Schenectady Synecdoche

To wit, there has not been a single cat fight. Not yet, anyhow. From prior experience we expected all the cats to be yowling around the house, not purring, not wanting to be petted, getting into all kinds of fur-flying confrontations.

Nyet. The house has been debalkanized since yesterday afternoon, and all is well. We did shut Fred in his apartment overnight, so that we wouldn't be awakened to cat fights. We may have been unduly concerned. There have been no close encounters of any kind, friendly or otherwise. Some meowing at each other from across the room; one or two growls and hisses; and that's it.

Factors?

1. Feliway. That kitty prozac is circulating through the household air, chillin all those of the feline persuasion.
   
2. Prior acquaintence. These cats have been checkin each other out through the windows for several months now.
   
3. Fred is not an aggressive cat, is not interested in strutting around the house and taking over.
   
4. The clincher, we think: Fred is a boy, the others are girls. He's the first adult male we've ever integrated into the household, and the dynamics are remarkably different. Our previous two males came in as kittens.
   

Whatever. Nous sommes amazed.