We’ve had Ayla now for close to 9 months and we always hoped that at some point along the way, the dogs and cats would just somehow start to get along. It never happened in our old house but we thought that perhaps when we move, the environment will be totally different, everything will smell like dog because she’s had access to everything for a longer period of time and somehow they will just all start to understand each other.
Today is the first day that our two cats have been allowed to roam freely around the new house. Because we’ve had contractors coming and going, we didn’t want anyone to escape by accident or for them to be so traumatized by the commotion that they never wanted to leave our bedroom again. It’s bad enough that the contractors have been using chain saws and a multitude of other loud tools while working on the new bathroom upstairs.
Tonight we will build in another baby gate which will prevent Ayla from gaining access to the bedrooms upstairs. Then the cats will have their own territory that they can feel safe in and the dog will probably start spending more time outside anyway as things begin to get cleaned up out there. With any luck, the cats will start trying to hang out with us more (not that they’re crazy about us to begin with) because the dog isn’t around as much. And perhaps Ayla will finally get over the urge to chase them every time she sees them.
As I sit here typing this, both cats have now ventured into the dog area independently. Our Norwegian Forest Cat, Princess, has actually come back for round two and is in the kitchen where the dog is passed out on the floor. I don’t dare move from my seat since I’ll probably startle both of them but their curiosity is definitely getting the best of them at the moment…hopefully it will continue and maybe we can even teach the cats that as long as they run to us, we’ll protect them. Only time will tell I guess.
