We had decided it was time to get a pet. Actually, two pets. We were on the lookout for two kittens. I thought it would be nice to have two so they could play together. Well, we had no luck finding kittens, but we did end up adopting a cat that is thought to be somewhere around 11 months or maybe even a year. My daughter actually picked out a different cat first, but he wasn’t available because he had an ear infection. My son picked out the cat we got, and he named him Oliver.
I’ll be honest. It was an adjustment. Oliver isn’t declawed, and he was kind of nervous when we took him home. He scratched us, meowed often, and was very skittish. The wet food (salmon) made his litter box smell unbearable, and it permeated the entire house!
First, we weaned him off of the stinky salmon food. Once that was gone, so was the unbearable stench. YAY! Then, my firstborn trimmed his nails when she was in town from college. The rest was cured with time. Oliver got used to being with us, and was happy. It only took a day or two. Of course, he first had to sniff every corner of the house! He made use of any little hiding spot before he decided to start hanging out with us.
We got into a nice routine, and spent time playing with Oliver, and other times just sitting and petting him. He often comes and sits on our laps and purrs. We put foil on the counters and tables, where we don’t want him to go. At first, we kept all of the bathroom and bedroom doors closed (as well as the garage, basement, laundry room, and attic doors, of course), so he could familiarize himself with a smaller area. By night time, we opened my son’s bedroom door so he could sleep there with him. He likes to lie down next to my son’s long legs, and camp out for the night.
We have plenty of soft places for him. He likes the couches, chairs with cushions, and the blankets we put out for him. He likes the toys, paper bags, and boxes. Once he discovered the windows, he made sure to visit them at least daily. We pull the long curtains back so he can get onto the window sill easily.
He seems pretty happy. He has the run of most of the house, but is still not allowed on the tables or counters (which will never change), or places like the garage, attic, and laundry room.
