• during daylight hours, or if I am in the living areas: she hides under the couch. Occasionally sits in a corner that lets her see more of the living area. Only occasionally comes out during the day to nibble on food, immediately returns to hide.
• in the night when I am asleep: she does regular cat things! Eats all her wet food, uses her litter box, scratches cardboard pads, prowls around, 'hunts' the tiny toy mice, bats her toy balls around, grooms herself thoroughly, flops around on the couch, naps on the welcome mat, crawls into her toy caves. 
• she is a very good girl: has not scratched anything but her scratchers, uses the litter box very neatly and covers her business and doesn't kick up litter, doesn't climb or get into things, leaves my plant alone. And when she ate too much dry food too fast, she even was sweet enough to not barf onto my nice rug, but onto the hardwood. 
• She almost plays with a wand toys; as in, she watches it closely as I waved it around, but perhaps hasn't figured out it's fun to bat at it, and only pounces rarely, and surprises herself.
• She has not yet eaten a treat I've tried to give her willingly; the closest I've gotten is wiping Churu on her mouth that she licks up. She'll eat treats I drop by her once I leave the room.
• Mimi still looks alarmed if I or anything I'm holding get too close to her. She has allowed gentle rubbing of her head, and I can tell she's much less tense around me vs. when strangers are in the house.
• She sometimes returns my slow "i love u" blinks. She naps on shirts I leave for her, and on top of the puzzles I'm working on.

THE MIMI DIARIES, SUMMER 2024: 

• July 30th, 2024: attached a ruler to a wand toy and put lots of tuna Churu on the end, tried holding it out to Mimi under the couch. She avoided it and ate none. Tried leaving it, moving it closer and farther, she still seems too spooped by me. 
• July 31st, 2024: M\When I got home from work, my extendable back scratcher had arrived--I tried gently 'petting' Mimi with it. She recoiled a bit from it but did tolerate some of it--did she like it? Was she tolerating it in patience or freezing in fear? Unclear. I also dropped a chicken treat and I think she ate it when I walked away? It was unclear. For those in the guessing pool: I consider "letting me touch/pet her" = with my hand , and "taking a treat" = taking it from my hand and eating it. So we're warming up slowly! Still may acknowledge the closest guessers to these initial pre-milestones.
• August 5th, 2024: Mimi's maintained her same pattern this weekend. I covered up a troublesome 'under' she seemed to be liking, but hopefully she likes the new hidey spots I've made for her from various boxes, paper bags, and tee shirts. Confirmed: she knows how the treat ball works, and she IS eating treats I drop in front of her loudly and obviously, but just when I'm out of sight! Progress!!!! She trusts me enough to eat the treats, but not yet enough to let me watch her eat them, hahaha. I also think she, for the first time, tried to play with the little piñata llama at the end of a wand toy I got her. She seems to be getting a little bored at night, and I am betting she'll enjoy one of those self-propelled ball toys, if they don't scare her too much. Also: I moved the pet camera, so get ready for new angles!
• August 6th, 2024: CAUGHT ON CAMERA overnight: Mimi did try to play with piñata overnight! And I found evidence she's been caring for her own nails, which is great since I can't trim her talons until she lets me touch her. 
• August 8th, 2024: I accidentally left my coat closet door cracked overnight, and come morning, I realized Mimi was hiding in there! She wedged herself under my dining room table's middle section, and given some of the cleaning supplies and crowdedness, I couldn't let her stay. I stayed to the side and slowly removed items, careful not to jostle her, until she finally stopped trying to hide in there and SPRINTED back to the under-couch area, hahaha. I'll have to be more careful to make sure she doesn't hide in problem spots! She didn't seem too mad at me later and the next day.
• August 12th, 2024: Mimi felt more relaxed to me this weekend--I moved the cat tree she's barely used to be next to the couch, and the extra 'cover' seems to make her happy to sit in her visible little corner. Her body language has been less tense. MINI MIMI MILESTONE: while I was at work, she left the under-couch to eat a little lunch in the middle of the day! Not just when it's dark out and I'm not in the room!!!
• August 13th, 2024: Mimi popped out THREE!!! times during the day for a little nibble! And only dashed back under the couch in panic once, I think!
• August 16th, 2024: MIMI MILESTONE ALERT: she semi-pounced on piñata when I was waving it under the couch near her!!! She watches it closely! The 16th falls between guesses, so we'll split the difference: congrats to Shy, Sebastian, and Brent for guessing the closest to when Mimi would play with a toy I'm controlling! (Has she repeated this since? Only once, lol.)
• August 21st, 2024: I've been working from home, and Mimi seems more relaxed to me. She'll come sit in the corner where she can see me often, and her body language reads more easygoing. She's tolerating (maybe liking?) the scratches with the long backscratcher on her neck and cheek. I can't quite reach her with my hands given the configuration of my furniture, so I'm going to try shifting it a bit to try and make some progress on touching and petting Mimi. EDIT: got just enough room to reach her back, but she hissed when I stroked her there. That's ok--it's a very sensitive part on lots of cats, and I should probably work to pet her side or cheek first. She's still liking the backscratcher, especially if she'll loudly hiss at what she doesn't like!
• August 27th, 2024: I returned from a trip to DC to see a concert, and I think Mimi could smell the other cats on me, she was a little on edge. But... MIMI MILESTONE ALERT: I was able to reach her head with the edge of my fingers, and Mimi let me pet her head and ear for a little bit!!!!!!!! She has officially let me touch her! Congrats to Lieke for the closest guess!
• August 30th 2024: MIMI MILESTONE ALERT: Mimi let me repeat the ear pets again, and this time with a pause in between, so we can officially say she's letting me pet her!!!! Congrats to Sebastian for guessing right on!
• September 7/8th 2024: MIMI MILESTONE ALERT: I've been dropping treats in front of Mimi (still behind the couch) after giving her little head pets, and she's started eating them in front of me!!! That's officially taking a treat! Congrats to Ulli for the closest guess!
• September 11/12th 2024: MIMI MILESTONE ALERT: she's begun pouncing properly on the piñata toy and biting it! And trying to pull it away to eat it! But then she acts all embarrassed and like she needs to be serious again, very cute.

THE MIMI DIARIES, FALL 2024:

• September 24th 2024: Mimi had her very first vet appointment! (To get her a full checkup and get her insured.) Getting her into the carrier was a little bit of a misadventure, lol. I blocked off a lot of the under couch and put the carrier as the only "out" to try and nudge her into it. She was not very nudgeable and I was avoiding grabbing her as much as I could. But when I went to put on gloves to purrito her, she'd gone to hide in the carrier! All my treats I'd left worked! But then I laughed and praised her and she ran out again, hahaha. When I tried to repeat this, she dashed away towards her next-favorite hidey spot, which was a box with a tee shirt I'd left her. Then I could tip her into the carrier easily. Poor girl! The vet lobby was stressful with some rowdy dogs, but she was so well behaved at the vet, no biting or scratching or fighting! I finally got to pet her head to tail as the vet tech held her down, and she's SO soft! (And hairy, hahaha.) She got a clear bill of health and trimmed nails, and we were back home within the hour. It took her a few days to forgive me, but she seems back to normal by the 27th.