he sees Remington or perhaps hears him, Sylvester races back in his lair. 

He's very alert to quick movements and extra noises in his space, but Paul had some noisy sawing and hammering to do. Sylvester supervised.

Today night I carried him around a bit after snuggling.  When I tried to put him down, he jumped back up in my arms and climbed up my sleeve.  That's new.

We are making progress, but that boy is sensitive. 

More Sylvester bits: Week 2

 We played with Storm's turkey feather fishing pole toy and he paid attention, batted it a few times, and then lost interest.  We also played with the pompom toy that Linda gave Storm.  Same reaction. He's much more curious in exploring the basement and not always snuggled in our chair when I visit.  

I caught the two of them playing patty-cake under the door this morning.  There was some hissing accompanying the game, but Sylvester came back for more.  He sat 4 feet from the door watching intently when the game seemed to be over. He has a butt-sized box with a quilt that he likes to sit in to watch the door.  He also has a bigger box with a blanket that he sometimes rests in.  He doesn't seem to need to be high, although he doesn't have a lot of options down there.  

He tolerated Paul making lots of lathe noise while preparing for class.  Sylvester didn't move off his (our) chair.

Sylvester came upstairs and Storm went to the Carriage House while Remington had a shower.  Sylvester is very comfortable on the daybed in the loft.  We'll test this configuration again.  

Second test of Remington and Sylvester: Remington was passed out on his pillow.  Sylvester tip-toed up to him. Remington's foot twitched. Sylvester decided to retreat to his lair in the basement.  He's just so very comfortable in the safety of his woodpile lair.  

Sylvester: Day 7

 

Nose bump

Sylvester: Day 6

 Pretty much the same as yesterday: He met me by his food dish after having the run of the house at night.  I had been worried that once he was allowed upstairs, he wouldn't want to be a downstairs kitty and I'd have trouble closing a door between the 4-leggeds.  Not so.  After breakfast we snuggle for a while then I leave him to his morning nap. Rinse and repeat for the early afternoon and the late afternoon. I love how he offers me his chin for snuggles and scritches.

During the late afternoon nap, I introduced his leash and harness so we can go outside.  I slipped it on over his head and buckled it around his chest with no effort.  He walked around with it dragging but wouldn't let me lead him anywhere.  That can be another day's practice.  

At night when I opened the gate Sylvester came upstairs very cautiously as if there was a boogie-man around every corner.  That's different but not out of character. 

Sylvester: Day 5

 

Sylvester is very comfortable, eyes closed and purring. 

Today was more of the same.  Storm spent some time wondering at the closed basement door. She has figured out the litter pan in the pink bathroom. Sylvester comes upstairs quickly and quietly after the others have gone next door.  We snuggle for a time in my chair, but he's waiting for me by his food dishes in the morning. I assume he sleeps upstairs.

Another cord of wood deliverd and stacked this afternoon.