When I made my pre-dawn check on the weather this morning by opening the door, there was New Kitty! As soon as Lin left for work, the real fun began. I got out the fishing pole toy. No cat, not even grumpy two-year-olds who feel they have been invaded by a tiny terror can resist the fishing pole toy!

My scheme worked perfectly. Myu jumped right in and started playing, even though the kitten was also there playing. The only time she hissed or even paid any attention to it was when it touched her. Ronin sat in the hall, batting pathetically at the air and looking sad. If I had to guess what he was thinking it as “Ooooh. She got out the best toy ever. I wanna play, but there’s that THING in there.” He finally forgot about the kitten for two seconds and made a dash at the yarn tassel on the end of the string, but then he turned around and there was that THING! He hissed so hard he snorted, and then he went back to sulking in the hall. Myu and New Kitty played “together” for about a half hour, and then they both took naps … New Kitty in the middle of the floor and Myu in her favorite cardboard box about a foot away. Ronin continued to sit in the hall and hiss for no apparent reason throughout all of this.

Then New Kitty wanted out, and life returned to normal. Until I got back from the grocery store and New Kitty ran into the house again. She sleeping on the couch, and the brats are hovering nearby staring at her. Well, at least there isn’t any hissing going on. They seem to be handling better now that they know they have the kitchen and den to themselves and the tiny terror can’t get to them in there. Though Ronin seems a little peeved about having to jump over the barrier, what with him being a lazy lard-butt and all. How dare I make him have to work at getting to the bedroom!

So, things are going somewhat better between the cats and the kitten. Yeah!