Cohesive kitty family - we're finally there!

I grew up with only one cat, mostly because that one cat would not tolerate the addition of others into his house. So, having two, then three, and now four has been an interesting and new experience. Not going to lie, I was a little worried that it would be bedlam.

I lucked out with Dax, he was so laid back that Stella and Scuds had no choice but to allow him to fit in because frankly he didn't care what they thought. Roo, on the other hand, the first time Stella met him I honestly thought that she was going to try to kill him. I've never seen her react so quickly and viciously. In seconds she had him cornered in the bathroom. We reached a milestone in my house two days ago, after months of Roo desperately wanting Stella to like him (he conquered Scudsy a while back), Stella actually let Roo groom her head. This did not end in hissing, running, swatting or any other violent act that I've come to expect. He groomed, she looked at him, and he lied down next to her.

People joke that I'll end with more cats, but I won't. I'm content with these four and to be honest they're all pretty demanding of my attention on a regular basis. These are not the 'aloof' cats you read about, they all like their lap time, pets, and they all like to sleep with me. Four is definitely enough. We've finally gotten to the place where all of them can be in quite close proximity and no one really cares. They've all accepted each other and the only time we have any hissing or howling is when Dax gets a little too playful with the girls. He thinks they're playing, it sounds more like murdering.

Scuds and Roo

Dax and Scuds - Clearly a hard life

Stella...a princess and she knows it

Stella is the original member of my furry family, the first and for many years the baby and the only one who commanded my attention at all times. She was the centre of the universe, and she was fine with that. I swear, there are times when she gives me looks like simply say "are you freaking kidding me? why am I not the only one anymore???".

The day Stella came into our lives I will remember well. My boyfriend at the time and I had talked about getting a cat. I'd always had one (though he was a little less enthusiastic) the house just felt empty. I remember that morning having the conversation that I'd never pay hundreds of dollars for a cat when there was so many that needed homes. Famous last words.

I really have no idea how we ended up at the pet store later that day, I think it was a mix of boredom and possibly being gluttons for punishment...but there we were and there she was. Don't even ask me what possessed us to think we should hold her. A 12-week old Himalayan...if you have not had the pleasure...is one of the cutest things on earth. She weighed maybe a pound, but looked so much bigger and kind of like a marshmallow. We held her, and we were screwed. I won't go into how much we paid for her that day, but lets just say, it was quite a bit.

Stella the day we brought her home.

Also soon after we brought her home.

And so, 8 years later, she is my original baby and knows that. I swear if she could get the other three run over by some kind of heavy machinery she would orchestrate it herself. Amazingly she has learned to tolerate the other three furry creatures in her life - not that she has much of a choice. Roo particularly really wants her to like him, and boy does he keep trying to make that happen.

Of the four of them, she insists on eating on the table when they get a treat, too good to be among the lowly creatures that eat on the floor. When I tried to get rid of the upstairs litter box and just have two downstairs, she showed me and just used the carpet instead. For as long as she's been around, she follows me when I come home from work waiting until I sit or lie down so she can lie with me.

Note the placement. Stella does not eat on the floor.

If you're not familiar with the breed, they're supposed to be quite large cats, something we both looked forward to when we brought her home. Apparently she never got the memo, she still looks like a kitten, and weighs about 5lbs. Her fur makes her actual size deceiving, you expect to be picking up a cat with some weight to it, but it is not so, there really is nothing to her.

Breakthrough moment, her and Scuds within a foot of each other. Kodak moment.

She leads a hard life, she does...really.

How can you not adore that face.

Those eyes...

Focussed, playing, look like I might kill you.

I'm comfy, yet depressed and grumpy looking.

Dax, trying to make friends. Stella is enthused.

She's come a long way. Her and the boys...she secretly likes them but she'll never admit it.

Adopting an emotionally damaged kitty, my little Roo.

In the fall of 2011, innocently dropping a donation off to the SPCA after a long summer of fostering sick kitties I was in all honesty not looking to foster any more. I was tired. I should've known better than to show my face there having been fostering all summer...they had these two little girls that were terrified in the sick room...they were young, maybe 5 months old but out of the "kitten stage". Could I take them? Give them a chance to relax. They were these two little black and white creatures, cowering in the back of their cage, sniffly and absolutely positively terrified. All my instincts said, no, you're done fostering. So, of course, they came home with me.I named them Grace and Ruby.

It quickly became apparent that I had my work cut out for me with these two. Tucked away in their safe little room just the two of them, I left the carrier put out food and water, fresh litter and toys to make them at home as I'd done with the seven others I'd fostered in the course of the summer and left the room so they could settle in. Five hours later, still in their carrier huddled in the back. Right where I'd left them. Next morning, still in the carrier. Day later, we had a breakthrough, albeit a very small one, they were now huddled in the corner under the desk.

The eyes say it all. This was day 3.

Grace was coming around quicker, clearly the more curious of the two and would start to come out. Still scared of me. Ruby was having none of it. Plus they were both sick so leaky eyes and noses, sneezes abounded. I remember thinking - crap I'm going to end up adopting this cat cause who's going to want her? She's a dud!

And so the weeks went with a lot of time spent on the floor in the spare room. In the course I this I came to find out that Grace and Ruby were, in fact, boys. And so they became Gus and Roo. I think it was three weeks before Roo would come near me, and the first time he nuzzled up to me I honestly cried a bit. When Gus found an adoptive home to go to, that left me with just Roo who I couldn't leave in the room all by himself while I waited to find him a home (he'd been on Kijiji for weeks at this point). So I thought, well, I'll let him roam the house with the rest of them. I think even then I knew he wasn't going anywhere. When he and Dax became best buddies, I knew he would never leave.

The boys, Dax and Roo.

When I opened the door to the room that had been his home for 4 weeks, it was another 4 days before he even ventured about, a week more and he had only expanded his territory to the next room, and another week before he'd even come downstairs. He had however developed a love for sleeping with me, and would very gratefully nuzzle up to me when it was time to sleep. When I had to bring him to the vet for a checkup, that set us back 4 days where he wouldn't come downstairs. Then a couple weeks later when I had to bring him to be neutered, well - that set us way far back. Took three weeks before he'd trust me to come near him, a solid week before he even came downstairs again. Visitors very rarely saw him unless they were upstairs on my bed (which really, was not many visitors). By this time of course, he was officially mine. Having fallen in love with this poor, damaged, skiddish kitty who had in the five months before he'd come to me been traumatized in his short little life.

It is almost a year that I've had Roo now, and with a lot of patience and cautiousness this once black and white little ball of fear has become quite the character. It took him at least 7 months before I heard him make a noise - I'd assumed he couldn't meow. It's taken until just a couple weeks ago for me to be able to bend down and pat him when I'm standing up. He's become an energetic, playful, cuddly little furball who loves the other cats (Stella however has been the slowest to warm up to his love).

It goes to show that even the most damaged kitties with such little trust for the world around them can become the most wonderful pets. It takes a lot of time and patience and frankly, even if he was still a kitty huddled under the desk a year later - I'd be okay with that because I would at least know he had a safe home and lots of love whether or not he returned it.

Sometimes adopting the kitty who seems perfect from the outset, means you'll miss out on an even better kitty that just needs to figure out what safety and love mean first.

Roo, as I write this blog post.

Yes, I have 4 cats, deal with it.

I love all my kitties, as evidenced by this blog. Yeah, yeah, I'm single and I have four cats but that fact is, if I was not single and had kids, I'd still love my cats just as much because they offer a companionship wholly different. They speak back, but I don't understand them so we never have issues.

I never set out to have more than one cat, but sometimes circumstances lead you to a place you never thought you'd be. I grew up with only one cat (literally, we got him when I was 3 and he lived until I was 21). I had one kitty (Stella) now as an adult and I was content.

Stella - The Princess Herself

Then fate stepped in and friends asked me to care for their two (Scudsie and her sister Pootie), and so I all of a sudden had three. Overnight, just like that. And I found that, it was quite amusing watching their distinct personalities.

Pootie, Left - Scudsie, Right

 
So when Pootie died quite suddenly, I thought to myself...do I dare add another one to this mix. But then a plea from the SPCA for people to adopt adult kitties who were already fixed tugged at my heart strings as I know they're the hardest to find homes for and my coworker (who had three already) and I headed to the Adoption Fair in search of another furry friend to add to our crazy little households.

It is here I stumbled upon Dax, sitting in his cage quietly - a black and white boy with a bit of an overbite that made his fang teeth not fit in his mouth when it was closed. I decided to hold him which made me a bit nervous as the Adoption Fair was outside so I thought...what if he gets away...but out he came. He nuzzled right into me, purred loudly and didn't even squirm a bit. And that was that, home he came to join my girls Stella and Scudsie. Dax's personality is something that could take up many blog posts (and likely will) all by itself. We'll just leave it at, he loves everyone and everything and I couldn't have asked for a better source of daily entertainment.

Dax, the day I brought him home. Clearly had a hard time adjusting.

So there I was with my little family of three furry ones and quite content. Deciding that because I had the time and ability, and amidst another desperate plea for help from the SPCA, I started to foster last summer. It was an exhausting summer, because every kitty almost that came into my world was sick and needed a lot of TLC and caused a lot of worry before they could be adopted (more on that . And it is out of that adventure that my fourth little boy, Roo, came to live with us and he too, comes with a story that almost broke my heart.

Little Roo, the last addition.

So in a span of two years, I went from having one little Stella, to four that make up quite the family. I go through cat food faster than I thought possible, litter like its going out of style, and own nothing that isn't covered in cat fur. I don't buy any kind of rug that's in any way expensive, as I know it'll become a scratching post, I don't have any blankets or boxes that haven't become favored beds, I rarely get to sleep on my own pillow, I'm woken up every morning by one or more furry creatures and there are enough kitty toys in various places around my house to cause a regular walking hazard. But, when all is said and done I would not change a thing. In a world where too many cats are homeless, these four are living the life, and I can afford to give it to them and in return I get lots of entertainment and joy watching them do their thing. Seems like a fair deal to me.

New tags and strange positions

Oh kitties how you entertain me. Everyone got collars and ID tags since Dax has decided he should become an escape artist. Stella and Scuds haven't gotten in a position where I can get a good shot of theirs. Everyone has their own colors - Scudsy has a purple collar, Dax is orange, Stella is bright pink and Roo is green.

Sunday, the day of rest (but, isn't that every day??)

Ok so I missed the Stella shots...next time!

Happiness is on a Saturday morning...

Nap time for us all on this cloudy and cool day....