2009 November 30 | Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey

Archive for November 30th, 2009

We have a new addition…

Monday, November 30th, 2009

We have been suffering from empty basket syndrome. Ever since the move Sophie, our kitty-cow, has been ridiculously needy. We have a busy life. We’re gone all day to school and work, and many evenings we run errands or run to the library or simply run away. And so after realizing that Sophie has gone beyond social to dependent, we thought it would make sense to get her a kitten.

See, I remember how she was with Harry. Harry was our old man kitty, a gray and white tuxedo cat. We had him for six years before Rachel convinced me to get Sophie. (It was a moment of weakness and intense guilt, just as J and I were splitting up.) Sophie just wanted to be near Harry, follow him around, lay as near to him as he would allow. He’d be all annoyed, wagging his tail in disgust, and she was delighted. Oh, look! A toy! It was so stinkin’ cute.

Then a year later we moved in with Sam and Harry didn’t take the move well. His final act before being thrust into the cold cruel world for a time out was to attack Sam. Who knew he was the smartest, sanest one among us? So, the next morning when I went to check on him in the back yard, I had discovered he was gone. And though I looked around for weeks after, I never found him.

Sophie still had Sam’s cat, Gracie, a cat we had raised together. Yeah. He was black and white, just like Sophie. We had two kitty-cows. And they played together really well. They may have even been in love. (There was a lot of evidence of lust for sure.) But the break up left her friendless and alone.

Apparently, she’s as resilient as I am. She seemed to be mostly thriving. Aside from the whole greeting us at the door, following us around, laying with/on/near us ALL THE TIME. This was not our Sophie. And I didn’t want to feel guilty every time I left the house. (I do that A LOT.)

Getting her a friend seemed to be the most logical solution to Sophie’s angst. (And we love kittens and all manner of small furry things around my place…) So, I started my search in earnest over the break. I figured I might have a few moments to pick a kitten, might even bring the kids with me. It was a great plan. And it worked.

I spoke to a lovely woman on the phone who rescued litters of kittens from the neighboring barn regularly. She gave me the background on the current litter. And based on the pictures online…yes, Craigslist, I decided it was worth the drive to Huntersville. I took Kimberly with me. She loves kittens, but David has put the kabosh on any small furry things in his house. So, she lives vicariously through me.

It was a gorgeous day for a drive. And I was hopeful that I might find one that would fill the gap in Sophie’s life and our hearts. I wasn’t disappointed. One caught my eye the moment I walked in. She was sweet and quiet, really mellow.

Rachel is convinced that she was drugged. It was suggested that this was a meek timid creature that had difficulty with noise. (Yeah, I know, and I was bringing her into a home filled with incessant conversations, where we break out into song and sometimes dance frequently, where our idea of a quiet night often involves movies and joking around. Poor, kitty.)

After we returned home with the kitten and the kids, I had Rachel help me take the top off the kennel while I found Sophie. In my mind, I imagined Sophie pleasantly sniffing at the small furry creature and adopting something of a motherly attitude toward her new friend. Instead, she hissed. And I think I may have heard her mumble something about an interloper. (It wasn’t exactly frightening. Ask Charlie. Yes, that’s what we named her. I’d love to tell you it was short for something, but we just liked the name. We had our naming ceremony in the car with Kimberly. I know she felt honored.)

Charlie has already in flourished in our presence. In fact, she has already revealed herself to be a kitty-pup. What is a kitty-pup, you ask? That would be what happens when a kitten is raised around dogs. She says, “Meow wow.” She wags her tail when she’s happy, while purring like a small motor boat or a much larger cat…like a lion. Do lions purr? She scratches behind her ear like dogs. Charlie is very entertaining.

The funniest thing to date? She very proudly jumped from the lounge chair to the stand in the corner, only she couldn’t stop and flew off the back and disappeared behind the stand. I saw it coming, couldn’t prevent it, and nearly died laughing. Still, she keeps at those wild and crazy curious kitten antics. We can’t help but love her. And Sophie…she’ll come around.