Well, we tried. You’ll remember that we’d been forced to remove Arlo from the FIV+ suite and begin medicating him, following his ceaseless persecution of the most timid of his suite-mates, Lucky. Arlo was at what we believed to be the appropriate dose of Prozac, and he’d been very mellow lately, so we put him back into his suite to see what would happen. Good thing we had people watching, because he went after Lucky within five minutes! He has once again been removed from the FIV+ suite and spends his days in an adoption room with suite-mate Jasper, with whom he gets along nicely (see photo). We’re now weaning Arlo off Prozac and will try him on a stress-reducing medication called Clomipramine in the hope that he can eventually go back to his suite.

Meantime, Arlo has discovered that his adoption room contains a cushioned basket, and he loves it. It’s just barely big enough for him (the perfect size for a cat), and he spends much of his time there, occasionally resting his chin on the edge of the basket in a very cute fashion. He likes to be petted while in his basket, and he’ll often lick your hands while you pet him. We’ve noticed, too, that Jasper has picked up one of Arlo’s good habits. Arlo has always been a cat who would come at least partway onto your lap when you sat near him. For as long as Jasper had been at Tabby’s Place, he’d been a ’floor’ cat. He’d cruise back and forth near you on the floor, anxious for attention, but he wouldn’t come onto your lap. Now, if you sit on the couch in the adoption room, he’ll jump onto the floor and look for attention, but after a minute or so he’ll jump back onto the couch. There, he’ll usually climb on you briefly before cuddling up right next to you, often resting his head on your leg in a decidedly trusting manner.

We continue to remain hopeful regarding Arlo’s chances for adoption; he really is a sweet cat around people, and of course, he’s absolutely beautiful. Meantime, thanks for your generosity in helping us take good care of our boy.