When Todd met me, there was one cat; a Snowshoe/Siamese by the name of Jeeves.  Jeeves came into the office after having been dumped outside as an unwanted pet.  After all necessary health care he came home.  I had been toying with the idea of a second Siamese and ended up applying through Siamese rescue.  Just about the point that I was getting the idea that Todd would be a permanent addition to my life, I committed to adopting Niles.  A large seal-point male,  Niles is slow to trust.

So what do you do when merging households, with cats that don't like big dogs, and dogs who chase cats?  Jeeves spent the summer weekends in the summer kitchen or under the garage at the apartment.  Niles lived behind a gate, except at night when he'd rub against your ankles during late night bathroom visits.  And then we moved to the farm. 

For the first several weeks, the cats lived upstairs, and the dogs downstairs.  Finally, Jeeves got curious about what existed at the bottom of the stairwell.   He started coming to visit us at night after all the dogs except for Poppy were kenneled.  Then he started peeking down if some of the dogs were outside.  Now he'll venture down into the livingroom for a few minutes with the dogs in it.  And after months of chasing any cat immediately upon sight, Colt, Winnie, and Diva will actually wait a moment before pursuit.  Puppies think Jeeves is a normal part of the household.

Todd has started working from home.  He receives much feline supervision working upstairs.  Niles stays in the room without initiating contact.  Jeeves is all about cuddling and keeping the chair warm.  Yesterday, Colt joined Todd in the office.  No cat chasing and the cats ventured in.  Peace amongst the two species may someday be obtainable in our household.