New Kitten!

Meet Isis, everyone. :-)

I’m tired in a good way this week thanks to adopting her from a local shelter last Thursday. She’s two months old, affectionate, and playful. Also smart, curious and bold. Isis came to us with no human mealtime etiquette whatsoever, so our breakfasts, lunch and dinners are now games of kitten keep away. She is getting better behaved with that day-by-day, however.

We’ve been wanting to adopt a new cat for several years since I recovered from the loss of my beloved cat, Nomti, in 2017. My wife’s asthma and allergy to Fel d 1 cat proteins complicates our quest. Fel d 1 is a common cat allergen but can be absent in certain “hypoallergenic” cat breeds like Siamese, which has become our go-to breed. Siamese are rare at shelters and expensive when purchased from a breeder, thus often beyond our means. Nomti was a rehome, and our other Siamese Wesir is a gentle adult stray we adopted that is now at least fourteen years old.

Almost two weeks ago, a friend who fosters animals for a shelter shared photos of her current kitten that looked Siamese. We jumped at the opportunity and contacted her right away. We drove an hour to meet the cat and confirmed my wife didn’t have an allergic reaction to her. Being playful and affectionate with us sealed the deal, and a few days later we completed the adoption and brought her home. With so much bad that’s gone on in the past year, bringing something young and curious into the house is exciting and welcome!

Isis seems to be a water loving cat. I discovered this on Saturday when I lifted the toilet lid, and she did a running leap into the bowl. SLASHDOWN.

She’s bonded with my wife and I, although she may favor me more, as Isis shadows my activities and spends most of her time sleeping on me after I go to bed. I don’t mind the kitten cuddles, despite the occasional clawing and play waking me up. Kim says the situation reminds her of the Chuck Jones classic, Feed the Kitty:

I’ll admit the sentiment is on target. I too have become Isis’ favorite climbing post, and she’s apparently a shoulder cat. I’m learning to write and ride my stationary bike with her up there. We do short walks between rooms too.

Although Isis is a wonderful kitty, our other cat, Wesir, is having a hard time adjusting. This isn’t unexpected to us, nor should it be to anyone who has introduced a new cat to a home with an established one in the house already. Wesir remains a gentle old boy. Instead of aggression, he seemed intimidated and spent the first 48 hours hiding from the kitten and hissing when she approached. Things have improved since then, but he still seems depressed even if the hisses have stopped. For her part, Isis just wants him to play and get close to snuggle.

We’re giving Wesir attention, so it’s clear he’s loved and secure. He’s come a long way in a week, and maybe in another he’ll befriend the kitten. Isis has been so sweet to us and interested in him. We’re certain that she will be an excellent companion to our elder cat if he’ll let her become one.

As I mentioned starting, we’re so happy with the new kitten but her addition has been tiring. We’re all adjusting to changes in daily routines and recovering from the initial disruption of her arrival. Our sleep pattern got upended for the first few days thanks to cat shenanigans, and we’re still making up the deficit. And there’s been a lot we’ve needed to do to accommodate little Isis. Overall, though, my writing didn’t take a humongous hit and things are on-track for the week.

Take care, everyone. Be safe and keep writing!