she didn't want to get in and now she's not sure she wants to get out
Verdi is super into her but she's ignoring him, which is exactly the reaction I hoped for
BABY!!!
oh, cutie!!
immediate beeline for the landing and this chair
they were happy she was going to a house with stairs because she's obese
and she'll have three floors to cover; I'm starting one box in the main room so she won't have to roam until she's ready, but eventually both boxes will be in the basement
hello cat!!
Omg baby!!!!
researchboner I generally don't name animals until I've known them for a bit, but I might have to go with Sameen Claw
she just has that VIBE
I'm also considering Phuduhudu as an aspirational name. it's a type of gazelle, and unlike children, cats don't care if you give them a name that makes people go ???? ? ?? ????
(her shelter name is ladybug, which is very cute and I like it but I generally don't stick with shelter-given names bc I like names that aren't chosen randomly)
hello catte!!!!
eeeeee
kittyyyyyy
I'm excited to maybe meet her soon!
yeses hopefully by the 3rd she'll at least let a visitor perceive her!
the lady arrives 
Kitty!
Also, naming her "Sameen Claw" would be hilarious! I forget who, but I think someone on the Barge named their pet Sameen Claw, too, right?
Neal's pets, Dog Eiffel and Sameen Claw
Oh, yeah!
100% where I got the idea from yes
(also tri I said the 3rd but I meant the second)
SAMEEN CLAW
so brave!!
I love Sameen Claw :3
she's come by to rub my hand three times now 
I'm mostly ignoring her and letting her settle on her own terms, but I left the door open and she decided to join me
aw, already? nice!
she's a cute chonk
SO FRIENDLY
What a cutie baby!
I'm in a big beanbag in the middle of the room and she's circled the room like seven times now lmao
spider! And pride flags! And brave kitty!
hoping I can get her to explore the downstairs in my presence because I want to see more of how she is around the bird cage
it's too sturdy for her to break in and roomy enough that Verdi could easily evade her if she tried to swipe at him through the bars, but that doesn't mean I want her trying - the shelter was pretty sure she wasn't the type who would, though
she's very into this mirror
Oh, what a lovely lady! She looks like my old Tama before she passed. 
she's so much less reclusive than a lot of newly adopted adult cats
she is so fucking pretty
the white cheekies, so distinguished
still has not eaten her dinner, though, which means she hasn't gotten her miralax
lol @ my aunt not recognizing my house
(to be fair she's only been here like twice)
if I was as pretty as kitty is I would also be fascinated with the mirror
she's eating her breakfast!!!!!!
still ignoring the dry food, but the wet food is the important one bc it's what her meds get mixed into
she walked away before finishing it, but she picked at her dinner off and on overnight so hopefully she'll do that here too
So spooky
I love herrrrr
I love her
i've lost count of how many times she's swung by me to rub against my hand ;; i'm glad she's feeling safe enough to explore and seek out contact
my only real concern is that she hasn't used the box yet, but i haven't seen (or smelled) evidence of her using anything else as a box
wait until she discovers the window seat downstairs
what a good bean <3
also I love your spider
good view from that vantage point to
lizblackdog it was by a local artist!
*TOO thanks, phone
things I have learned: she needs a bigger horizontal scratching post because she's into scratching the carpets
She and her little chair ;A;
It's perfect for her
(I am luckily not precious about the carpeting; it's probably older than I am and stained to hell and back and if it ever becomes totally unsalvageable I plan to rip it out and replace it with hardwood)
(I am also not precious about my hardwood)
My mom would so benefit from having a cat that adored her but she's too precious about her house. Granted they have a very expensive leather living room set of couches. But this is good. She's going to have such a good time in your house ;A;
Aw I have that same fan
Aaaw she’s so cute
oooh, that window is so perfect for a kitty vantage point-- watch out when she loses some weight that she doesn't jump up and scatter everything XD
she already tried batting at a few things so I stuck everything potentially breakable down with mounting putty haha
good plan!
if she shows serious signs of wanting to sit up there I'll make more space for her, but I predict she'll like the cushioned spot downstairs better
Have you put her in her box? As long as you've done that so she knows for sure where her toilet is I wouldn't worry for the first day or so. Sometimes they just have anxiety the first couple days
You could put the scratchy post near it too so it's like a nice comfort area
My cat also loves scratching at the carpet- these scratch pads have been amazing at helping with that. he loves them.
(although they're more expensive than usual! :/ I got like six of them for $12 each)
aaa thank you, i like how versatile those look!
whatareyoudoinginmyswamp i haven't wanted to encroach on her space enough to try picking her up, but when i let her out of her carrier, i did so right next to one of the boxes! it's right at the bottom of the stairs, so she's seen it when she's come down
my neighbor said maybe i should put the box up on the landing that she's claimed as her own, but she hasn't been shy about investigating the rest of the staircase and she definitely scoped out more of the downstairs last night (i'm not sure how much, but i got up in the middle of the night at one point and she was in the living room) - and the landing is
pretty small and i know they don't like their boxes too close to their food
Gotcha, as long as it's in a good and known space I think she'll be fine. You may just find some presents tomorrow after breakfast.
o7!
if she continues to not use it i might put it on the half landing, which is even smaller than the upper one, but is probably far enough from the food
before i released her from the carrier i also took her to watch me set up the other box in the basement, but i'm not sure she's gotten that far on her own
she was very chill in the carrier, so i brought her around with me as i set everything up
two neighbors have tried to make the case for Sameen Paw instead but I'm very much in favor of Claw
also moved the litterbox to the lower landing and she peed within minutes; I feel bad for not doing it sooner ;;
It's okay! She peed and knows where it is! You're doing great!
awww, what a good baby
and absolutely Sameen Claw
will you call her Sam or Sammy or Claw? XD
I've just been calling her sameen! the full name is definitely going on her vet paperwork though lmao
yeah, Ari's vet thinks his name is Ari [Mylastname]
which is entirely incorrect
Ari's surname is Underfoot
My dad called him Mr. Underfoot so often he never even bothered using "Ari" unless he was calling the dog over to him
and even then, it was a toss-up
I love ari underfoot
one time a little boy was walking past my parents' yard with his grandma and asked me my dog's name. I said "Ari," and the little boy asked his last name, and obviously I had my answer ready to go
my time had come, finally someone wanted to know my dog's surname
it was a 3 or 4 year old, A+ questions from tinies
that cat is so comfy on those stairs
lol
excuse how fucked that windowsill is
and she loves those stairs. definitely was using the carpeted underside as a scratching post
she's discovered that she can climb into the couch so I haven't seen her all morning, but I'm not concerned; she did a hell of a lot of exploration yesterday and she probably needs to decompress
an angel
she is now at the point of insistently pawing at doors she wants to go through, which is hopefully a sign she's getting used to the place lmao
😭 the first time I've seen her sleeping out in the open
eepy!
She looks sooooo soft
aw, I'm so glad she's that comfortable already!! 
oncemorewithfeeling it's actually a bit coarse and wiry! google says that's common in overweight cats, so if I can get her to drop some pounds she might become as soft as she looks
yeah, that's probably because of she might be having trouble grooming. i know my elderly cats had that issue even if they weren't overweight.
those stairs will help!
Aww, sleepy baby!
her UTI was likely caused by having trouble reaching back to groom, too 
her stomach hangs quite a bit
poor baby. How old is she?
5!
I'm hoping playing and exercise will help, too; the shelter said she showed zero interest in toys, but she's batted at a few things in a way that makes me think she might like a wand toy
she didn't do well in the shelter; I think she was probably too depressed and stressed to play
We have to help wipe Louie's booty since his surgery and it's not bad once you get a routine down!
yeah, I might end up there too, lol
Oh, that's good then! Don't have to worry about arthritis anytime soon.
My Audrey is a little chubby but she's also 16 so there's only so much we can do aside from monitoring how much she eats.
awww ;;
girlfriend looked me dead in the eye and peed on the floor this morning 
She may still have leftovers from the UTI..sometimes they need multiple treatments and that kind of behavior is generally a sign of medical issues.
Our cat Louie first alerted us to a UTI by jumping on the foot of the bed and giving it a good pee 
he's had a few and one took multiple treatments to get knocked out
he's had a few and one took multiple treatments to get knocked out
yeah, the initial UTI treatment was less than a week ago, so it hasn't been long!
she's due for a follow-up in 7-14 days
She could also just be still adjusting/nervous!
for sure
Yeah she might need more UTI meds. Ours have had to pee on special litter that they can test to match to the most appropriate UTI med before.
Louie had one that basically lasted 3-4 months..don't despair they'll figure it out
friendship with stairs and landing over. couch is new best friend
it's a little after noon and she's already eaten nearly all of her breakfast; that's a new record
that looks like a very comfy couch, I do not blame her.
(shitty picture from across the hall)
she came home less than three days ago and she already feels comfortable enough to sleep in full view
(she did a bit yesterday too, but only at the very end of the day; most of yesterday she was under the couch)
what a comfy baby 
that's also the cushion i always sit on, so hopefully she's getting used to my scent
a few hours ago i was hanging out on one of the big beanbags and she looked like she was seriously considering hopping up there too (tested it out with a paw etc), but she chickened out
she sleep on you soon
i expect a bit of a backslide after her next vet visit (as per the shelter, she hates hates hates them), but so far she's acclimating so much more easily than i expected she would
she's only my third cat (of my own, excluding client cats i've dealt with ofc), and the other two were childhood pets
willy we adopted when i was barely 5 and i have zero personal memories of his adjustment period, but the family story was that he hid all day, then my parents went out for the evening and my grandfather came over to babysit my sister and i, and when they got home he was sleeping in my grandfather's lap
and then chessie was a catch from a feral colony who was deemed young enough to be able to adjust to indoor living, and she took 2-3 years to regularly come out of hiding when we were around, nearly a decade to allow the occasional brief touch, and only came around to being properly petted/sitting in laps/etc during the last few years of her life
she was incredibly skittish, though; sameen claw comes off as a bit shy but not fearful at all
(that was the shelter's verdict, too; aloof and slow to warm up to people but not scared of them)
relocated to sleep on the floor a foot and a half away from me
(idk when I'm going to stop giving you guys minute-by-minute updates of this cat's movements but it certainly isn't happening yet)
Give minute by minute updates the first 3 months at least pls
no it's amazing never stop
me to verdi, who was taken with her on sight: "do you miss seeing her on the stairs?"
verdi: [loud goose honk]
aw XD this is great, pls continue updates 
Verdi wants to see her!
i figured he wouldn't be scared of her (willy and chessie died in 2014 and 2018 respectively; all the birds have lived in a home with cats for far longer than they've lived in a home without one), but i was tickled by how interested he is in her
whenever he saw her on the staircase he made his "come over here" clicking noises
awwwww
he's hit or miss with dogs, but she does resemble the types of dogs that he loves (not too big, short-haired, not fast-moving or energetic)
the only outlier was my black lab, who he disliked despite her being all of those things and being nothing but respectful of him and his space (she ignored him)
he loved my sister's lab, and used to throw food on the floor to attract her over to him, then get offended if the wrong dog took him up on his offer
Oh........ baby.......
budget-conscious donna asked me "if the vet tells you that her health issues are more expensive than you were anticipating, does the shelter have a return period?"
and i was like "if the vet tells me that her health issues are more expsensive than i was anticipating i will spend $10,000 on her, actually"
(i know that's not a choice that everyone can make, but if i'm lucky enough to be able to then why the hell wouldn't i)
Care Credit is a thing with most vets if they won't do their own payment plans you can try, too
my vet has both, luckily!
or they at least did; i haven't used them since 2018
Honestly UTI not usually that bad? It's if you have to do emergency vet stuff or surgeries
And if you're not willing to take on possible emergency vet visits ever, at any point in an animals life then like...don't get an animal
i know they do care credit, and i do remember one time when they very nicely split a charge into two payments across two months because doing the whole thing at once would have booted me over my credit limit
she climbed up on the beanbag with me!!!!
pov there's a celebrity next to you on the subway but you're pretending to be chill about it
awww good 
awww
omg yaaaaay!
ooooh, she's littler than I thought!
she's pretty big but she looks smaller from certain angles
or it's more like she's lopsided in size; she's not a large cat overall but her stomach is huge and hangs a lot
so if she's positioned in a way that hides her tummy, she looks smaller
i got her a third box (full count: one on the lower landing, one in the basement that i'm 99% sure she hasn't visited on her own yet, one now in the den closet) and she just used it, so - minor success?
still no poops even though she's been eating her miralax'd wet food, though
She might just still be a little stressed. It's good that she's using it though!
for sure, she's definitely still taking everything in!
this couch is still her favorite
She's got some good view <:
actually, possibly silly question that just occurred to me (though i'm not sure if it's possibly silly because the answer is "obviously yes" or "obviously no") - could the fact that i cleaned the boxes within minutes of her using them be discouraging her from future use?
like should i be leaving the pee in there overnight to solidify "yes, you picked the right spot, good job"
she is absolutely familiar with litterboxes as a concept, but it does occur to me that the one on the landing she used readily on tuesday as soon as i put it in its current spot, and then never again
Usually it's suggested to have one plus litterbox - one plus to how many cats you have. So two boxes for one cat. Just so they don't have to constantly go back to one spot and you aren't always feeling like the box is dirty.
I don't know if you cleaning immediately will influence her but I do know depending on type of litter it may need more than a few minutes to properly work?
In my experience, cleaning the box invites them to use it but I never clean when they're near them or just after use
gotcha! next time i'll leave it for a bit before cleaning - really i just wanted to see if she'd peed/pooed, and how much
Cats are into routine so you could also just try like "I clean the box at 9am/noon/5pm whatever" and don't change that schedule unless there's a big stinky reason to, or she's sick or etc
Yeah that's legit if you're looking at the stool and all!
i currently have fresh step clay in the two upstairs boxes and wood pellets in the basement box (all of which the shelter used), but once she's settled/using the box regularly i'm planning to sloooooowly transition from clay to wheat
They won't use it at all if it's Too Dirty but if you leave it a couple hours it won't be Too Dirty unless you have an exceptionally picky or I guess stinky/sick cat
OH GOOD she's getting right back into the closet box
pls poop bbygirl
So for some reason our big man will not poop and pee in the same box. He does that. He pees then runs to the other box then poops. It's so weird lol
and yeah i definitely plan to clean them daily at a minimum
lmao i have a couple client cats with weird-ass routines like that. at one of my current jobs, i always check both boxes daily, but 90% of the time both their cats only use one
planted her paw right on Donna's hand (possibly as a "no closer, ur good right there", but she's also slow-blinking at us both right now)
Tummy!!
what a pretty, cozy baby
i'm glad she's settling in so well
1) hallelujah we finally got a poop
2) she's lightly batted at a few dangly things (fake plants etc) in a way that made me think she might like a wand toy, so i picked one up for her today and she's not not interested but she prefers to watch it rather than play with it
but i also found in her carrier (that i bought myself and brought with me to the shelter to pick her up) this tiny floofy ball that i'd never seen before; i have no idea where it came from
i'm not sure whether it was a shelter thing that one of the workers tossed in without me noticing, or if it was inside the carrier when i bought it, but i'm suspecting the former because i found it and pulled it out today and she l o v e s it
chasing it around was the first time i've seen her run
aaaaaah, yay
Yeah that sounds plausible, giving her something familiar
her shelter profile did say she was "learning" how to play
surprise update that i didn't talk about because, idk, i didn't want to jinx it or w/e - cat 2/2 has been acquired! she's from the same household sameen claw was surrendered from, but there were a lot of cats there so the shelter couldn't say how well these two knew each other specifically
cat #2 was also for a while at the shelter due to an upper respiratory infection and potential ringworm exposure (she is now two weeks fully clear of the infection and never ended up developing ringworm)
i was waffling on her for a bit because she's younger than i was aiming for (1.5 years), but she has the exact same calm and low-key energy, and if i was aiming for a second cat i knew it'd be best to bite the bullet sooner rather than later, because the getting-to-know-you transition period is easier when both cats are new to the household
and new girl really is a lovely sweet lady and i had no idea how quickly this personality type would come around again
CATTES
that said, my best laid plans were waylaid a bit; i was going to release her next to verdi's cage so i could immediately gauge her reaction to him, then bring her to an upstairs room to do slow intros, scent-swapping, etc
she did indeed not bother the birdcage, but she also explored the living room and then proceeded to vacate to the basement, where she found an inaccessible hidey-hole
so not... ideal... but i'm not too worried
sameen claw had a brief period of "you smell like the shelter, stranger bitch" at me, but went back to her normal self p quick and has been investigating the blanket that smells like her new sister
(when i said this cat was the one i was looking at, the adoption coordinator's initial reaction was like "hmmmmm i'd hesitate to do two girls together", but when another worker told her who i'd adopted first she immediately switched to "oh nvm those two will be fine")
ohhhh a second cat!!! oh yay!!
Ooo second catte!
Oh, yay!
hoping to lure her out quick so that I can sequester her in a room as originally planned :')
but she has food and water right next to the entrance to her ceiling spot and a box nearby, so hey immediate needs are accessible
cat cat cat!
shelter pic
she is THREE POUNDS, and not underweight, just teeny
sameen Claw is 14 pounds
I got her running around after balls tho
Sameen Claw
Awwww what a tiny baby girl!
oh she's adorable!!!
new kitty has the same body type as my olivia lol (not color, olivia is all black, but also thin and tiny)
two kitties 
she's so cute
she's so cute
ooooh, pretty
dilute tortie?
Aww, pretty kitty!
realistically I'm sure she'll be fine, cats are resourceful and there's literally nothing up there but rafters, but part of me is like "🙃 I'm going to have to explain to the spca that the cat they entrusted to me absconded into the ceiling and was never seen again"
my hubris was definitely at play; she was SO calm and chill at the shelter and in the car that I figured she'd do fine starting out in the larger downstairs
this has happened to me. she will appear again!
compare this to sameen claw, who was totally shut down in the shelter and threw a major hissy fit about being carrier'd (it took two workers fifteen minutes to get her in), but then adjusted to the house with absolute calmness
when I first brought Albert home it took me 12 hours to find him because he'd climbed into the space up and behind a drawer in my room when I left him alone to go to the bathroom.
pffffffffffff
I do think she's exploring more than she is scared, she sauntered around the downstairs a bit before she investigated the basement, but fool that I am, I fully did not anticipate that she might take two big jumps and hop into the literal ceiling
on the less fraught side of things - sameen claw is now eating and using the box regularly; i think we finally got it, fam
i suspect she's still constipated because her poops are teeny tiny, but the shelter did say a vet may well decide to keep her on miralax for life
i was hoping she'd like this bed
Baby in the bed!!
awww, yay, a cozy little space for her
broooooo
this is why I needed a companion for her lmao; I went out for three hours and she greeted me as if I had come back from war
first time ever climbing into my lap
(I bet she wouldn't have if she knew I'd just gotten off the phone to schedule her a vet checkup)
VICTORY
She has conquered your lap at last
aaaaaaah, yaaaay!!
aww yeah
some reminders to myself about ceiling-cat in an effort to stop worrying so much:
the basement ceiling was fully remediated a few years ago to plug up mouse holes. my fears about her finding an opening into the garage and/or the crawlspace that i somehow didn't know about are unfounded; even if a big enough hole for her to fit through used to exist (doubtful), it absolutely doesn't now
there really is very little space up there: there's a small lip of rafter around the perimeter, and a layer of plastic-wrapped insulation up against the ceiling. she probably could squeeze herself between the ceiling proper and the layer of bagged insulation, but if she could squeeze herself in she could absolutely squeeze herself out; it's held up by zip
ties enough to keep it in place, but it's pretty loose/flexible
i've seen the bare ceiling; it's pretty standard. there's nowhere for a cat to get legit trapped up there. there are some electrical wires, but 95% of them are running along the outside of the bagged insulation, completely inaccessible to even the wiliest cat, provided she's not capable of levitating (also doubtful)
any brief length of wiring that runs between the insulation and the ceiling is fully coated in that acrylic safety stuff. there was a different work crew down there less than a year ago, fixing a toilet leak; if there were safety issues or exposed wiring or surprise gaping holes or w/e, they would have flagged them
the only access in and out of that basement is the open door up to the rest of the house, and the crawlspace hatch, the latter of which is closed up tight and locked
went over little girl's vet paperwork more closely and the form that said she was 3lbs was a mistake; she's actually 3 kilograms
which makes a lot more sense tbh, she is in no way skeletal or underweight-looking
my guess is that whoever was filling out the online form was doing it quickly and forgot to change the unit of measurement
oh! that makes so much more sense
6lbs is TINY tiny, that's the size the kittens were when we brought them inside
er, 3lbs
I'm notoriously awful at estimating size/weight and so I didn't even question that they might have had it down wrong lmao, I was just like "well that sounds super light, but she IS really small, so I guess???"
she looks teenager-sized to be. much smaller than other 1.5yo cats I've met/seen but still very adult-looking. zero kittenface
*to me
Ah that does make more sense, but that is still very small!
3lb cat vs 
6lb cats
tbh just from that she seems more the size of the first one, but it's hard to tell just from one pic! she took up basically that exct amount of space in my lap in the shelter, lol
my guess is she's somewhere in between the two in size, but closer to the second and the first just looks bigger to me because it's a close-up
donna: "so have you picked a name for the little one yet??"
me: "yeah but fair warning, you're going to hate it and it's also locked in; you're not going to be able to convince me to change it"
donna: "oh i'm sure i won't HATE it; what is it"
me: "phuduhudu. it's a type of antelope"
donna:
donna:
donna: "....... so can i keep calling her spritz"
(her shelter name)
LOL
the fact that it's pronounced poo-doo-hoo-doo is DAMNING in her eyes bc it makes her think of poop; i told her i don't mind her calling her whatever she'd like
i'm kind of picky about the sounds of names and honestly i'm kind of surprised that i like phuduhudu, but it randomly came to me as a possibility for sameen claw and for some reason, i really liked it a lot
then this teeny little big-eyed girl antelope-jumped up into the ceiling and i was like "welp"
i can't find a good photo for size comparison that isn't some hunter posing next to a kill, but rest assured they are tiny
they are also called steenboks and donna thinks steenbok is a much nicer-sounding name, but i think steenbok is ugly and i would never lmao
(steenbok is afrikaans, phuduhudu is setswana)
(i don't think we have a different english word for them but i was informed by my sister that planet zoo calls them steenboks)
she seems like she's definitely teeny, regardless! .... that's not the same species as the dikdik, is it? they look very similar
i'm not sure!
googled and no
dikdik, steenbok/phuduhudu, and duiker are three similar-looking small antelopes that are sometimes mistaken for each other, apparently
(phuduhudu is a great name)
i also think dikdik is a very cute name (duiker not so much), but i'm sticking with phuduhudu bc i've seen them in the wild, they were one of the animals i specifically asked people about the setswana name for, and i thought the sound repetition was adorable
shelter: "ladybug 
and spritz "
and spritz "
me, a madwoman: "sameen claw and phuduhudu"
i dropped off their medical paperwork at the vet today and the poor woman had to ask how to pronounce them both
oh and i also guiltly confessed to the vet about the ceiling cat situation, and the universal response was "lol, cats do the darndest things" rather than "you fuck-up of a cat custodian" (or even serious concern), so i was relieved about that
it's not even that she was so overwhelmed about being released into a too-large space - she happily sauntered around investigating the downstairs, discovered the basement door in said investigations, and then totally casually hopped into the ceiling
a bit too chill, if you will
sometimes cats do wild things!! Misty loved to sneak into my parents' ceiling way back when I adopted her, because they were getting some plumbing work done and there was a big hole in the drywall over one of the kitchen cabinets
so she. leaped on top of the cabinet from the counter and vanished into the ceiling repeatedly until they patched it up
my aunt's cat is capable of jumping vertically from the floor to the top of an open door. i straight-up did not believe her until i witnessed it myself
(it's why he's named after a pole-vaulter)
and yet despite having witnessed it myself, i somehow didn't think that this cat might leap from the landing to the top of a tall bannister and then up into the rafters
i made sure the floors and shelves were catproofed when i decided my goal was to eventually migrate all the litterboxes down here (this is no longer my goal!!!), which was easy to do since it's a very small basement
i didn't even think of looking higher than the tallest shelves. fool me once is2g
-- LOL FUCK I JUST SPOTTED HER, she made it all the way to the other side of the ceiling (twenty feet tops, but still, more mobility up there than i was hoping for)
using bare insulation as a bed, nooooooo
i'd be a bit more worried if reddit searches hadn't served me up multiple stories of people being like "my cat emerged from the walls after two weeks covered in literal fiberglass from the 1970s and he was fine! ", but still. don't like that
", but still. don't like that
i've touched it, it's not the kind of thing that you can get splinters from, but i'm not sure what chemicals it's been treated with
she looks so comfortable. cat, why
nearly all of it is covered with plastic. she found one of the few patches that isn't
i set up a chair down here so i can come hang out/get her used to my presence without direct interaction/etc. this is across the room from where she entered the ceiling, but directly above where my chair is, so i'm going to consider that a good sign
she also hasn't moved since i very obviously noticed her, and yesterday she vamoosed once she realized i could see her, so that's... also... progress???
debating the merits of moving the water over here vs leaving it where it is
i'm also trying to remember whether that hole was exposed before; there are a couple places where the insulation was pulled down and i was too lazy to push it back up (the basement is heated, if a little chilly, so it's not like full insulation is necessary to keep the house warm), but it's light enough that i do think she could have kicked it out at the
edges like that if she tried
this is the amount of space she's working with. she had to squeeze her way over those plastic bags
i'm so glad the shelter said "nah" when i asked if she had a history of chewing on toys/non-food items
i was thinking of the plants donna stores on my porch during the winter! i was not thinking of plastic bags and insulation
okay, heading off to my evening jobs and leaving her with multiple water dishes in various locales/at varying heights, a pair of my shoes and socks next to the chair, and the remnants of my smelly lunch (no actual human food left, just a greasy dish and a used fork)
I'm mildly surprised tiny cat didn't wind up root to go with Sameen, but I love these names.
this in addition to the open carrier with bedding + cat food + one of my t-shirts + sameen claw's shelter bedding on the basement landing
FAIR
(but i like phuduhudu? genuinely go figure. i'm usually not into punny names for animals, either; i'm breaking all my rules)
I love phuduhudu :3 I hope she actually comes down some day 
I love her
she plainly has a Root sense of humour
honestly yeah
it'll have to be her hacker alias
checked on her. same spot. we slow-blinked at each other and then I left her be, probably until tomorrow
that said i FULLY don't trust her not to use the bird cages as perches now. all the cages are freestanding with thick iron bars; it would be physically impossible for her to knock them over or break into them if she tried (which i don't think she would, she showed zero interest in verdi when she was exploring the living room, but as vantage points? maybe)
ordered a shoji screen to block off the stairs to the upstairs birds
i honestly think verdi might take it in stride if she perched on top of his cage (more than the cockatiels would anyway; they're used to cats but there are limits!), but once she's acclimated this might be a downstairs-only-when-supervised situation
the one with the food is the new favorite
- phuduhudu ate all the food i left out for her last night, which means she came to the landing that had her shelter-familiar bedding, as well as a towel that smells like sameen claw and a shirt that smells like me
- sameen claw is slowly beginning to explore the downstairs, and is meowing piteously at me anytime i go anywhere where she can't follow. "i need an independent cat who's okay with me being away on jobs sometimes", i said
(she'll be fine; even if the two cats take a bit to warm up to each other i come home every day even when i'm doing overnights elsewhere)
verdi is desperately throwing food at her the way he used to to try to lure sera over, and she continues to give absolutely no fucks about his existence
she's looked at him and that's about it
she also has the most expressive tail i've ever seen in a cat; she's constantly waving it around vigorously
which i know can be a sign of annoyance/a warning to back off, but she'll couple it with purring and rubbing her cheek against you etc
some cats do wag their tails when they're happy, I've seen it :3
if she's up and walking around, it's nearly always up and waggling around
It might be an excitement wag from all the new exploring to be done
that would make sense!
Chal does that! Tail always waving with joy