After spending about 26 hours happily and safely locked away in the bathroom, Mal was ready to come out and face the world this afternoon. There were a couple of very tense moments, but Mal spent a good part of the day out in the living room, sitting with me and purring, before finally retreating under the sofa. He's now safely back in the bathroom for the night, but I'm feeling a bit more positive today that this might eventually work out.