Hi there! We adopted Marchesa from you guys a few months ago; I just thought you'd like to know how she's doing.
Naturally, the first week or so she was completely freaked out. She was in a completely strange environment, there were no other cats around, and there were four people she didn't know doing things she didn't understand. She mostly hid on a shelf or under furniture for the first few days.
We discovered quickly that she is much more motivated by petting and attention than she is by food. We would sit down nearby and talk to her, and she would come out for petting. From there she would use us as a "base" to explore a little more. Once she got used to one room, the boys and I formed a human chain to lure her along into the living room.
She gradually got used to all of us. Now she's completely relaxed and at home. She's very social and affectionate, and wants petting more than food. She greets me in the morning and follows me to her dish for breakfast, but if I forget to stop and pet her a little bit she'll follow me until I give her some attention. Then she'll go back for breakfast. She comes to greet the boys when they come out in the morning, and when they get home in the afternoon. My older son often gets out the "cat fishing pole" to play with her, which they both enjoy. My husband often entertains her with a laser pointer. My younger son drags string around for her to chase. And she enjoys chasing me down the hall; she waits until I'm about halfway along and then charges after me with a "prrt!" and a thunder of little feet.
You guys are so smart to get them used to scratching on those cardboard things. We got her a nice big scratchy box with tassels as soon as we brought her home, and she immediately knew it was hers for scratching. She experimented once on the carpet; I clapped my hands and startled her, and she's stuck to the scratchy box ever since. (That was the first week when she was still jumpy; clapping my hands wouldn't faze her at all now.) Every now and then I'll sprinkle a little catnip in it for a treat, and then she'll perch possessively on her scratchy box to make sure everyone knows it belongs to her.
She has a number of windows to look out of; she can sit on the back of the couch and look out the front window, or sit under Graham's desk and look out the back. If she perches on a shelf she can look out the side door.
Marchesa is also doing pest control duty; she catches any bugs that get into the house. Our roach, cricket, and moth visitations have ended since she came on the job. Once she went after a wasp, but I told her I'd better take care of that one and caught it in a glass. She pouted for a while because I took away her toy.
Anyway, I just thought you'd all like to know she's doing well and settled in to her new home. She's such a sweet, loving little cat.
