We opened the door of the Kitty Containment Area this morning after breakfast. Tentative forays around the upstairs and then downstairs occurred over the next few hours, and by noon all four cats had made the trip to the first floor at least once. Shastes has so far limited her response to the invasion to occasional hissing and watchful surveillance from her favored hidey-holes. We knew the adjustment was going well when Perl showed up promptly at dinnertime to sit next to the table and beg for anything vaguely resembling a dairy product. Someone with a softer heart than mine fed her some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

The unpacking is going well. We completely rearranged the kitchen and pretty much everything in all the cupboards and pantry, and got the office into a semi-usable state. The craft room will just have to wait a while, since it’s currently my four cats’ home base for litter, food and and safe non-Shastes-inhabited napping areas. But we’re pretty pleased with the progress we’re making. Just very tired.