Hissing. Growling. Swiping.

We knew there would be plenty of that, but we also knew that things would eventually quiet down. And so they did.

Eventually the kittens stopped snapping at each other. Blondie and Furriosa relaxed, and hissed at each other less and less. Blondie started exploring the cattery, climbing here and there, sleeping in various shelves.

For a while, Furriosa would only sleep in the box that we put in their cage. She’d lie in the bunk beds when she was awake, sit in the tub to watch the other cats, eat and sleep, use the litter box, and watch everyone from the safety of the cage. Sometimes she would venture out of the cage and sit on top, or walk around a little bit, and sniff the big cats’ food. Eventually she started climbing up the chairs, jumping onto the window sill, even sleeping in the drawers lying around the cattery.

Samwise seemed to be perfectly fine with the transition from Day 1! She seemed a bit stressed when her sisters were swiping at each other, but beyond that she seemed curious and playful as usual.

Soon the kittens were greeting us from the window sill every morning, or sleeping in my office windows during the day. They started using the big cats’ litter box, and eating the big cats’ food too. For a while they were still jumpy when one of the big cats crept up behind them, prompting them to hiss in surprise. But eventually they got used to it.

Soon the kittens were greeting us when we went to the cattery. Sometimes Blondie or Samwise even tried to run out the door!

Soon the big cats seemed to accept the kittens as part of the landscape. Scabbers started sleeping in the bunk, sometimes in the top bunk, sometimes in the lower bunk. She also ate their leftover food, which seemed to help her gain some weight. Hedwig and Spotty started lying on top of their cage, especially when they were eating.

It’s really only Sweetheart who still keeps her distance from the kittens. We get the feeling that’s going to take a bit longer. In the meantime, there is (mostly) peace in the cattery.