It’s been just around one month in the new apartment, and things have been so incredible here I figured it was time for a pet update. That and I have a whole bunch of cute photos of them that I want to share. In the first post that I shared an update on the new place I mentioned how the animals were behaving much better than expected. When I moved to my first apartment alone back in 2014, the cats hid in the litter box for nearly a week. They were absolutely terrified and were honestly quite skittish the entire time I lived there. In my next apartment they hid for a few days after moving but quickly warmed up, and made the place their own. With this move, I expected they’d hide for a few days then everything would go back to normal. I was mistaken. There was no hiding and almost immediately they were out exploring their new surroundings. Its obvious they are SO happy here, and were from basically the second they walked in.
I’m sure the fact that this apartment is completely brand new and doesn’t have any smells that belong to other animals is probably a big part but I would also venture to guess that they sense how happy their people are and that makes them happy. I know, or at least I firmly believe, that animals can read our emotions and do their best to respond in what they feel is an appropriate manner. Despite any reservations Jeff and I had about moving in together I think it’s safe to say things have been better than ever! Judging by how happy the cats and Klaus have been I’d say they agree.
Some of the biggest breakthroughs since moving;
▴ Squid tolerates Klaus! One of the biggest reasons I wanted to adopt a puppy instead of a full grown dog was because I wanted the cats to be able to teach that pup who was boss from the start. I didn’t want to worry about this new dog hurting my babies. My plan worked out a little too well. Squid, without even putting much effort into it, somehow communicated to Klaus that she was the one in charge. For the longest time he wouldn’t even enter a room if she was in there. If I was on one side of the house and he was on the other but Squid was in the middle, he refused to run past. These days they’re more than happy to share the couch, even if I’m not in the middle. They often lounge in the same ray of sunshine, and sometimes even share food. Cats, obviously, aren’t supposed to eat dog food but Squid randomly became interested in stealing pieces from Klaus’ dish last week.
▴ Klaus and Professor are thiiiiis close to cuddling. Last March I caught them in bed together – not touching or anything – and it was such a big deal I wrote a whole post about it chronicling their relationship. Read that here! This last month has been full of instances like that. Professor is even totally comfortable laying on top of Klaus when I’m around which absolutely kills me. It’s taking forever but I have hope I’ll eventually catch them cuddling.
▴ Squid is seriously just a new cat. She has always been a little reserved but since living here she has been so free! She’s always somewhere rolling on her back, showing off her belly. I’ve had Squid since she was six months old, nearly ten years, and she’s more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her in her entire life. She was my first cat, and it wasn’t until I adopted a second that I realized she was the kind of kitty that would have preferred to be the only one in the house. It always seemed like she was happiest when all the other animals were in another room. These days that same relaxed happy cat I had only seen when it was just me and her is out all the time! Squid is living loud (literally, so many squeaky little meows!) and proud these days.
I love this photo of Professor. He looks so chubby and content sitting in the sunshine in his new home.
So yeah, that’s how things have been lately, and it’s awesome. Seeing the animals so happy makes me happy.
xoxo