Dot's principal territory is still the kitchen, but little by little,
she been gaining more confidence with Buster.

Buster's territory (according to him) is the living room.  The problem
there is that that's the nexus of the first floor, so as long as Dot
doesn't venture there, no matter where her territory is she's trapped.

The past few weeks though, I've been luring her out of the kitchen
with food.  I feed the two twice a day when administering the
anti-anxiety medication buspirone to Dot.  I prepare their food
dishes, then I lead them on a little parade all around the house
before I put down the dishes next to each other at a random location
and supervise as they chow down next to each other.

Other activities I do with them to get them together peacefully
outside the kitchen is play - I use Buster's favorite wand in one
hand, and Dot's favorite wand in the other, playing with them
simultaneously but together.  Also, I'll sometimes take a pillow and
nap on the floor just outside the kitchen, so that Dot can see me at
her level, and come cuddle and purr with me.

Finally, in the past couple of days, Dot's started to follow me out of
the kitchen on her own.  I've been noticing that Buster takes
exception to this, and will chase her back to the kitchen.  But Dot's
become defiant.  She'll encroach on Buster's territory again and again
in order to explore and look for daddy.  This is really good progress
for her.

In places outside Buster's regular territory, like the kitchen and
den, Buster is more subdued, and Dot stands her ground more.  Buster
never attacks Dot, but Dot's not shy about slapping Buster around when
he's overstepped his bounds.  Once, Buster was walking between Dot and
the kitchen wall, and Dot smacked him in the face, making his head hit
the wall with a *thwack*.  Buster trotted away, looking chastened.

There are some nice moments of peace too.  One time, Dot was so happy
to see me that when the two gathered at my legs, Dot started washing
Buster's face.  Today, the two were sitting shoulder to shoulder
watching squirrels and birds in the yard, their heads swiveling in
tandem.  And I always get the feeling that Buster is actually fond of
Dot.  If Buster sneaks up to Dot, and Dot stands her ground, he'll
sometimes put his head on his paws, curl up, and take a quick catnap
next to her.  Of course, if she runs, there's a chase. :)

Every day, there's a tiny bit more progress, and sometimes it feels as
though we could be a real family someday.