Eric [a.k.a. Bear, Spook, Grey Ghost, Door Stop]

I was at work when I first heard about Eric and Emily when I received an e-mail message about two cats who had been together since they were kittens and were in need of a new home. Since I had lost my Kimberly the previous year due to the infirmities of old age, and she had been part of a pair (along with her brother, Timothy) I decided that it was the right thing to do to offer my home to this furry twosome.

[Monday, October 27, 2008] Knowing that they would need time to adjust to this upheaval in their lives, I first introduced them to the basement where they could hide from both me and my other cats and find the isolation I knew they would want. After a few days I moved them upstairs, initially to the bathroom, then to my bedroom, still keeping them mostly isolated from the other cats. They had the opportunity to sniff at each other under the door, and event grab at each others? paws under the door. (Emily and Esmerelda do this often.)

It's pictures like this one with both Eric and Emily that assure me that I made the right decision when I kept them together. With all the stress they've had to deal with, having a familiar face to nuzzle from time to time is very comforting to them, I'm sure.

After about two weeks, on a Monday, Eric decided that it was OK to sleep with me in my bed. He curled up right next to me: a big, warm, furry lump (Thus his first nickname: Door Stop) that was all but immovable. Within the next couple of days, Emily decided to join Eric on the bed next to me, but it was clear that she was joining Eric, not me.

[14/Nov/2008] The hostility between the established cats and the new ones is continues to moderate somewhat. I know it's going to take time.

[28/Nov/2008] Eric stays mostly in my bedroom, but he'll come out to eat or visit the litter box at night when nobody is around to notice. Not long ago he started coming to the end of the halway that leads from my bedroom to the kitchen in broad daylight. I was preparing food for them and turned around and saw him sitting calmly in the doorway watching the other cats eagerly circling my feet. One night I was extinguishing candles burning on the mantle when I turned around and saw him sitting on the floor just a few feet behind me. You never see or hear him come, he's just suddenly there calmly sitting and watching. It's very spooky; he's like a grey ghost

I have to say, though, that I'm really glad to see him making himself at home and settling in.

[5/Dec/2008] Now that Eric has made himself fully at home, he'splanting himself in my lap regularly. Here's a photo of him in my lap with Lucy behind him draped over my ankles on the footrest of the recliner.