Monday, May 17, 2004
Pussy Problems
“TDO”:http://colorfully-see-through-head.com/onceuponatime/000113.html brought home a kitten yesterday. He thought it would be a brilliant idea considering how I’ve mentioned having a bit of baby fever. Um, look, just because every baby I see makes me stop and go, “Awww!“ that doesn’t mean I actually WANT one. Personally, I think it was just an excuse. TDO is a softy, especially when it comes to kittens. This isn’t the first time he’s decided to bring a kitten home on the spur of the moment.
Unfortunately, last time he decided to bring home a new baby, things went terribly, horribly, irreversibly wrong. The kitten had a very nasty virus and not only did she die, but one of our other cats (Artemis) also contracted it and died a very, very painful and horrible death. Last time, TDO picked up the kitten from the shelter and this time the kitten came from a healthy, loving family, but still. I don’t dare get attached. I’m terrified to get attached. I’m even more afraid to have the kitten around Apollo. He’s my baby. If anything happened to him I’d lose it in a big way.
The thing with Apollo is that he is very affectionate and loving. However, he also fashions himself somewhere between a guard dog and a lap dog. He follows me around the house and quite literally sits at my heels waiting for me to give him affection or to command him to do something fabulous. He sits on my lap when I’m on the computer and he’s the only cat we’ve had since moving to this house that has been allowed upstairs. (I sometimes let him curl up in bed with me.)
When Artemis passed away, Apollo had a really hard time with it. That was his sister. They’d been raised since birth together and never separated. When my friend offered me the kittens he made it very clear that they came as a pair. I was shaken by the whole ordeal as well, so he and I really bonded. I babied him and coddled him and really did my best to draw him out of his depression. Sometimes I can tell he’s still looking for her in the garden and it breaks my heart. I don’t know if he ever made the connection that the new kitten brought Artemis’s death, but it’s understandable he’d be wary of strangers.
Apollo hasn’t been actively aggressive but he’s shown no sign of accepting the kitten. The kitten is a bit overwhelmed and wants coddling and love. Earlier he curled up on my shoulder and fell asleep. As I type this he’s attacking loose strands of my hair and my sleeves trying to entertain himself. He is, for all intent and purposes, a confused, lonely, lost, and _active_ toddler. However, like an older brother wondering, “Why do we need a new baby?“ Apollo is not accepting of the kitten’s needs, especially when those needs put demands on my time.
For the moment I’ve compromised. I’ve made a very special fluffy bed out of a basket, some pillows and a throw blanket for Apollo and placed it at my feet. I’ve given him extra attention and treats (tuna) so he knows I love him. Still, I really hope this jealousy passes and the two become accepting of each other. I’m sort of afraid to leave the two alone to go to bed. Heaven knows what Apollo will do when the kitten really starts to piss him off.
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ben at 05/17/04 10:42 AM
It seems to take about two weeks for a big kitty to get used to a new little kitty. It will happen though, and then general felicity and mayhem will ensue.