There is a new resident at the castle. His name is Thor.
Since Kitty died it's been lonely around here. I found that adopting a cat from the local animal shelter is only a little more difficult than buying a gun. There is a lengthy application process, and they actually call the people you list as references - so be careful.
The PetsMart stores are satellite agencies for the local shelter, and I've been stopping in from time to time to check on the available felines. Last Friday I found Thor. He's a 2-year old Grey Tabby and he picked me out. The shelter named him Thor. It seemed like a cool name, so what the Hell. Besides, I'm mostly calling him Kitty anyway. He doesn't seem to mind.
Initially, I was looking for a kitten, since I wanted to raise one from scratch. But kittens are kind of ornery and I'd feel strange leaving one here all day while I was at work not knowing what kind of mischief he'd be up to while I was gone. They had a few adult cats. Thor's big grey face came through the cage and those green eyes attracted me immediately. When I took him out of the cage he started purring and opened his paw and poked at my arm. Done.
I thought there would be a get-acquainted period where I would have to gain his trust and he mine, but almost immediately after I let him out of the carrier in the living room he took to me like we had known each other for years. He sits with me on the sofa and sleeps with me at night. He follows me around the condo like a grey shadow and as soon as I disappear from his sight he is running to find where I went. That sounds a lot like the last resident around here.
He had his "wellness visit" at the vet today and so far, so good. I had them do a blood panel to make sure everything is OK. He had some ear mites (which are routine in shelter cats) and had just recovered from a slight respiratory ailment that the shelter treated him for. I also noticed that he is missing a few of his tiny front teeth. The vet didn't think much of it, since those teeth don't do much of anything. The people at the shelter told me he was a stray, so there's no telling what happened to his teeth.
He weighs 14.5 pounds, which sounds big for a cat, because it is. It's 5 pounds more than Kitty ever weighed, but the vet told me he's not overweight, which is nice since he eats like a pony.
He has a couple of odd habits, like sleeping on his back with his paws in the air, and he has a very soft voice which I just started hearing lately. When I brought him home he didn't speak at all. He's just starting to squeak now.
What's most interesting to me is how quickly we became pals. It's almost as though he'd been waiting to come here. He instantly took to the place and started using his scratching post and litter pan right away and slept with me the first night he was here. It's a little eerie. I'm not a mystical person by nature, but this guy has me wondering. It's not like I'm Doctor Dolittle or anything, but I find that animals like me, for some reason.
A lot more than most people, anyway.
8 comments:
He is most beautiful and striped. I am so glad Anthony, you have a new best friend, and Eagles fan in training.
Love to you and Thor.
(Susan and Holly cat)
Very cool. So happy for you.
Its great that he sleeps in your bed at night.
I like the winter because I keep the temperature down in my house, and my cats stay in bed with me all night! And it helps keep me warm too.
Thor is a good name too. My middle name is Arthur and though its origins are sketchy, it has "Thor" in it, and may be derived from the Icelandic, meaning a follower of Thor, the Norse god of war.
I am glad you found each other. I really am. He sound like a wonderful cat. Give him lots of scritches, XXXs & OOOs.
- Pete (a friend of Susan's)
Good to see you have a new room-mate!
Love the eyes and the "eats like a pony".
Congrats and best of luck with your new buddy!
He look just like my cat Mr. Grommit Schevitz. Also known as Ohheessocute! I'm glad he found you.
Art
the paws in the air sleep posture was a habit for a cat my family had when I was growing up, though I suppose it is a bit odd. we got used to it, as I'm sure you will.
though, now that I think of it, an animal lying w/the underside prone may play into that other theme of the cat trusting you, as my father has always said that animals don't show their stomach unless they feel secure (I wonder if the cat slept that way in the shelter too?)
and the other good thing is that an animal taking to you and trusting you is probably a good sign that you don't have any overbearing mental issues -- I've always heard that animals have a sharp sense of such things.
I've heard that too about animals showing their underside as a sign of trust. It's part of the bonding thing that was so strange to happen so quickly.
Still not sure about the overbearing mental issues, though. :)
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