Well, things have been pretty positive for the most part. There was some bitter fighting near the beginning, but they're used to each other now. I can have Tink running around the living room and she no longer spends her free time trying to instigate fights through the bars of Stelio's lower level pen. Tonight's match-up had a few spats, but generally they got along. The "spats" are far less intense than the fighting I've seen before. I no longer need an oven mitt. I can just push them away from each other and they calm down immediately.
The last issue is dominance. Tink is the only one displaying dominant behavior like mounting, and Stelio tolerates that to some degree, but he refuses to groom her. So they spent about thirty minutes tonight in a "groom me" battle, each trying to get their head under the other's, and then being stand-offish and annoyed with each other when neither relented.
The time limit to return her to the shelter is almost up, but I feel like this could work eventually. We've only got two days left, so I'll try to focus on this bonding as much as I can between then and now and hope for the best. The contract with the shelter is that if I return her within thirty days, I get my money back. If I return her within sixty days, I don't get a reimbursement, but I don't face a penalty, either. After sixty days, it's no longer considered a "return." Instead, I have to pay a fee to surrender her and I will be listed as her previous owner.
She really is a sweet gal, and even if they never bond enough to have them share their pen, it won't be as difficult to keep them both as long as they aren't actively trying to harm one another.
