shimmer

Someone commented here the other day that a death--as sad as it is--is also a chance to bring a new life into the home. That's true.

I started feeling ready for a new kitty perhaps a month after Chester died, but Hubby wasn't ready, and Jolson was clearly showing us that he didn't have much time remaining to him. I could hardly impose a new cat on Jolson or on Hubby.

So I waited. I mourned Chester, then I mourned Jolson. January was hard... we had no cats at all now, and I love the feeling of cat energy in my home. I love our dogs, don't get me wrong. But I love cats, too. It was depressing with no cats.

Finally, I told Hubby that I was ready and had my mind made up. He's seldom ready for anything new before I am. Change is hard for him. So sometimes, I just have to put my foot down. Before he could say "boo," I was out the door and on my way to the Humane Society, spurred on by this photo from the Humane Society website:

This is Louis. He was six months old when I adopted him in February. I'm an advocate of adopting from the Humane Society, and I believe in adopting adult cats. You can tell what they are like, unlike with small kittens, and they are less likely to be adopted. My cat Chester was three when I adopted him from the Humane Society, and he was one of the most wonderful cats I've ever known.

That said, this time, I wanted a kitten. Of course, February is really not kitten season, and I was a little nervous that I wouldn't really be as able to tell the personality in a kitten. But I haven't had a kitten since probably the early '90s, and it seemed like about time. I also wanted to make sure the new cat would adjust OK to the dogs, and a kitten seemed like a good bet for that.

So, I went and met this kitten. I played with and talked to him for some time; I wanted to be sure that this was a good fit. Finally, I decided I definitely wanted to bring him home. Our Humane Society charges a lot more for kittens than for adult cats, but that's good, because it helps subsidize the care of the hard-to-place cats.

When he came home, he was very quiet and willing to sit on my lap for a long, long time. He was not at all sure about the dogs. He seemed to be saying, "What are those things, anyway?"

But within 48 hours, the shoe was on the other foot! He decided those dogs didn't seem too bad or scary, and that maybe they might be good to play with. Then he was driving Remy (my Yorkie-Chihuahua mix) crazy! Usually Remy is the one driving other animals crazy with his insatiable play desires. But Remy is five years old, and Louis was six months old, and Louis can play all day long, if someone will engage with him.

Louis also like to leap around the living room, bouncing off the furniture and pretending to be an acrobat. He would jump on to the chair Casanova likes to sleep in, and bounce on Casanova's head. But Cass is old now, as I've mentioned, and usually isn't too playful. He is, however, extremely patient, and when Louis started dancing on his head, he just patiently waited until Louis finally settled down and napped with him.



Pretty freaking cute, huh?

I love having a kitten around the house, too. He jumps and plays all the time. He loves his toys, and you can basically just give him any old thing and he'll totally entertain himself with it: a bookmark with a piece of yarn tied around it, a bottle cap, a barrette, whatever! I really love him. Oh, and yeah... he grew on Hubby, too. And he gets along great with both dogs. He doesn't drive Remy crazy anymore, and they love to play together. Louis is a great addition to our family.



The other great news that has kept me very busy lately is that Hubby opened a new shop. He's in the pet business (told you he loved animals!), and was working in a small, cramped location, leasing space from someone loathsome. Now he's in a bigger, bright new shop, and while expanding is always a big risk, we're also both very excited about the new place. Wish us luck!

Posted by Jean on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 11:22 AM | Permalink