Vicarious pets

by Emmie Dark

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of all the travel that I do is that I simply can't justify having a pet of my own. The poor thing would be in kennels or with babysitters more often than it would be with me, and I just don't think that's fair. But the upside is that I have lots of vicarious pets! They might not know it, but all my friends' pets belong a little bit to me too. :)

So when a friend of mine announced on the weekend that she'd adopted a new black kitten from the shelter and called him Samson, it wasn't long before I was quickly asking, "When will Samson be taking visitors?"

Lucky for me, Samson was pretty keen for visitors, even if he was a little bit shy at first.

Visitor? What visitor? I'm snuggled here with some milk, and
I'm not overly fussed with anyone else.

Samson was bought to be a companion for Audrey, a lovely little kitten (also from a rescue shelter) who gets a bit lonely during the day when her mama's at work. Although we're sure Samson and Audrey are going to be the best of friends eventually, their first couple of days together have been a little bit fraught. Audrey, like any older sister with a new baby in the house, is quite put out that she's no longer the centre of attention. (For most of the time I was there, she sulked in the bedroom.)

When I visited Audrey when she first came home, she was the most curious cat I've ever known. Not only did she have no problems with cuddling up to stranger, she was off exploring every corner and crevice of her new home. And that little toy mouse I'd brought as a present? It didn't stand a chance.

No hiding under the sofa for Audrey. "Now I've got you, mouse! "

Samson is quite different. We know from the shelter that he was found at the back of a fast-food outlet, scavenging. So it's understandable he might be a little wary of people. While he was comfortable snuggling with his new mama, he wasn't in the least interested in exploring his home. And that big sister of his? Eek, she's a little scary.

I have a mama? And a sister? It's all a bit much for a little kitten to take in...

After he snuggled for a while, he went to his favourite place--under the sofa. Audrey is too big to fit under there now, so he was safe and could have a little time-out from the overwhelming new environment. And given that's he's completely (and beautifully, fluffily) black, when I peered under the couch, all I could see was a couple of little eyes staring back at me. Not scared, not frightened. Just taking it all in. In his own time. While Audrey is a little actress, Samson is more of a thinker. 

I'll just sit right here for now.

Welcome Samson, to the menagerie of Emmie's vicarious pets. I know that once you get settled you're going to feel right at home.

Cat-Kitten Update!

Toffee
aka spare sofa cushion

As you may remember back in January I took the children to the SPCA and the Cats Protection League and we came away with not one, not two but three new cats. Two little kittens and one giant moggy.

Toffee is the shorter of the kittens, but the wider. She has a round belly and a short tail. She's very cute in a 'make-you-smile' way. The SPCA told us to have kitty bikkies always available - that the cats would self-regulate their eating habits. Toffee doesn't self-regulate. Toffee just eats and eats and eats some more. In fact, we've amended her name from Toffee to Scoffee. She likes to lie about in front of the fire and look gorgeous.

Pop on the other hand is the longer, leaner of the two - and definitely the one with the killer instincts. she's the one clawing the kitten toys to death - along with any cardboard boxes that might be lying around. Nothing beats hunting insects in Pop's world. She's incredibly fast.

Pop
Huntress-in-training

They're still great mates - playing together and curling up together. I scooter with the children to school and the two kittens bound along after us - almost to halfway there before they spot something interesting in someone else's garden.  

Toffee & Pop
Still very cute friends

They're very close to my eldest daughter in particular (the younger ones might still be a bit too enthusiastic in their cuddles!) - and spend most nights curled up on her bed. However, like many young creatures, they don't sleep through the night and around 3 every morning we hear the pair of them scampering up and down the stairs chasing each other.

And then of course, there was our older lady cat - the one that 'would have trouble finding a home'. Well, turns out there was a reason Curious would have trouble finding a home. Curious is the grumpiest cat of all time. Well, maybe I do her a disservice - she's not so much grumpy as noisy.

She has decided she prefers to live outside and only comes in for food (about five times a day). I was concerned about this as the weather is getting very cold - but she's got herself a spot under the house and when it absolutely bucketed down the other day, she came in for supper completely dry. And the fact is she doesn't want to stay inside. As soon as she's eaten she's at the door yowling and hissing (SO loud) to be let out. I figure she's having a better life than she would have done otherwise - limitless food and warmth and company should she want it (though she doesn't).

Cat dynamics are interesting. The kittens know Curious is boss - she eats first, they keep their distance. But she tolerates them - she might hiss but she doesn't lash out. There are a couple of cats on one side of us (Frankie and Tapioca) - and while Frankie might slither in to steal some food now and then, for the most part they stay away. 

Ruby
The nemesis next door.

But there is one real threat - and that's Ruby from next door. Before we got the three, Ruby believed our property was a natural extension of hers. Our back lawn was her domain. Ruby is a beautiful big black cat. Ruby is a hunter. Ruby is proud.

So is Curious.

Yes, as you can imagine, there are fireworks going off round here! Often I see them squaring off. Just yesterday Curious was in the driveway blocking the (cat-sized) hole in the fence, yowling and hissing and crouched into full on predator mode. I peeked nearer and saw Ruby sitting there on her side - mirroring the malevolence, protecting her boundary. They yowled at each other for ages. I've seen them do a lot more than yowl too -  and had to break it up with a lot of shouting and arm waving. It ended with one of them rolling off the roof of the neighbour's house which gave me a heart attack. But its true that cats always land on their feet! And I think mostly their clashes are more about show and noise than real bruises and bites.

I confess I enjoy watching those two powerful cats and I'm looking forward to seeing how our other two develop. They're such magnificent creatures!

Curious, the Furious Queen
The one and only. 

A cat called Curious and the cuteness of kittens!!!!

 It's all a go in the Anderson household!!! We haven't had any pets in the last few years (other than goldfish and a wormfarm). I had decided not to get a cat or dog for a while as four preschoolers were more than enough for me to be caring for!!! But now my youngest - the twins - have turned five and I had promised them that when they started school we'd get a pet.

We decided on a cat. Dogs, as much as I love them, are still a bit much work for us right now.  We decided to get our cat from the SPCA or the Cats Protection League  - and then we decided to get two, so they'd be company for each other.

Curious in her new fave place,
with the lego boxes under my
son's bed.

I phoned both the SPCA and the Cats Protection League and the CPL had some kittens that we could look at that very day, so we committed over the phone to taking two and arranged a viewing and pick-up time. But then my very sweet seven year old boy burst into tears - terribly distressed. He'd wanted to get a kitten and an older cat who might have a hard time finding a home.

Well, you can't ignore a wonderfully empathetic and caring instinct like that now can you?!?! So we piled into the car and went of to the SPCA to their 'cat room' - and went in, waiting to see if any of the mature cats would be comfortable enough to approach five kids (four mine plus a stray for the day) and me.

Pop.

One did. So we scooped that big tortiseshell lady into the cage, took her home and THEN went to the CPL, confessed all to them but couldn't resist still taking two of the kittens all the same. I  figure the kittens will have each other for company and they'll let the lady be.

Toffee.

The kittens - one totally black, one with white bits, have been named Toffee and Pop (after the famous Toffeepop cookies we have here in New Zealand), while the big moggy has been named Curious.

So here's the photo gallery - most of the stuff I have on camera for Curious at the moment is movies and she had an Awfully Big Adventure last night which I'll tell you about some other time... (let's just say she lives up to her name!!) but we hope she learns to trust us soon and enjoys her new home with us.

The kittens are total cuteness of course, scamping round and playing and sleeping lots and lots.

Sisters cuddling.

Stray (Love) Cats

CAT STATS

Reading: The Making of Pride and Prejudice by Sue Birtwhistle & Susie Conklin
Listening to: Peggy Lee Sings the Blues
Watching: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (again)
Making me smile: My friend Sue just sold to Harlequin Mills & Boon!

Two summers ago, an abandoned cat gave birth to a litter of kittens at the winery/vineyard where I worked. Cat and kittens consumed my time for the next two months--making sure they had food and water, that they were wormed, that they were loved and the kittens were socialized--a very important task which entailed hours of playing with them!




Having watched the kittens from the day they were born until the day they went to their new homes, I knew their personalities well. They were all lovely--of course!--but I particularly adored the little black girl who came running to greet me every time I opened the door, and the little grey tabby with the M on her forehead who purred so loudly whenever I picked her up. And then there was the little grey tabby boy who loved to lie belly-up in my hand and have his stomach rubbed...




That litter of kittens made it into my second Harlequin Historical, Beauty and the Scarred Hero, (available in North America now). The heroine, Lady Isabella Knox, has a habit of rescuing strays--a habit that gets her into trouble when she rescues a runaway bride and is catapulted the path of the dangerous Major Reynolds.





In real life, I didn’t get to keep any of the kittens or their mother because my landlord refused to allow me to have pets, but Lady Isabella doesn’t have that problem with the kittens she saves. She gets to keep the two I loved the most!




The vineyard kittens and their mother all found great homes, and the kittens in Beauty and the Scarred Hero do too. One day I hope to repeat the experience by fostering a pregnant cat from the SPCA--it was fascinating to watch the kittens’ day-to-day growth and the development of their personalities. And this time, I’ll get to keep the mother and a couple of the kittens!


Please feel free to share stories about kittens and/or rescuing stray animals with us on the LoveCats blog!