Coaxing Katrina

The snow is melting here in Toronto, as evidenced by this picture out my window:

The situation with Katrina is slowing thawing as well.  Since the kittens left, I have walked into the bedroom to find her out from under the bed.  She will immediately freeze and watch me, waiting to see what I will do.  I speak softly to her but if I move, she makes her way back under the bed - not panicked fast but quickly with purpose.  I have been lifting the bedskirt periodically to talk to her, while lying on the floor beside where she is sitting. Her posture is quite relaxed, she watches me with her big eyes and occasionally slowing blinks.  She doesn't seem to mind me being there, as long as I don't make any sudden moves.

I read on the Internet that I should hang out on the floor of the bedroom and ignore her, not make eye contact, let her come to me.  So last night I watched TV for an hour while sitting on the floor.  After about 45 minutes, I noticed she was half out and half under the bedskirt, with one paw stretched out in front of her, very relaxed but very aware of me.  About 10 minutes later, she started to eat and drink, occasionally stopping to look over to see what I was doing.  I stayed where I was and didn't let her see me looking at her.  After she was fed, she stretched out on the floor between her food dish and where I was sitting.  About 10 minutes later, she made her way into the closet to use the litter box.  When she came out, she stretched out on the floor behind the scratching pad and reclined there, only 3 feet away from me, for several minutes before eventually making her way back under the bed.

This morning, I lay on the bedroom floor in practically the same spot and read a magazine for a while.  She went through the same routine only this time she had to pass much closer to me to get to the litter box.  Again, she moved quickly and was clearly ready to dash if the situation required it but I stayed still and just let her make her way past.  These pictures are from this morning, I kind of like the way the flash makes it look like her eyes are glowing:

Half in and half out

Having something to eat

Moving fast after the litter box visit

Last night was the first time I had seen her standing up. I can't believe how tall she is and how long and lean she is as well.  Perhaps because I have always had longhaired cats, so I didn't see that much detail of their body or legs.  She reminds me of a panther, except her face is much more triangular shaped.  If Katrina was human, she would definitely be a tall, slender super model, she is so beautiful! Minus the eating disorder, of course, as she clearly has a healthy appetite! ;)