Kitten
Last night I went to the local animal shelter looking for kittens. I was thinking of getting a kitten, or two, to keep me company in my way too big house.
There were several cats in the less than one year old range, as well as a couple of dozen older cats. I wasn't specifically looking for a kitten, I would have gotten a older cat if it had been appropriately friendly. None of the older cats were super friendly, though some might have been better under different circumstances. There was a calico female kitten, maybe six months old, that was a recent stray pickup. She was very friendly as well as a bit of a talker. There was also a six month old female tuxedo kitten that had been surrendered a couple of months ago because of a move. She was reasonably friendly and a little bit more mellow than the calico.
I was able to take them, one at a time, out of their cage and to a private room to interact with them. The calico was friendly, though really interested in checking out the room more than me. The tuxedo was rather shy when taken to the room and reasonably content to be held or sit on my lap. After a few minutes of that she decided that she wanted to check out the room.
It wasn't clear if the two of them would get along with each other, and holding the calico up to the tuxedo's cage had the tuxedo taking a swipe at the calico and the calico hissing back. However, that exchange took maybe 10 seconds to happen, so there was hope that the two could become friends.
I decided that I should start with just one kitten though. Part of my thinking was that with two, they keep each other company, but I wanted one to keep me company, and two will be more work than just one. Since I've not owned a pet while on my own, I thought I should keep it simple to begin with. I had to make a snap decision as to which one to choose, and I went with the tuxedo. I picked her because she seemed a little more mellow, and had been there for a couple of months. I guess I was feeling a little bit sorry for her, but not too sorry. I think her personality will fit well with mine.
I bought all the stuff I'd need, hopefully, and headed on home with her. She was completely silent in the car carrier, which while nice, was unexpected. When I got her home, I opened the top of the cardboard carrier and expected her to jump right out, but instead she was laying calming at the bottom. She poked her head up and looked around and I went back to the garage to get the stuff. I made two trips to the garage, and each time I came back, she was still in the carrier, ducking back down each time I came into the room.
I pulled her out of the carrier, and in a not so unexpected move, she made a beeline to the couch and hid there for a few minutes. As I unpacked the various items and set up the litter box and food she would make slow slinky dashes from one piece of furniture to the next. I dropped her in the litter box and she scratched for a few seconds then hopped out. I dropped her in front of the food bowl and she sniffed the water and food.
I then started to go about my business of getting my cable modem working again, and she wanted to be there with me as I played with the cables behind the TV. That's a good sign. Right up until she jumps on the PowerBook, and then it's annoying. While I was on the phone with Comcast going through the on-line registration process, which was the source of why I had no internet, she started to climb the window screen in the living room. I couldn't yell at her while on the phone, and I thought I would cut her a little slack anyway. Towards the end of the phone conversation it got difficult to complete the registration process though because she wanted to sit on the keyboard. I guess that makes her a perfectly normal cat.
When I went upstairs to go to bed, she was hesitant to follow, but eventually worked her way upstairs and realized that there was a whole bunch more to explore (though I had closed off the other three bedrooms and bathroom). I could hear her jumping into and out of the big soaking tub in the master bathroom. She eventually settled down, joined me on the bed and we both got comfortable.
So far, she's the best cat I've ever slept with. She slept by my side, by my hip, most of the night. She didn't try to sleep on my face, or on my back or feet, so I was actually able to get a good night's sleep. I think some time in the middle of the night she decided to sleep under the bed. She came up to snuggle when I woke up in the morning.
We played with her favorite toy, a thin metal wire with some small round cardboard tubes on the end, for a few minutes in the morning, and then I had to leave for work. She seems rather energetic and was running around as I headed downstairs. She might be a little bit skittish, or she might just be playing and running away.
I hope that she'll be happy and won't get into too much trouble today while I'm at work. I also hope she uses the litter box. She came over to investigate why I was combing through the litter box, so she knows where it is, and I'm pretty sure at six months old she knows what to do with it. I guess I'll know when I get home.
I have to schedule her spaying soon, and take her in for an initial check-up too. The responsibilities begin...
There were several cats in the less than one year old range, as well as a couple of dozen older cats. I wasn't specifically looking for a kitten, I would have gotten a older cat if it had been appropriately friendly. None of the older cats were super friendly, though some might have been better under different circumstances. There was a calico female kitten, maybe six months old, that was a recent stray pickup. She was very friendly as well as a bit of a talker. There was also a six month old female tuxedo kitten that had been surrendered a couple of months ago because of a move. She was reasonably friendly and a little bit more mellow than the calico.
I was able to take them, one at a time, out of their cage and to a private room to interact with them. The calico was friendly, though really interested in checking out the room more than me. The tuxedo was rather shy when taken to the room and reasonably content to be held or sit on my lap. After a few minutes of that she decided that she wanted to check out the room.
It wasn't clear if the two of them would get along with each other, and holding the calico up to the tuxedo's cage had the tuxedo taking a swipe at the calico and the calico hissing back. However, that exchange took maybe 10 seconds to happen, so there was hope that the two could become friends.
I decided that I should start with just one kitten though. Part of my thinking was that with two, they keep each other company, but I wanted one to keep me company, and two will be more work than just one. Since I've not owned a pet while on my own, I thought I should keep it simple to begin with. I had to make a snap decision as to which one to choose, and I went with the tuxedo. I picked her because she seemed a little more mellow, and had been there for a couple of months. I guess I was feeling a little bit sorry for her, but not too sorry. I think her personality will fit well with mine.
I bought all the stuff I'd need, hopefully, and headed on home with her. She was completely silent in the car carrier, which while nice, was unexpected. When I got her home, I opened the top of the cardboard carrier and expected her to jump right out, but instead she was laying calming at the bottom. She poked her head up and looked around and I went back to the garage to get the stuff. I made two trips to the garage, and each time I came back, she was still in the carrier, ducking back down each time I came into the room.
I pulled her out of the carrier, and in a not so unexpected move, she made a beeline to the couch and hid there for a few minutes. As I unpacked the various items and set up the litter box and food she would make slow slinky dashes from one piece of furniture to the next. I dropped her in the litter box and she scratched for a few seconds then hopped out. I dropped her in front of the food bowl and she sniffed the water and food.
I then started to go about my business of getting my cable modem working again, and she wanted to be there with me as I played with the cables behind the TV. That's a good sign. Right up until she jumps on the PowerBook, and then it's annoying. While I was on the phone with Comcast going through the on-line registration process, which was the source of why I had no internet, she started to climb the window screen in the living room. I couldn't yell at her while on the phone, and I thought I would cut her a little slack anyway. Towards the end of the phone conversation it got difficult to complete the registration process though because she wanted to sit on the keyboard. I guess that makes her a perfectly normal cat.
When I went upstairs to go to bed, she was hesitant to follow, but eventually worked her way upstairs and realized that there was a whole bunch more to explore (though I had closed off the other three bedrooms and bathroom). I could hear her jumping into and out of the big soaking tub in the master bathroom. She eventually settled down, joined me on the bed and we both got comfortable.
So far, she's the best cat I've ever slept with. She slept by my side, by my hip, most of the night. She didn't try to sleep on my face, or on my back or feet, so I was actually able to get a good night's sleep. I think some time in the middle of the night she decided to sleep under the bed. She came up to snuggle when I woke up in the morning.
We played with her favorite toy, a thin metal wire with some small round cardboard tubes on the end, for a few minutes in the morning, and then I had to leave for work. She seems rather energetic and was running around as I headed downstairs. She might be a little bit skittish, or she might just be playing and running away.
I hope that she'll be happy and won't get into too much trouble today while I'm at work. I also hope she uses the litter box. She came over to investigate why I was combing through the litter box, so she knows where it is, and I'm pretty sure at six months old she knows what to do with it. I guess I'll know when I get home.
I have to schedule her spaying soon, and take her in for an initial check-up too. The responsibilities begin...
posted by Mark at 10:12 AM
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