There have been some exceptions, of course, in the middle of the night, but never when we were home.
Philip is being the trail blazer, and one night appeared downstairs next to my feet when I was scooping canned food into dishes to bring up to them. Reward: immediate presentation of the dish. Aurora's was carried up to the room.
He was visibly nervous, and when Husband got too close with the camera he ran back up to safety.
But in the following week, he started coming down more often and staying longer. (Not needing the cone anymore probably helped.)
And once he started to be more comfortable being downstairs when at least one of us is home, Aurora started following his lead.
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| Being on the stairs at all is very brave for her! And lying down? While she can see me? AMAZING. |
I've also seen her tail disappear up the stairs, so she's definitely curious to see what Philip is doing, and even started eating canned food in the kitchen as long as I'm not too close.
On one specific Friday night, Philip and I watched Into the Spiderverse (livin' la vida loca over here).
And Aurora came down to tour the living room.
I didn't think she would stay, but since Philip was there, she felt empowered to hang out for a while. The more comfortable he is with a person or room (or both), the more willing she is to give it a try.
Of course, she's mostly trying it out the most at night when we're asleep, but in the last few days the camera has caught her exploring, playing with toys, and even lounging. She's actually getting to be OK in this room that has been outside her comfort zone for months.
I'm so proud of both of them.
Philip and Aurora are fostered in Cambridge, MA through the Gifford Cat Shelter in Brighton. Please contact them if you are interested in either of them!
