GUESS WHAT WE GOT A KITTEN:
(holding back paw with front paw)
(yelling at me from the top of the stairs)
It was not my intention to get a kitten. Kittens can be challenging, and they have the danger-seeking instincts of human toddlers, and also they tend to be adopted quickly, and also I think of them as being better adopted in pairs. And kittens get into drawers and cupboards and dryers and closing doors. But we have been trying to replace our dear departed Third Cat since about January, and I kept refreshing the shelter’s cat section, and it kept being cats who were, say, already 12 years old or, even more importantly, not good with other cats. Or there would be a great cat, but it would be available right before we were about to leave for England for a week.
Anyway, finally I became willing to consider kittens, and then a couple weeks ago the most perfect kitten was on the site: cute as heck, but more importantly it said she was very good with other cats. I made an appointment to see her. And the shelter employee led me into a room with half a dozen kittens, and I met the kitten I had in mind—and she didn’t seem right for us. First of all, she was 8 weeks old, which I knew but hadn’t fully processed; an 8-week-old kitten is about the size of a large baked potato. But also, she seemed like she was a baby sassy queen, and we already have a sassy queen.
I continued to hang out with the kittens. There was a very sweet little orange-and-white boy one, just exactly as perfectly sweet and dumb as boy-oranges can be—but we already have two orange-based cats, including one sweet/dumb boy-orange, and Elizabeth has said no more orange ones for now. Elizabeth is not the boss of us, but three orange-type cats does start to seem like the beginning of a hoarding issue, in a way that three cats of assorted colors does not. Plus, this was another baked-potato-sized kitten. They seem so unformed at that age; I felt nervous to deal with something so tiny.
Gradually I became aware of another kitten hiding under/behind some Hiding Furniture. I noticed two things about this kitten: (1) the kitten kept snuggling up to a sleeping friend, which seemed like a good sign for getting along with other cats; (2) the kitten was hiding, but kept LOOKING at me—and not cringing or turning away, even though it was hiding and wasn’t coming out to meet me.
I talked with the shelter employee for awhile about it; she looked in the kitten’s file and said he was a boy, and that he was available, and that he was 4 months old—which feels to me like a MUCH better age for a kitten. At 4 months, they’re more like a bag of flour: still little danger-seekers, but there’s a whole category of places they can no longer get into. I had a good feeling about this kitten, and adopted him without even really seeing what he looked like: I could tell he had black and white fur, but that was it.
Well. I don’t want to speak too soon, but he’s just been THE BEST. He’s interactive with people, which is not required but we do enjoy that. We don’t require cuteness, either, but I think he’s VERY cute; he often has this wide-eyed Blown Away expression on his face. But best of all, he seems to understand Cat Politics: when one of our two adult cats hisses at him, he stops/drops/rolls and shows his belly, almost bored—like, “Oh for real? Oh, okay, fine, yes, I will assume the posture; there, are we done? can we play now?” Our bossy queen is not going to want to play with him, probably (she’s the kind of cat who likes to interact mostly with people, not other cats), but she will co-exist with him as long as he doesn’t cringe and run: when our former cat cringed and ran, she HAD to chase him, it made her so angry. This kitten defers to her but isn’t scared of her, and I think that’s going to work well for them. She licked his head this morning, though she then immediately hissed at him again.
And we hardly dare hope that this kitten could be a friend for our boy-orange, our boy-orange who has been sad and lonely since his friend died in December. But it looks as if that relationship is starting out well so far: there has been a lot of nose-sniffing and tail-sniffing, and one tentative play session. My hope is that soon there will be snuggling.
Oh my goodness, I love this so much! What a sweet kitten!
Licking his head and hissing! Cats are such highly complicated and emotional little beasties. ♥️ Welcome to your new life little kitty.
Congratulations!! He is so cute. If you would like to tell us all about how you chose his name/pseudonym, I think we would all love to hear it :)
Exactly what I came here to say!
Awww. Kitty! <3 :3
::sits down quietly and hopes new little guy comes over to investigate::
Oh, he is CUTE! As someone who’s always been a one-cat (and one-dog) household, I love hearing about the Multiple Cat Dynamics. I second the suggestion of a story about his naming process!
I find this comment fascinating, because I am firmly a two dog household. I think two dogs who are companions to each other are so much easier to manage than one. With a yard. I’m realizing as I write this that I had one dog in an apartment and never once considered a second.
I am horrifically allergic to cats, so to me they are just mysterious creatures to be admired from afar.
What lovely news! Fingers crossed that he will become a beloved part of the whole family cats included!
Oh, the cuteness! The little glaring eyebrows! I love the insight into the cat politics, too
Congrats! He is adorable, and as a Tuxedo, I think he will be the best of all cats: smart, sociable, cuddle-able, vocal and photogenic as well. So happy for you all!
Kittennnn <3
Oh, he is SO cute! And how promising his assimilation seems to be so far! I am so happy for you.
What a fine, fine boy! We had a longhaired black and white cat. This BEST cat, almost a puppy cat and so smart and cuddly. Your boy instantly appeals to me. Are you going to share his name? He looks like a Bobby to me. :-) (said in a way that the English say it)
I thought Max, but Bobby would fit nicely as well! Please share if you want to.
He looks like a Theo to me! However, we have a strict “pets don’t have people names” rule at our house, so if he lived with us I’d probably name him something like Meep.
Oh, this is such delightfully wonderful news. Congratulations, he is a charmer!
EXTREMELY cute! Please share photos whenever the whim strikes you, especially if there’s snuggling.
He’s quite the handsome fellow and he sounds sweet-tempered.
What a great subset of wonderfullings inside this wonderfulness!
What a dapper little fellow! Congratulations!
Definitely just what you needed! :) This makes me so happy!
Awwww! Hi little guy!!! Congrats on the new addition.
Oh, I love him. We have a tuxedo boy cat and he is simply the best. An empty-headed sweet snuggly marshmallow of a cat.
I know this was a photo of a kitten not interiors but I love, love, love that stair runner and throw pillow AND side chair.
He’s wonderful and sounds like a perfect fit for your family dynamics!
Mazel tov! How great that he is a little feline politician, courting the suspicious older catfolk.
He is red-carpet ready in that velvet tuxedo. I’m seeing him as a Cary (Grant), or a Fred (Astaire).
Swistle,
all the best for you and your newly adopted kitten!
And this is just to say I really love reading just about anything you write – you simply have style.
Glad you found him. It sounds like it was meant to be, him being the size of a bag of flour and snuggling and all. I laughed at Elizabeth not being the boss of you, but that 3 orange cats started to seem like a hoarding issue. I love his coloring. Like another reader, I’m VERY allergic to cats, so I’m not very informed about their selection process, etc. Good luck blending him into the rest of the clan.
A KITTEN!!!! I am so envious. I want a kitten more than almost anything else, but it seems very daunting to go from Not Owning A Pet to Owning A Pet. Your kitten is very adorable and I, like others, really enjoy reading about Cat Politics. I look forward to any and all kitten content you care to share.