Kids and pets can be an interesting thing to balance.
Shortly after my husband and I got married I got a hankering for a cat. I had pets all throughout my childhood and I was lonely for a kitty! I knew I didn't want a dog because my husband and I both worked full time and we didn't have the time to devote to a dog. Training it, letting it out, etc. Cats are more independent and don't usually really care if you're around or not most of the time.
My mom knew I wanted a cat but that I didn't want to ask Sean because he's kind of anti-pet. It's not that he has anything against animals he just prefers that they stay outside and keep their hair off of him. I always liked them in the house and on the couch! :) Anyways, being newly married, my mom asked Sean if she could get me a cat for Christmas and since she was his new mother-in-law, he couldn't say no, I guess! My parents and sister found a little tiny tom cat at the animal rescue shelter. In fact, he was so little they didn't want to adopt him out. They weren't sure he was going to make it. But my mom talked them into it. She'd had cats all her life and felt she could care for him. He was even bottle fed for awhile.
Ollie came to me in a small glass measuring cup at Christmas. He was just a little gray and white puff ball...SO adorable, as all kittens are. And SO small he fit in the palm of my hand. He was off the bottle and eating regular cat food by then. Even litter trained and all. The perfect pet! He grew happily and healthily, though. I would no longer call him anything NEAR tiny. In fact, he weighs 15 pounds and his belly sways a bit when he walks. It's not that he's overweight, he's just stocky! All he ever eats is dry cat food and he really doesn't eat much of that. He just lays around all day, though, so I guess he stores everything he eats.
Ollie has been a GREAT cat. The only big problem I've had with him is he doesn't particularly like the color orange. We had orange carpet in the basement of our old house and he took to marking that carpet repeatedly. Once we tore the carpet up, painted the floor, and put down new carpet he was fine. When we moved to our current house we had a carpet remnant (different carpet) in the color orange laid in basement. Again he had a grudge against the color and kept marking it. I cut the soiled part away and we blocked him from that part of the basement and all was well with Ollie the cat yet again. He must have some story to tell about something traumatic revolving around the color orange from his kittenhood. Not sure! He's sitting there looking at me right now like, whatever! :)
Ollie enjoyed my pregnancy quite a bit because I laid around a lot and he got to lay around with me. I would lay on my side on the couch and he'd curl up right by my belly...until my belly got so big that he was ousted and had to move down by my legs instead.
Ollie turned 7 in October and I wondered how he would react to a little one being around all day everyday. He didn't really seem to care for Kaelyn much at first. Actually, he didn't pay any attention to her at all. He didn't seem all that curious or get that close. However, when she was really little and would have one of those crying for no reason episodes, I would walk around the house with her trying to calm her and Ollie would bite at my legs! I guess he was trying to protect the little baby from the mean lady! He would just howl and howl and bite my legs as I went. Very helpful. I was already dealing with a screaming baby, a howling cat biting me did not make me feel better. But I told myself he was trying to protect her and therefore it was sweet.
Ollie gradually got used to Kaelyn and started getting closer and closer to her. He'll come lay next to me on the floor when we're playing and likes to keep an eye on what she's doing. He seems very gentle and protective over her. She recently discovered him and decided it would be fun to reach out and pet him. Her version of petting was to grab a handful of hair and pull...HARD. She pulled so hard he fell over onto his side. Poor cat, he was just trying to walk through the room and he got pulled off his feet! But he didn't hiss or react or yowl or anything. He just took it! He laid on his side until she let go and then looked at me like, whatever, and got up and left the room.
And at night, when I go into Kaelyn's room to feed her or help her go back to sleep he's often laying by her door. He's probably waiting for me, but I like to think he's keeping an eye on her. Checking up on her at night to make sure all is well in the world of Kaelyn.
I think Kaelyn and Ollie are going to be great buddies in a few years. I think Kaelyn may just help Ollie lose a little of that belly weight. Not that he needs it, but with all the chasing she'll surely do, I'm sure he'll run a bit off! In fact, I think he's already lost a little since we're home all the time and he doesn't sleep as much. Too much action, too much to watch, too much to do! Though he still gets plenty of sleep, don't get me wrong. We see more of his curled up figure than of his eyeballs.
Someday Kaelyn will be bigger than Ollie. She
already outweighs him. And then maybe he'll enjoy having her lap to sit on. Until then, he's keeping an eye on her progress...and they're getting closer and closer.
Shortly after my husband and I got married I got a hankering for a cat. I had pets all throughout my childhood and I was lonely for a kitty! I knew I didn't want a dog because my husband and I both worked full time and we didn't have the time to devote to a dog. Training it, letting it out, etc. Cats are more independent and don't usually really care if you're around or not most of the time.
My mom knew I wanted a cat but that I didn't want to ask Sean because he's kind of anti-pet. It's not that he has anything against animals he just prefers that they stay outside and keep their hair off of him. I always liked them in the house and on the couch! :) Anyways, being newly married, my mom asked Sean if she could get me a cat for Christmas and since she was his new mother-in-law, he couldn't say no, I guess! My parents and sister found a little tiny tom cat at the animal rescue shelter. In fact, he was so little they didn't want to adopt him out. They weren't sure he was going to make it. But my mom talked them into it. She'd had cats all her life and felt she could care for him. He was even bottle fed for awhile.
Ollie came to me in a small glass measuring cup at Christmas. He was just a little gray and white puff ball...SO adorable, as all kittens are. And SO small he fit in the palm of my hand. He was off the bottle and eating regular cat food by then. Even litter trained and all. The perfect pet! He grew happily and healthily, though. I would no longer call him anything NEAR tiny. In fact, he weighs 15 pounds and his belly sways a bit when he walks. It's not that he's overweight, he's just stocky! All he ever eats is dry cat food and he really doesn't eat much of that. He just lays around all day, though, so I guess he stores everything he eats.
Ollie has been a GREAT cat. The only big problem I've had with him is he doesn't particularly like the color orange. We had orange carpet in the basement of our old house and he took to marking that carpet repeatedly. Once we tore the carpet up, painted the floor, and put down new carpet he was fine. When we moved to our current house we had a carpet remnant (different carpet) in the color orange laid in basement. Again he had a grudge against the color and kept marking it. I cut the soiled part away and we blocked him from that part of the basement and all was well with Ollie the cat yet again. He must have some story to tell about something traumatic revolving around the color orange from his kittenhood. Not sure! He's sitting there looking at me right now like, whatever! :)
Ollie enjoyed my pregnancy quite a bit because I laid around a lot and he got to lay around with me. I would lay on my side on the couch and he'd curl up right by my belly...until my belly got so big that he was ousted and had to move down by my legs instead.
Ollie turned 7 in October and I wondered how he would react to a little one being around all day everyday. He didn't really seem to care for Kaelyn much at first. Actually, he didn't pay any attention to her at all. He didn't seem all that curious or get that close. However, when she was really little and would have one of those crying for no reason episodes, I would walk around the house with her trying to calm her and Ollie would bite at my legs! I guess he was trying to protect the little baby from the mean lady! He would just howl and howl and bite my legs as I went. Very helpful. I was already dealing with a screaming baby, a howling cat biting me did not make me feel better. But I told myself he was trying to protect her and therefore it was sweet.
Ollie gradually got used to Kaelyn and started getting closer and closer to her. He'll come lay next to me on the floor when we're playing and likes to keep an eye on what she's doing. He seems very gentle and protective over her. She recently discovered him and decided it would be fun to reach out and pet him. Her version of petting was to grab a handful of hair and pull...HARD. She pulled so hard he fell over onto his side. Poor cat, he was just trying to walk through the room and he got pulled off his feet! But he didn't hiss or react or yowl or anything. He just took it! He laid on his side until she let go and then looked at me like, whatever, and got up and left the room.
And at night, when I go into Kaelyn's room to feed her or help her go back to sleep he's often laying by her door. He's probably waiting for me, but I like to think he's keeping an eye on her. Checking up on her at night to make sure all is well in the world of Kaelyn.
I think Kaelyn and Ollie are going to be great buddies in a few years. I think Kaelyn may just help Ollie lose a little of that belly weight. Not that he needs it, but with all the chasing she'll surely do, I'm sure he'll run a bit off! In fact, I think he's already lost a little since we're home all the time and he doesn't sleep as much. Too much action, too much to watch, too much to do! Though he still gets plenty of sleep, don't get me wrong. We see more of his curled up figure than of his eyeballs.
Someday Kaelyn will be bigger than Ollie. She
already outweighs him. And then maybe he'll enjoy having her lap to sit on. Until then, he's keeping an eye on her progress...and they're getting closer and closer.
Even though I'd heard some of this before I smiled the whole way through! I didn't know the story of how your mom asked Sean if she could give you the cat for Christmas, though - how funny :) That orange carpet stuff and the biting at your ankles & howling was hilarious. Sooo cute that he is so good with Kaelyn, what a great cat!
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