Our cat, Laya, hasn't yet become completely comfortable with the boys.  Four years ago when we brought Gavin home from the hospital, her life changed in every respect. Her peaceful, lazy existence made a giant shift. I remember the look on her face the first time she approached our new baby and gave him a couple sniffs - it was pure disdain. She hid under the bed for awhile, as if the baby would throw off his swaddling blanket and get her. It took awhile, but when Gavin grew and became mobile he did go after her quite a bit.

I remember that we were worried Laya might hate us and run away when we brought a baby into our family. She was definitely perturbed, but we made sure she got plenty of love too. She still grovels for attention when the boys aren't around, meowing and purring as if to say "I'm still the baby, right?" Before we had kids she was the pampered little baby of the house. After all, she owns us, we don't own her. It is our privilege to feed her and clean her royal litter box.

I believe she must have been abused by kids when she was a kitten. We found her at the Petsmart cat adoption center. She had been picked up as a stray by the humane society. When we first saw her, she was in her own little cage, lying on her back, pleading with us to let her out. She was a little diamond in the rough, a very rare orange female! We didn't even notice until we got her home that she's got a kink in her tail that may have been caused by abuse. Were not sure why she has such a dislike for kids, but I can assume its because she's had some bad times with them. Because of this we are extra sure the boys never get rough with her.

Now, I think she realizes that these kids aren't going to injure her, and she can let her guard down a little bit. Every now and then they may "aggressively pet" her, and she simply gives them a flurry of swats with the front paw. They might even get a little nibble on the hand if they don't get the point right away. While we actively keep watch over how careful the boys are not to cause Laya any harm, we've given her the right to self defense by any means. She's basically a 9 pound orange cottonball. Her clawless front paws are about as lethal as a feather duster.

She actually loves it when they're out playing in the back yard. She stalks them from the sidelines, like a lion in the African savanna. When they unwittingly come into range, she attacks swiftly and forcefully, swatting feet and nipping at their heels. The kids love it when she ambushes them like that! She then disappears under the juniper, leaving the boys running in circles, laughing and screaming. It's like a game of cat and mouse, and the mice are two wild eyed toddlers. She acts just like a kitten again. She's happy to have some siblings to romp around with!

All in all, life hasn't been so bad for the cat. I'm sure she didn't think she could, but she's weathering the storm of little boys that has moved in. She's adjusting just fine. Having her in our family has been a blessing. She provides the boys with some exciting back yard chases and lessons in respect for animals. She has been pretty tolerant so far. Hopefully the third boy won't cause her too much more anxiety!