You've probably noticed that I haven't posted too much in the way of cat updates - that's because the cat situation has been really up and down. For a while it felt like for every step forward we'd take two steps back. Things are very, very slowly improving as far as the cats' tolerance of each other, but the road we're traveling is a bumpy one.

Dub has gotten pretty much back to normal. He only hisses when hissed at (and sometimes doesn't even bother), he is comfortable hanging out in his usual places around the apartment, and his stress levels seem to be back to normal. Kali is still keeping a low profile, choosing out of the way places to lounge and observe the daily rhythms of home, occasionally darting through the apartment at bedtime to stake a claim to the space between Mike and me.

Junie has been both a delight and a frustration. She's got some definite issues to work out, still, and progress has been slow. She'll walk up to Dub or Kali and sniff at them, but the minute they turn to look at her, she hisses and swats, despite the fact they rarely initiate that behavior toward her. She does seem to be coming to terms with the fact that she can't go out into the back yard anymore, but she still claims the area around the back door as her own, and gets aggressive if Dub or Kali get too close.

As we suspected, food is a big issue with Junie, but it's an issue we were prepared for. The first few days we had to put her in the bedroom while we ate, but we are leaving her out now. She's still a big pest when she smells our dinner, but she is improving - slowly - and I think we are doing a good job of gently but firmly thwarting her attempts at snatching our food away. She's got a voracious appetite and we are feeding her pretty much whenever she wants, but I can imagine that it's going to take a while for her stray cat survival instincts to diminish.

Probably the most frustrating issue we are having, and the one that is requiring the most patience, is that she's a biter. She loves to nibble when she's getting petted, she nips and chomps when she's excited and playing, and if she feels threatened, those sharp little teeth come right out. Mike was watching an old vampire movie on TCM a couple of weekends ago, and she sat on the edge of the table mesmerized by it - I'm beginning to see why! The girl loves to sink her teeth into things, people, whatever.

For all those complaints, she has been a real joy to have around. She's incredibly sweet and affectionate - it's not enough for her to sit or lay next to you, she has to be touching you. She gives headbumps with gusto and loves to knead the bedding. She has rooted out every single cat toy from the deepest recesses of the apartment, and much of her day (and night) is spent playing - leaping, spinning, jumping and pouncing, skidding around the hardwood floors like a cartoon character with her prey clutched tightly in her jaws or paws. I think Junie is basically recapturing her lost kittenhood, making up for all the time she lost raising kittens when she herself was barely older than one.

She's been an absolute delight to watch, and it mostly makes up for the hissing and the biting and the 3 a.m. romps around the apartment (and also, I suppose, for the fact that she accidentally sliced my nipple open last night when she was playing on the bed. Yes, it was every bit as painful as you would expect). We owe her our patience, and we will continue to give it to her along with lots and lots of love, but I wonder sometimes if some of these bad behaviors will ever go away. I wonder, if they don't, if things will still work out for us. I hope they do, but I'm tired - this has been an exhausting trip, and there's still a lot of road ahead.

These ones are not ours, but man, are they ever cute. Check it out:

If you missed out on a Teenie, this is a perfect opportunity to pick up one of Lucy's adorable brood - contact JimmyLegs for more info.

Happy birthday, beautiful! Hope it's a great one. Miss you bunches.