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The Megara Chronicles: The Gate Wars
Oct. 18th, 2024 01:12 pmIt's now been two weeks since we put up the gate to Megara's room. At the time, we said that we thought the 51" barrier was likely to keep the orangies out, because they're big boys and that would be quite a leap for them. We were less sure if it would keep Megara in, though. Much like our beloved Lucy cat of years past, she is so small that she seems to be lighter than air.
(Spoiler: It did not.)
We put the gate up two weeks ago on Saturday. Megara made her first escape that Monday or Tuesday night.
I'd heard mass scrabbling at the gate, which had been going on occasionally since we put it up. But when I looked over the bannister to the downstairs, I could tell that Megara was using the cat gate to climb. I rushed downstairs, and as I got down there I found her having leapt upward, with her paws on the top of the gate, trying to pull herself over. I didn't want to startle her, and in that moment of hesitation, she was over.
Kimberly was already asleep, so we then had five minutes or so of Keystone Cops, when I non-threateningly chased Megara around the house and tried to shoo her back into her room. At one point she was running around the upstairs, and Mango looked on with some interest, but did not hiss or attack.
Obviously, I eventually got her back into the room. By the next morning I'd found a piece of cardboard that I thought would block all of the gate top around the cat gate and Kimberly put it up using cable ties.
That served for almost two weeks, but Megara has been growing increasingly aggressive about getting out. It probably hit a peak last night because we'd had a carpenter in during the day (more on that in another post) and the orangies were very spooked and so we didn't do our regular nighttime churu routine. We heard much scrabbling in the evening, but I've given up running to look at the gate every time that happens.
So yesterday evening, Kimberly and I were sitting around upstairs in the living room, and I thought I heard a mew. Then suddenly Mango jumped on the coffee table and started looking around very alertly. I said, "Is there a little cat up here?"
(Spoiler: There was.)
We let Megara run around a bit. Mango again watched on with interest and not necessarily fear or anger. At one point, he did suddenly leap down and chase her, and I don't know what to make of that entirely, but we're hoping it was just cat-instinct because there was a little thing running around. He didn't keep chasing once she went under the couch, nor was there hissing or growling.
Eventually I decided that Megara needed to be herded back into her room, as it had already been late when she escaped. I fruitlessly tried to shoo her out from under the couch for a while, and eventually went downstairs and summoned her by banging the cat dancer against a wall. As is usually the case, she came running.
This morning Kimberly went downstairs with another piece of cardboard, since we theorized that Megara must have gotten over the part of the gate not above the cat gate. I figured she must have made a sideways leap from atop the cate gate, but nope, Kimberly saw her make another escape attempt first thing this morning, and it was a sitting high jump from the floor under the non-shielded part of the gate. So now the entire gate has another 6" or so of cardboard along the top. Classy!
Meanwhile, the cat integration, or at least the stress-reduction, is continuing. Every night since the gate went up (minus two nights for various reasons) we've done churu feeding by the gate: Megara inside, Mango and (usually) Elmer outside. We are slowly bringing the cats closer day by day, as long as they don't show stress. I think we've got maybe two feet (and one gate) between them at this point.
And I think the gate has made Megara's presence and smell much more obvious in the house, helping Mango to slowly mellow.
So, fingers crossed that this is working, for the moment that Mango and Megara end up in the same room, on the floor, together.
(And meanwhile, Mango was again terrorized by the outside cat at 5.30 am this morning, leading to yowling and threats against his brother. Sigh. I don't think that's helping the integration with the alien cat *inside* the house, though I think he's figured out they're separate creatures at this point.)
(Spoiler: It did not.)
We put the gate up two weeks ago on Saturday. Megara made her first escape that Monday or Tuesday night.
I'd heard mass scrabbling at the gate, which had been going on occasionally since we put it up. But when I looked over the bannister to the downstairs, I could tell that Megara was using the cat gate to climb. I rushed downstairs, and as I got down there I found her having leapt upward, with her paws on the top of the gate, trying to pull herself over. I didn't want to startle her, and in that moment of hesitation, she was over.
Kimberly was already asleep, so we then had five minutes or so of Keystone Cops, when I non-threateningly chased Megara around the house and tried to shoo her back into her room. At one point she was running around the upstairs, and Mango looked on with some interest, but did not hiss or attack.
Obviously, I eventually got her back into the room. By the next morning I'd found a piece of cardboard that I thought would block all of the gate top around the cat gate and Kimberly put it up using cable ties.
That served for almost two weeks, but Megara has been growing increasingly aggressive about getting out. It probably hit a peak last night because we'd had a carpenter in during the day (more on that in another post) and the orangies were very spooked and so we didn't do our regular nighttime churu routine. We heard much scrabbling in the evening, but I've given up running to look at the gate every time that happens.
So yesterday evening, Kimberly and I were sitting around upstairs in the living room, and I thought I heard a mew. Then suddenly Mango jumped on the coffee table and started looking around very alertly. I said, "Is there a little cat up here?"
(Spoiler: There was.)
We let Megara run around a bit. Mango again watched on with interest and not necessarily fear or anger. At one point, he did suddenly leap down and chase her, and I don't know what to make of that entirely, but we're hoping it was just cat-instinct because there was a little thing running around. He didn't keep chasing once she went under the couch, nor was there hissing or growling.
Eventually I decided that Megara needed to be herded back into her room, as it had already been late when she escaped. I fruitlessly tried to shoo her out from under the couch for a while, and eventually went downstairs and summoned her by banging the cat dancer against a wall. As is usually the case, she came running.
This morning Kimberly went downstairs with another piece of cardboard, since we theorized that Megara must have gotten over the part of the gate not above the cat gate. I figured she must have made a sideways leap from atop the cate gate, but nope, Kimberly saw her make another escape attempt first thing this morning, and it was a sitting high jump from the floor under the non-shielded part of the gate. So now the entire gate has another 6" or so of cardboard along the top. Classy!
Meanwhile, the cat integration, or at least the stress-reduction, is continuing. Every night since the gate went up (minus two nights for various reasons) we've done churu feeding by the gate: Megara inside, Mango and (usually) Elmer outside. We are slowly bringing the cats closer day by day, as long as they don't show stress. I think we've got maybe two feet (and one gate) between them at this point.
And I think the gate has made Megara's presence and smell much more obvious in the house, helping Mango to slowly mellow.
So, fingers crossed that this is working, for the moment that Mango and Megara end up in the same room, on the floor, together.
(And meanwhile, Mango was again terrorized by the outside cat at 5.30 am this morning, leading to yowling and threats against his brother. Sigh. I don't think that's helping the integration with the alien cat *inside* the house, though I think he's figured out they're separate creatures at this point.)