One Week with Jelly Belly

I must say, this is the third time I've tried (in as many years) to introduce a new cat to an existing cat in our home. I guess the third time is a charm, because things are really looking up for Baby and Jelly Belly.

I kept them separated the first day and a half. Sneaky little Jelly Belly managed to get out and was basically chased down and attacked by Baby three times. That's how the weekend went.

On Monday I worked from home. I have a tall stand-up desk in my home office that Baby likes to grace her presence with while I'm working. I figured that was a good time to let JB out of her space and let her wander around. Baby would feel safe up high, and the two would be able to observe one another without directly interacting.

In fact, I worked at home the first four days of the week and repeated the process each day. It seems to have worked. That, and the constant praising and petting of both of them to reassure them that they are both good girls. Trust me, that part makes a big difference!

I was also careful to quelch all of my "fears" about the relationship not working. Cats reign when it comes to reading human emotion. So I remained as positive and indifferent as possible, and I think both of them got good vibes.

After a couple days of that, I let them out in the same room where each was basically on the same level as the other. I had to break up relatively few skirmishes, each of which was less severe than the previous, until it primarily seemed to be nothing more than posturing.

Even as the two girls jockeyed for position, I was soooooo proud of Baby. She improved on getting past the whole "alpha stance" behavior much more quickly than I imagined. Jelly Baby has been quite a brave soul and relatively fearless—not to mention thankfully unaggressive toward Baby. I think that her easy-going personality has a lot to do with the success of this project.

Today I left home and went into my office to work, but I kept the girls separated; they weren't ready for unsupervised visitation with one another. When I got home, I let them both out. Each day they walk a bit closer to one another, with JB generally (and carefully) giving Baby a wide berth.

It was so cute. Baby went up to JB very gently and slowly, and she just sniffed the tip of her tail. Clearly she was making an effort. But JB hissed! Later, when Baby wasn't looking, JB walked up to her where she was lying on the carpet and sniffed at her tail in the same fashion. Baby turned, swatted with one paw, hissed, and threatened to attack.

But moments later both were fine. If I remain positive and continue with the hearty approbation, I think this is going to work!