The 3-3-3 Timeline...

 

• First 3 Days: Decompression & Shock
  • Your cat may be scared, overwhelmed, and hide.
  • They are getting used to new sights, sounds, and smells.
  • How to help: Set up a small, safe room with essentials (food, water, litter box, bed) and let them come to you.
• First 3 Weeks: Settling In & Routine
  • They begin to explore their safe space and learn the household routine.
  • Their true personality starts to emerge, but they might still test boundaries.
  • How to help: Establish consistent feeding and playtimes; gradually introduce them to more of the house.
• First 3 Months: Fully Home & Bonded
  • They feel secure, confident, and comfortable in their environment.
  • A strong bond and trusting relationship should be forming.
  • How to help: Continue providing enrichment and affection; this is when they truly settle in and claim the home as their own.
    
     

I think we are ahead of schedule.  Stella has explored the living room.  The catio is her safe space, and she seems quite content to eat, use the litter box, and sleep overnight in there.  She lets us reach in to pet her (that didn't happen right away).

She still growls when you hold her in your arms, wrapped in a soft blanket.  It's quite cute.  I like to call it "aggressive purring."  ;-)

Sitting on the racetrack...

 She doesn't have the strong, confident cat posture, yet.  Sleeping in the toy basket...

 It makes my heart happy to see her sleep like this.  I have to think that restful sleep was tough to come by in her former life.  When awake, she is very playful, trying out all the cat toys.

We are letting Stella and Murphy be together, under our watchful eye.  Murphy will on occasion "stalk" her.  But, if he gets too close when he's in that mode, Stella will puff up and growl.  She has a big voice for being a tiny cat.

Detente... Murphy was in Stella's face a time or twelve this morning.  We separated them for a while, then let them get back together again.  With some space...

 Murphy wants to play.  Stella isn't sure, yet, when that BIG cat gets close to her.  Then, she will turn around and run up towards him.  It's a process.

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

We managed to snag a pair of these tickets...

 And the best part: no "convenience fees."  ;-)

It would have been an uneventful evening if not for the neighbors to the east of us, who set off fireworks starting at 8:30, and went on until after 1:00 am.  Not solid - just when you thought they were done, they'd fire off another huge boom.  And the occasional noisy aerial display.  Anything that goes off the ground is illegal in Phoenix; which apparently doesn't matter.

Steph and Dan went out with friends last night.  I took Dicha out a couple times during the evening to let her potty.  And, of course, the neighbors would set off something loud... after I waited for what I thought would be a lull, so the noise wouldn't scare Dicha.  I could tell she was pretty nervous from all the noise, so just before 10:00 (which would be midnight in New York City), I brought her over to our house until the hourly barrage subsided...

 Steph and Dan were home around 11:00, and they were able to set Dicha at ease.  They said, "Coming south on Loop 202, there were aerial display fireworks going off all along the way, every direction."

This morning, when I took Murphy out, I picked up a bunch of debris in our yards from the fireworks... and tossed the crap over the wall for the neighbors to enjoy.  I can only imagine how much money they flushed away just to make some noise and annoy the neighborhood.

Murphy and Stella did fine last night, even though their Mom and Dad did stay up later than usual.  I think I turned over to go to sleep about 12:07... amid the next barrage all around the neighborhood. 

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It has been a week with the new little furry girl.  I would say she is thriving: 4 meals a day plus treats, a soft warm place to sleep (securely).  She and Murphy are interacting... sometimes it is sweet, sometimes there is hissing (both directions).

We are giving her space: trying not to overwhelm her.  As a kitten, she loves playing with toys, and goes to the toy basket to pick out what to play with next.  Then, she plays with enthusiasm, followed by a nap...

 Look at that sweet face.  That "soft place to sleep"?  Not that racetrack/scratchpad she's laying on - but, she goes back to it, so it must be comfy for her.

Murph was getting some rest, too...

 I have a soft spot for these sleeping kitties - you know they feel secure in their surroundings.

 

Meetings...

 

I have to say that December was a pleasant month, with no HOA business, other than the regular Architectural Committee requests.  It brought me to a decision: I have resigned from the board, effective with the March meeting.  Why not immediate?  Thanks for asking - my concern was it would leave the board with a potential 2 to 2 voting situation.  With an odd number on there, decisions can still be made.

On the Architectural Committee, one of the members wanted to discuss a homeowner request; a request that was previously denied, going by the CC&Rs.  Two other members said they could be available any evening.  I asked Steph to set up a Zoom meeting for last night.

Out of the 5 members on the committee, Steph and I were the only ones who showed up.  Not the member who originally asked for a meeting.

And, so it goes.

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A Meeting Closer To My Heart...

Murphy and Stella.  The antics make me laugh.  They have been playing together this morning.  Stella has energy and street smarts; Murphy has size, patience, and wisdom...

 The next two images show Stella as a blur...

 Murph surprised her on this one, and Stella jumped up and backwards...

 It may be hard to tell, but Stella is about a foot in the air on that shot above.

Murphy taking the high ground...

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Toys...

The little girl is loving having all these cat toys to play with.  Murph is mostly OK with her... as long as she doesn't get cat spit on his favorites.  ;-)

There is a woven bucket of cat toys in the living room.  Murphy pretty much doesn't touch them.  Stella has discovered them: "I can play with all of these toys??" 

"Yep.  They are all for you and Murphy."

 OMG - look at that little face.

Steph came over this afternoon, to clip little nails while Joan held Stella; wrapped in a little blanket.  Um, Stella wrapped in the little blanket, not Joan.  Only a bit of growling - Stella, not Joan.

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Cutting It Close...

While having a late lunch, it hit me: the lady at the Visitors Center at the last Regional Park we were in said, "Be sure to renew your park pass before the end of the year - the price is going up for 2026."

I said, "So, how would you feel about a quick trip to the closest Regional Park?"  Which turned out to be Estrella Mountain Regional Park.  The lady at the entrance gate told us she could sell us another pass right there - we don't have to go into the Visitors Center.  So, we're good for another year.

 

With My Homies...

 

Making music today with Mark, Danny, and Gil... that's the participants in "the big group" for today.  There will be 7 of us by the end of January.

We had a good time; even started working on a technically difficult new-to-us song (to be announced later).  I enjoy these guys.  Everyone gets along, similar ages and sense of humor.  And, we get along great.

It's a 40 minute drive to Mark's, if the traffic is reasonable, so it's fortunate it's a good time.

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On the new kitty front.  Joan showed me a couple videos of Murphy and Stella playing.  The big furry boy continues to be very gentle with the little girl.  I did tell him this morning, when he and I were out for our morning walk, that "It's OK for you to establish who the alpha is."  I mentioned that to him, because Stella has spunk and smarts - it's how she was able to survive as a very young kitty living in a parking lot. 

Sharing Is Caring...

 

The biggest concern with this new kitty situation was how Murphy would react.  His behavior could make this situation very good or very bad.  And, so far, it has been good.

This morning, Joan opened the door to the catio to give Stella the option to come and go.  A half hour later, Stella is content to be inside.  Murphy made the first move...

 Murph went inside, walked by Stella, then to an upper level.  "Yeah, this used to be mine," he told her.  He stayed for a while then stepped out.  A few minutes later, Stella came out on her own.

Then, some cautious interaction between them in the tunnels...

 Stella playing on her own for a bit...

 She is discovering some of the many cat toys in the house.

There will be other topics in this blog, but Stella is new here and the focus of our activities right now.  Being a "two cat family" is a change for us.  Not being an "only child" is new for Murphy.  We're all learning.

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Here's a different topic: we generally keep our Christmas decorations up until just after the New Year.  Today, the Yuletide stuff came down...

 OK, somewhat Stella related - the stuff came down to give her less stuff to mess with.  I'm glad Joan got that photo of her under the tree.

With stuff out of the way, Murphy and I went outside while Joan ran the vacuum around.  Murph is not a fan of the vacuum, so this worked out for all concerned.  Then, back inside and he stationed himself just outside the catio...

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It took a while, but I got out for a motorcycle ride today - beautiful sunny skies, temps in the mid-70s for a high.  It totally didn't suck.

When I got back, the fur babies were napping; Stella inside the catio...

 And Murphy on top of the catio...

 That gray blanket that Murphy is laying on is Stella's lap blankie: it's what we wrap her in so she can lay in our laps.  Murph is making sure his scent is on there.  ;-)

 

White Smoke!

 

Yesterday, while visiting with Steph and Dan, Steph asked if we had made a decision on a name for the new little girl.  I told her we were narrowing it down.

Dan asked, "Will there be white smoke when you make a decision?"

I chuckled.  Steph had no idea what he meant.  "When a new Pope is selected, the papal conclave releases white smoke, and the new Pope and the name he has selected, is announced.

No, her name is not White Smoke.

We are proud to announce: Welcome to the family, Stella Rose.

The decision came about this morning.  I told Joan, "I am good with Skye Blue or Stella Rose - I have taken Starr Angel out of the mix."

She said, "Let's go with Stella Rose.  I read that it is good to have a two-syllable name for a cat."  The decision has been made.

After getting Murphy and Stella their lunch, Joan and I made another drive to PetSmart: Stella Rose needs a name tag and Steph wanted some more of those after Christmas deals on dog toys.  Then, a stop at the Neighborhood Walmart in the same plaza, and across the street to pick up Panda Express... because, as we all learned from A Christmas Story (the movie), Chinese food is a Christmas tradition: "fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra").  ;-)

This is what we saw when we came into the house...

 Yes, the big furry boy was on top of the catio; the little girl inside on the third level.  No fussing, just chillin'.

We ate, then Joan took Stella out of the catio and put her on my lap.  After some petting, we decided it was time to put her down and let her explore the living room.  Murphy followed her around, still no fuss.  After a while, I took Murphy outside so Stella could explore without an audience.

Murph and I hung out for a while.  I took this shot of Murph...

 

Joan sent me this in a text...

 I don't think it gets any sweeter than that!

After exploring a bit more, Stella went back into the catio on her own, had a bit more to eat, then back out again...

 I was very impressed that she went in there, with no persuading.  And then back out...

 Then, playing with Murphy's tunnels...

 Another day of firsts.  She is progressing faster than I thought.  I think she likes being a part of the family.  I think we'll all sleep good tonight.

 

 

Dad. Dad... she's still here...

 

That was a quote from Murphy in the middle of the night.

"When is she going to go home?"

I explained, "She didn't have a home, buddy.  This is now her home."

"So, this is forever?"

"Yeah, that's the plan."

My morning routine takes longer.  I had help this morning, for which I am grateful.  Getting the food bowls in and out of the catio requires one to be at floor level.  I need both hands to get up from the floor, which makes getting the bowls (3) out a three-step process.  Then, since we don't have a second set of bowls for the little girl (they are coming today), those bowls need to be washed before I can fill them.  This morning, Joan got the bowls out of the catio and washed them while I was working on Murphy's food and water.

Then, put out pills and vitamins for Joan and me.  Get ice water and hot cocoa to take those pills.  Then take Murphy outside for his first walk in the yard.  Only 40 minutes today, compared to nearly an hour yesterday.

I checked on the little girl in the middle of the night.  Murphy wasn't at the foot of our bed like usual - he was on his tower, about 10' from the catio.  Skye/Star/Stella was quietly awake, looking back at me.

This morning, Murph was a bit growly a couple times, until he got to go outside.  Realization is setting in.

They played through the catio for a while...

 This little girl is now showing us her playful side.  She has a half dozen or so toys in the catio, and she is trying them all out...

 She has a lot of kitten energy.  I hope I have the stamina to deal with the kitten energy.

Considering how well she is doing, we are thinking we'll let her out of the catio today to explore some of the house.  We'll see.