Purrposeful Stairwell Defender 5000

Max has gotten bolder. She now patrols the bottom of the stairs. If Roxy puts her nose through she gives it a bat.

That might be a deterrent if she had claws. Roxy takes the hit as an opportunity to smell Max's paw. She probably likes the attention, too. Max acts tough and meows and hisses and nothing really changes one way or the other. 

Shane enjoys the show. He likes to break through the barricade which causes Max to hop up a few steps. My son will then try to grab the cat and either throw or drag her down the stairs. He's only managed a throw once, because I've been savvy to it since. Go figure that a little boy has plenty of ideas and little in the way of impulse control! Luckily, Max didn't go more than a couple of steps and Shane didn't get punctured by her back claws.

Overall, the batting and guarding the stairs is a good sign. Max used to hide upstairs and out of sight as long as Roxy was home. She's at least discovered she can move about more freely. She will foray onto the main floor some now, as well. If Roxy goes outside, she will run around freely, but with one eye on the door. If Roxy's in the house, the journey are shortened and much more cautious. She usually moves until she and the dog can lock eyes for a bit and then scoots back to her Maginot Line. 

Roxy, for the most part, goes into high alert when Max sallies forth, but doesn't charge or chase. She displays more curiosity than desire for carnage. She does exude a tense energy, however. If Max bolts Roxy springs to follow and that doesn't help ease the species tension. 

There's some progress towards co-habitation, but it probably won't come about as long as Roxy is bursting with puppy excitability. Maybe it would be funny to install a cat shelf above the couch for Max to walk around on high on...

Nah. That's a lot of work and Shane would find a way to swan dive off of it. He'd probably hit the couch and bounce but why risk it? Maybe when's he a little older and has better aim.