Animal dynamics

It is 5:29am and I am sitting on the sofa with Marlow, my orange tiger cat who is curled into a comfortable circle, sleeping. Three dogs are sleeping on the floor all around us. The kitty stirs and purring, walks back and forth across the sofa, traversing over me as he paces. It is his first night in this house that will be home for our entire family of 2 people, 5 dogs and 1 cat for at least the next 2 months.

He has become comfortable with most of the house but is still rather afraid of venturing outside. We went outdoors to the front porch area for two brief visits this morning. I acted as chaperone, giving Marlow a sense that he was not alone in this unfamiliar territory as he struck out into the garden foliage to take care of a little kitty business. In short order he was ready to return indoors.

The remainder of this day, as Cristy and I nervously await the results of our house purchase negotiations, we hope that Marlow will gain the confidence he needs to interact with all the dogs since we will not be present to impose our supervision during the work week. The two little dogs, particularly curious about living with a cat, are somewhat eager to interact with him and Marlow is not exactly keen on this idea at present. The dynamics of their relationships, not unpredictably resembling their individual personalities.