Baby Steps

This is just a little update on Annie's progress. She has fallen into a routine since she started her valium treatment. Around 4:30am, while Dave is getting ready for work (and about the time I've finally gotten to sleep), she comes into our room. This is a good thing, because it gives her a chance to play, and have some human company until I wake around noon. Then I pill her, make the bed, and open the door. When Max still lived here, I had to take her back into the bathroom and shut the door until she could use her litter, eat a bite, and go back into her closet without being chased. Now, I allow her to decide on her own when, or if, she wants to go back into hiding. About the middle of last week, I noticed some subtle changes. Dave and I like to eat lunch out on the back porch, and lately, Annie has been staying in our bedroom, and watching us from the window. It's very promising, because it requires her to stay out of hiding.
Last Friday, I was so proud of her. I walked to the kitchen to get a Diet Coke, and noticed she was lying on our bed instead of hiding under it. Another routine we've started happens at feeding time. Our cats' primary sourse of nutrition is try food, but in the afternoon, I like to give each cat a spoonful of canned food for a treat. I've been taking Annie's into the bathroom and shutting the door so the other cats can't chase her back into her closet, and steal it from her. That same Friday, I was getting ready to take hers into her bathroom, when she came into the kitchen. I put it down, and she ate it right there in the same room as the other cats. That was a huge step for her. Sadly, she hasn't taken anymore big steps since, but I'm still encouraged.