Meeting the brood

Jasper has finally shown an interest in coming out of seclusion, and exploring the rest of the house. I wait until everyone is fed, and until the brood are a little sleepy, then open the door and let him go in and out at will. He's getting braver and braver with each excursion, and they're treating him very gently. They watch him closely, but allow him to wander about and quietly explore with no interference.

Sometimes, they turn the tables, and everyone will come into his room to explore, while he hangs out in his usual spot under the bed and watches. Everyone is well behaved during these times (even Mina!) and while they explore every other inch of the room, they respect his space under the bed and give it a wide berth. 

There was a small incident yesterday where I hadn't realized he had come out and moved from one room to another, scaring the piss out of him in the process. He went barrelling down the hall to go back to his safe space. Kitty came running into the kitchen where I was, trying to determine what had happened, encountered Gypsy who had also run over from a different direction, and immediately assumed she was the cause. Thankfully I was right there to prevent it escalating into an actual fight, but tempers ran hot for several hours after that.

While it was a stressful experience for all involved, and it took some extraordinary efforts on my part to get everybody to unwind after the fact, it does give me hope oddly. It means that while Kitty may not precisely like Jasper, he has at least accepted him as part of the brood and is protective of him. This, of course, will bring it's own brand of issues that need to be untangled, but given his history of aggression with other males, this is a much more manageable outcome. 

Jasper, otoh, thinks Kitty is the coolest thing since sliced bread and follows him around like a little puppy. He got a few warning hisses from Kitty for being too close when he first started doing this, but now maintains a respectful distance. He also adores Mina, and on the few occasions that she will hold still long enough, I have watched him tentatively begin to groom her. Gypsy alternates between being wary of him and being indifferent. But given that she is naturally aloof with other cats, this is to be expected.