Just like our weather, the ice is slowly beginning to melt between Relic and Rupert.

It started a couple of months ago. I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, and I could hear Relic talking downstairs (he’s quite talkative when he gets playful). Rupert was responding – but Rupert’s meows are always whiny, so it was hard to tell if he was upset or not.

A few minutes later, I heard the unmistakable sound of one cat chasing another. I knew Burton wasn’t involved because he was still sleeping on my ankles, putting my feet to sleep. And Peno only plays by herself. It had to be Rupert and Relic – but who was chasing who, and how friendly it was, I couldn’t tell from the bed.

A few weeks after that, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Relic almost always sleeps on the blanket box at the end of our bed at night. He was there, that was no surprise, but in the dark, I could also see a much smaller, lighter shaped curled up beside him. They weren’t snuggling, but they were touching. Ever since then, if I wake up in the middle of the night, there’s a 50/50 chance I’ll find them asleep together on the blanket box. I haven’t caught them doing it in daylight yet (so no photographic proof) but I have seen this…

This happens almost nightly now. Relic frequently comes to sit by me while I watch TV and knit.  Rupert is insanely jealous, so he has to get right in there too. Relic used to get mad, and go sit with Dave… but now he’s sticking around. As long as Rupert doesn’t try to bite his ears (there’s about a 10% chance that will happen). He’ll let Rupert lay down beside him and hang out for a while.

But occasionally, like the other night when I was stretched out under a quilt, Rupert gets there first. He claims his favourite spot between my knees and stretches. But then along comes Relic, who takes up my stomach and chest.

That’s a lot of cats for one lap! But it is nice to see them getting along, at last.