Eloise

Kitten update: On Day 9, she all of a sudden decided to stop being scared. (Still haven’t figured out why!) I opened the door to check her food and litter box, and she was lying about three feet away. Rather than jump up and run away, as usual, she rolled lazily onto her side, stretched, then got up and stood looking at me. Taking a chance, I sat slowly down onto the floor, slowly reached out my hand with fingers curled, and let her sniff. I fully expected her to bolt at that point, but instead, she let me start rubbing her chin! Eventually I was petting her all over, and she was loving it! Then came the most beautiful sound I’d never heard before: she was purring!

That was three days ago. Since then, she has become one of the most affectionate, sweet little kitties you could ever imagine. She now has the run of the house, very quickly learned where the litter box and food bowls are, and joins the other four (all of whom are twice her size!) in the kitchen when it’s treat time. She’s still a bit skittish, but is getting over it. The other cats are learning to accept her after a few hisses and growls, and she is a champ at standing her ground!

These photos are not the greatest because it was dark in the living room, but you know kittens: you have to catch ’em on film while you can!

Dude finally thought of a name for her: Eloise. (He has no idea why; says it just popped into his head.) I wasn’t sure about that at first, but it is growing on me!