The Cat Now Known As Bessie let it clearly be known early yesterday that she was ready to come out of isolation and become a member of our feline household.

Our two earlier adoptees, both from the same cat colony near the top of Aiea Heights, took much longer to get accustomed to their new digs.

Kali was the first, arriving here in late September 2020. She spent her first week hiding under the futon in our spare room, where she was safely separated from Romeo. She came out under cover of darkness to explore the room and look out the windows, and the kitty cam video assured me she was fine. And she let me pull her out from her hiding place to receive a few proper pets each day, but otherwise she was nowhere to be seen. And it was nearly five weeks before she had free roam of the house, although even then she and Romeo were still wary of each other.

Kinikini also hid for much of the first week, but he was much quicker to greet me when I would go into his room. Even so, it wasn’t until Week #3 that we started leaving the door to his room open during the day, and left him alone with Kali and Romeo when we went out shopping or to have lunch.

What is remarkable is that The Cat Now Known as Bessie was short of the 72-hour mark when she started crying and fussing at the closed door, wanting to come out into the rest of the house. She had already been out a couple of times on Friday to explore the whole house while Kali and Kini were closed in our bedroom. She and Romeo met with no issues. He seemed interested in her, and stood up to watch her make the rounds.

But on Saturday morning, Bessie cried when shut in the room by herself. So, not knowing what else to do, we opened the door. She was right there as the portal opened. She didn’t coming running out, but she walked out quite deliberately. Within a few minutes, she had touched noses with Romeo (not the first time, as they had met on Day 2), but the nose-to-nose with Kinikini was a first. His side was accompanied by a tiny hiss, perhaps letting her know that the nose thing was fine, but she had better not try to jump on him. Of course, she didn’t, and instead continued around the house. The initial meeting with Kali was only slightly rockier. Kali was not ready for the nose-to-nose. When the distance between them dropped to about a foot, Kali let out a medium hiss and moved to the side to let Bessie pass by at a safer distance.

And that was it. No fireworks, no growling, no fur flying. And after less than 72 hours!

We even left the house for a couple of hours to have lunch, and left them to do their thing. By that time, Bessie had crawled under our bed and found a comfortable and secure spot to have a long nap. She wasn’t bothered under there, although Kini and Kali each walked past periodically to check if the intruder was still there. They didn’t seem aggressive, just a little wary and very curious.

By today–nearing the end of the first 96 hours–Bessie has become a cat of the house. She still has to develop her relationships with the other cats, but that will just take a little time. She is, by all indications, a very socially skilled cat.

I do have to admit that we were steeled for another long transition period, so this quick process has been a huge relief!

Photo: Bessie found a safe spot under our bed for a nap on Saturday, and returned there again this morning, although she’s free to roam the house.