Bundle of Joy

We have ourselves a new companion! We pulled the trigger on an adoption from the Animal Rescue League via the Pet Corral on the west side. We turned in the paperwork on Sunday midday, were called with the approval that evening, and then was called by the owner of the Pet Corral that we could pick him up on Monday (even though it was a national holiday). We got him Monday, and bought a ton of cat-related products to go with him (at 20% discount).

This male, neutered tabby is about 10 lbs. He is around 2 years old, seems mostly well-behaved so far, and is an absolute attention whore. He loves sitting on a lap or sitting near to a person so he can be scratched and petted. He loves having his belly rubbed.

He seems so petite and delicate after my 22 lbs cat, Calypso. He has a remarkably similar face, though, which M even commented on. Her words were, “He’s like a gray Caly.”

We’re calling him “Romy” (roam-ee) for now. It is the name he seems to respond to the most of all our choices. However, he had a previous name (the surprising “QQ”) which he also does not respond to at all, so no big deal. We’ll get him to figure it out.

We initially put him only in the basement, to let him get accustomed to us and the new environment. I figured that might last for a few days, but he took to the new place quickly and well. He proved to be litter box trained by consistently using the box and litter we provided, so we let him up into the main house the next day. He continues to use the litter box even though it is downstairs, so that is good. I am still diligently looking in all corners upstairs and around, just in case, though!

He likes his dark purple collar and has no issues wearing it—he obviously has had one before with his previous owners. He doesn’t seem to like the toys we bought, but we’ll keep trying until we find something he likes to play with. Purple, M has decided, is his favorite color; toys, blankets, and such will be in masculine shades of purple. I’m fine with this, it allows her to bond with the pet, and the purple looks good with his gray and white coat.

While the pictures don’t show it, he does do a lot of exploring. He seems fairly active and does like both of us (which was important—we needed a cat that would like M straight away, because she is out of the house more than I am. Plus, who are we kidding, cats just like me!). He is mostly a quiet cat; he meows sometimes, especially at the top of the stairs, and he definitely seems to want to tell us something every now and then, but otherwise he just stays quiet and purrs loudly instead. Since I’m not overly fond of loud or talkative cats, this suits me just fine.

He came home with a bit of an infection in the left eye, which we are treating with some cream and is already clearing up nicely. Boy, does he hate the medication time! He is otherwise, according to the vet, in great shape and she was impressed with how well-behaved he was during his visit. We take him back for a follow up and some booster shots on Tuesday.

M is adjusting. She is fearful of having this living thing with us and reliant on us. However, she does like him curling up next to her and purring and keeping her warm. This morning I woke up and Romy was curled up right next to her and she was petting under his chin with a really sweet smile. I think the cat is winning her over.

Her main concern right now is the cat hair. While the cat doesn’t shed too badly, all hairy animals shed some amount. She is trying to come up with a plan to minimize the hair infusion. I’ve told her all we really can do is be more diligent about vacuuming and dusting plus using lint brushes as needed.

He does have a couple of bad habits; he appears to like being on tables and counters and he begs a bit at the table. We don’t mind him on the bed or the chairs, but we do not want him on the kitchen table or counter tops nor on the PC desks. He seems to be okay with this, but I think he’s getting up there at night. We’ll see if we can’t break that. As to the begging, I will not feed any pet anything from the table, as it only creates issues no matter how “cute” it might be, so we will need to break him of this habit as well. As it is not bad, it shouldn’t be too hard to break him of it.

I’m very excited about this change for a couple of reasons: we picked a very loving cat, I love having a pet around, and M is responding very favorably. I think it is a good growth and bonding experience for us as a couple and I hope it continues to go smoothly over the next few months while M gets used to the idea of being a “parent.”