Is This Really My Forever Home?

I recently came across an article: 19 Quiet Signals a Rescue Cat Sends Once It Believes This Home Is Completely Permanent

Well, we’ve been here nearly two years. So, naturally, I had to see how Totti and Wallace measure up.

(I could write a chapter on each of these items, but since I don’t want to lose our readers. I put things into categories, with a note here or there.)

Yes, we’ve made it this far…

#1 – The Hiding Spots Start Gathering Dust

#2 – They Sleep Like They Don’t Have to Survive Anymore

#8 – Grooming Becomes Confident, Even Public

#11 – The Nighttime Routine Quietly Locks into Place

#16 – They Start Scent-Marking You Like Property*

#18 – They Start Demanding Little Rituals with You

(*Yes, my bare foot is as important at the coffee table. Totti rubs her cheek on the coffee table three times, then my bare foot, three times.)

(A Wallace Ritual. “It’s time for a treat! Make it Churu!”)

There are signs, occasionally…

#3 – The Slow Blinks Turn into Full-On Eye Conversations

#4 – The Territory Patrols Quietly Disappear

#7 – Play Turns Goofy Instead of Guarded

#10 – Guests Become an Annoyance, not a Crisis*

#17 – Change Stops Feeling Like a Crisis

(*Increasingly, as people come and go from the house, the cats will simply look up, assess, and go back to what they were doing. Of course, keeping an eye on the “strangers” while they are there.)

(Wallace at play – determined to get the toy his way!)

Maybe someday…

#13 – They Start Initiating Physical Contact on Their Own Terms

#14 – Their Vocabulary Gets More Nuanced and Opinionated*

#15 – They Start Bending the Rules on Purpose

(*Totti and Wallace had to be separated the other day for a short time. Totti was in the room with me and was VERY vocal about her distress—four or five sharp meows from an animal who rarely makes a sound. All was well when they were reunited.)

Somebody forgot to tell them about this

#6 – Shadowing You Turns from Guarding into Choosing*

(*Though they have moved to spending the evenings with us, in the living room, so maybe they are figuring it out.)

Was never an issue (No doubt thanks to everyone at Our Companions)

#5 – Food Time Stops Being a Survival Scramble

#9 – They Start Claiming the High Ground

#12 – The Litter Box Stops Being a Negotiation

And finally

#19 – They Finally Reveal Their Real Personality

This is what we know about their personalities – Totti is playful. Wallace is a survivalist. Together they are full of love for each other, and maybe someday they will openly extend that love to us – Anything is possible!