Taking Down the Barriers

A well-meaning friend of mine who knows I'm at wits end with the cat blockade in this household, (for those of you unaware, here's the really fast recap:  friend dies, two cats taken to a permanent home, doesn't work out, I offer to help if I can, end up the permanent fix according to everyone but ME, now stuck with two cats when at most I would want one...two cats have been shut in my bedroom for the past, oh, seven weeks...yeah, life is good!!!)  Anyway, this dear friend who OWES ME BIG TIME suggested that we just open the doors and let the dog and my cat and the two new cats duke it out in the hallway.

Well, with little other option (I've called all rescues, they are full; I put an ad in the paper, a really good, really SAD ad, and got NOTHING, and I've emailed all the schools one last time and used the guilt card, but NOTHING) I decided I was tired of living with closed doors and pets that can't get along and well, it's just a hassle.  I don't have that much space to being with.

So I came home tonight and told LM to take the dog for a walk and while he was out, I put the cat food all in one central location where the dog can't get it and I OPENED ALL THE DOORS.

And then we waited.

Well, it took Eli (dog) about 2.2 seconds to figure out the doors were opened and he went running in to investigate.  Gabby, in all his 20 pound glory was laying on LM's bed and was now a bit PISSED that there was a dog.

There was a lot of growling (by the cat) and then hissing (again, the cat) and the dog tried to go into the room and backed out and went in and back out and repeat and rinse, and well, the dog finally came out to the living room and we gave him a bone and we're hoping that maybe Gabsters hid.  

I had a glass of wine before I did all this but now I'm thinking maybe Gabby should have had the glass of wine.

I'll keep you posted.  If I'm alive to tell the tale.