Junior's in the house monthiversary!

 The fact is, it has taken me a month to get a post up about Junior becoming an established member of the household. She came inside to stay July 31, at 6:44 PM. She had been inside the house several times earlier that day. The door was left open and she could come and go as she pleased. 

Before I get too far I think some thankful acknowledgements should be made, all to Docken for her help...

There was a situation early on, Sunday, July 13th to be precise, where I jumped the gun on Junior coming inside with me to play and I quietly closed the door behind her. I made some poorly thought out assumptions. This did not go over well with Junior. Suffice it to say, I was pretty upset--for days. However, Docken calmed me down and gave me perspective on the event. I really appreciated that.

It was Docken's idea for me to haul Lucy's cat tree out of my office and stick it just inside the patio door. That was more than helpful in getting Jr. inside. Thank you, Docky. 

 This image is from July 29th.

 
There was also some random stuff, like Docken giving me the feather ended fishing pole, plus there were things left here from Doc, like ping-pong balls and spring toys for cats. The ping-pong balls especially got Jr, exploring the house on 7/31. She chased them wherever she swatted them. A side note, there are currently 14 ping-pong balls in the house. I can only find two.

There were other behavioral issues Docken helped me with too. The advice certainly made the adjustment of having a kitten in the house a lot easier for me, Junior and for Lucy too. So, thank you, Docken. 

There was an event that first took place outdoors on the patio, Junior sitting and spending time in my lap. I told myself that once that happened indoors we might be good to go. This outdoor episode was early evening on July 25th.

 By July 30th she was just starting to feel comfortable enough to doze a little in my lap.

Also July 30th, Junior was free to roam the house. Her venturing to go down that hallway and out of sight of the patio door was a big deal for me.

 
There were also moments like this one out near the patio. Jr was getting distracted by birds and ran outside from time to time.

 
This moment with Jr. on July 30th was another big deal. You can see by the timestamp that it was approaching nightfall. Jr. was getting some treats on top of her dry food, my way of insuring as best I could that she had enough to eat for the night. It’s not possible to leave food out overnight. As soon as I turned away from her dish, she went to hug my ankle. My heart melted.

 
Here's some morning video from inside the house on July 31st, approximately, 8:00 AM.

 I felt good about things early that morning but I was also apprehensive about closing the door. We went on like this throughout the day. Another thanks to Docken because we were on the phone together as I was trying to make the important decision of bringing Junior in to stay. Doc was getting a play by play over the phone and she helped to encourage me to finally pick Junior up, bring her inside and close the door. I think we both thought what if something happened outside later that night? You can imagine some of it and I'd rather not get graphic but, for example, there was this event. The skunk is looking at Jr., Jr., wanted to play with the skunk and the skunk was stomping its feet.

Meanwhile, Lucy, 9:10 AM on July 31st, she has no idea yet what was in store for her. During all of the trials with Junior coming into the house with the patio door left open. Lucy was closed off in our bedroom with an air conditioner running and dad visiting periodically. Junior did not explore the house unsupervised. She was already coming when I called her out in the yard. She would also come running to the patio if she heard the tiny bell on the fishing pole.

 Now, there is trailcam video of me carrying Junior into the house at 6:44 PM on July 31st, however, I was in a t-shirt and underwear and I though it best not to put something like that out on the web.

All of the images in this post were taken with the least expensive iPhone one could buy, November 2022. Let it be known that I have a general aversion to using a phone for photography. In fact, I have a general aversion for using phones for what was their original purpose. In 2019 I was gifted a used iPhone 6 and I realized, getting older, going for walks, etc., having a phone on my person was a good idea. In 2007, when the iPhone was released, I was an Apple Product Specialist for an Apple reseller. Fortunately, the iPhone was about the only Apple product I didn't deal with--not directly anyway. 

Out of pocket carrying simplicity here are photos of Junior taken once she was inside to stay. These should be mostly in order by date but as images were bounced around between applications and devices there was some chaos in keeping stuff organized. In case you've wondered, between keeping Lucy and Junior happy and gradually kitten-proofing the house, some changes have taken place.

For the cats... Junior was born feral. She made wonderful adjustments as time progressed but when I first saw her on June 1st she was extremely cautious over even the movement of shadows she detected inside the house. With 19 year old Lucy there has been a great deal of territorialism and resource guarding. Lucy views this home as her established territory and to be honest, she believes she owns me and not the other way around. She's right. Both cats are experiencing some stress and anxiety. Despite taking it on as a challenge, I also find that stressful. Junior is high energy. Lucy wants to and deserves to sleep--a lot. For me this can be emotionally draining. Fortunately, I can pretty much nap almost anytime if I want to. However, for the most part, I think things are going smoothly. Slow and patient. 

Again, pictures...  

Day one. August 1st. Wow, this is the softest thing I've ever slept on! (another thanks to Docken).

We watched a Dodgers game together.

She cuddled with her new dad quite a bit.

 Day 2, August 2nd.

 August 3rd - August 5th (yeah, I'm getting tired doing this).

August 5th - August 9th.

 August 20th.

 
Lucy supervising her water bowl. Junior has two water bowls. Junior loves Lucy's water bowl.

Junior watching a King Crimson concert with me. Lucy already saw it but was listening from her nightstand. August 29th.

Lucy and Junior, they have good moments, mostly if Lucy is sleeping and they get along best when they are both sleeping. We're working on it. These images are from August 23 until today, August 31st. It has been a crazy month. 

Excuse the mess. Lucy gets treats on the bed and I put my shoes on the bed.

One guy Junior really misses is Vit. Vit has a high probability of being Junior's kitty dad. They often meet at the patio windows. I try to play with Junior whenever I hear her mewing over Vit's presence.

Mama, just killed a mouse
Ate it all except the head, that's your present on your bed
Mama, a sign of my love
Why did you scream and throw it all away?