Combining Average Jane’s Cats

Ever since Trillian completely failed to integrate with our downstairs cats, I've had two distinct sets of pets in the house. Xena and Velvet live downstairs and Trillian and Dr. Jones live in the recording studio/my office.

For some time, we've been letting Trillian and Dr. Jones have field trips downstairs each day and they LOVE going down there. The wrangling with the older cats has all but disappeared, they're all eating the same food, and we're starting to think about whether it's time to move the studio cats downstairs permanently.

Pros:

• No more cat box in my office. Seriously, Dr. Jones is the stinkiest boy in the world.
• No more cat box odor wafting into the recording studio. Not a big selling point, that.
• Jones and Trillian won't spend so much time hanging around the studio door begging to be let downstairs. (I do have Jones trained in that regard, though. I used to say "No!" and push him over with my foot when I was leaving the studio. Now all I have to do is say, "No!" and he flops over on his side.)
• Everyone on the same feeding schedule.

Cons:

• Dr. Jones is like a feline woodchipper. He chews up paper in particular, though he's become fond of jumping up on the kitchen counter, grabbing my dish scrubbers, and mauling them to pieces. I also have to keep my knitted hat away from him.
• Both Trillian and Dr. Jones are likely to dart out the front door when they get the opportunity. It would take some training to make sure they're safe. I'd probably also have to get Jones microchipped, just in case.
• Because Dr. Jones grew up in the studio, he has no manners about things like getting on the counter. I don't know that even a squirt gun would be enough of a deterrent.
• The upstairs cats have a cat tree, beds, toys, etc. I'm not entirely sure where I'd put all that stuff in the main part of the house

We haven't made a final decision yet, but we're getting closer. In the meantime, Jones is snoozing in his bed on top of the hutch of my desk, Trillian is cuddled up on a bass drum bag, and the downstairs cats are going about their morning routine.

Someday soon, they might all get a big surprise.