Quick update – they had a couple more scuffles so I put them in the laundry cart that I used for stress bonding early on. I wheeled them around in that for a while then let them sit in it for a bit longer (about 10 minutes total), then put them into their x-pen and closed it up. Sebastian groomed JoJo and then went to a different corner of the pen for a rest, while JoJo stayed where he was and had a nap.

I’ve asked my mom to come and stay here tonight to keep an eye on them.

Do you think I should just keep them locked in their x-pen at least overnight?

Sorry, I should have clarified (was a bit panicky). They’ve been living together continuously (24/7) for the last month (before that we had several weeks of day-long bonding sessions before moving them together permanently a month ago). This was the first night that we’ve been away from them overnight. They’ve been fine for the last month – not even a little scuffle.

Since I put them in their pen a couple of hours ago, they’ve just been sitting separately. At one point, they chased each other around but then settled down at opposite sides.

I think what happened is that I gave them too much space, too soon. They had been in the living room during their bonding, first in their x-pen, then out in the living room, and that’s where I did their marathon bond.

A little over a week ago, I moved their x-pen into our kitchen (which adjoins the living room). It had been Sebastian’s territory but he hadn’t been in there for over a month and I had fully scrubbed/vinegared it and rearranged the furniture. That went fine – they lived in there together for the last week.

But I think the mistake I made was that I was letting them still have the run of the living room, and Sebastian was spending a lot of time up on the window ledge behind the couch. JoJo’s much more cautious and so had only just started getting up on the couch in the last day or so. So when I went away overnight, I left the living room door open, thinking it would be good for them to have a bit of space…but I think that that’s also when JoJo got up the confidence to get up onto the window sill. There was a tuft of his fur up there, which wouldn’t have gotten there otherwise. I think that Sebastian decided to be territorial about it and that led to the fight.

Anyway, when I got home yesterday, I did the stress bonding session in the laundry cart and then locked them up in their x-pen. Sebastian groomed JoJo and then they spent the rest of the day sulking at separate ends of the pen.

My mom came and spent the night on the couch (my mom is amazing) to make sure they’d be okay. They were fine all night – no more fights or even scuffles. She let them out into the kitchen this morning after breakfast and they’ve been fine so far. They’ve started snuggling again and grooming.

I got home around 11:30 and they’re just hanging out, resting beside each other in the pen now.

I’m going to just leave them in the kitchen now for the next few weeks to make sure their bond is truly cemented. Luckily I’m off work for the next 4 days so I can keep an eye on them.