Thursday, July 9, 2015: Reflections on the First Year

This week, we hit a milestone; on Sunday it had been one year since Tommy came home with me. I’ve learned and experienced so many things this past year.   Adopting Tommy was definitely one of my best decisions. Having her around has enhanced my life.

Taking in a shelter/stray cat has some benefits. Tommy was already litter box trained and knew how to entertain herself.  She was accustomed to being around people and although still curious, she wasn’t inclined to get into the same kind of trouble that a kitten would.

Given that she was about a year old, there were also some behaviors that were already ingrained in her head.  If she decides to sleep during the day, she tends to find a quiet secure spot. By secure I mean that she tends to be hidden. Some of her favorite spots are in my walk-in closet and include a sweater cubby, on the shelf made by the cubbies where I keep my shorts, and in between the shirts on a lower rack or between my long terry bathrobe and a box. At night she tends to sleep under the table and chairs where there are many escape routes.

I know that she’s concern about her safety, but at the same time, I know that she trusts me.  Whenever there’s a sudden loud noise, she will usually try to find me and stay close by me until I’ve given her some reassuring petting and enough time has lapsed. She also rolls over on the floor at least a couple times a day to get a tummy rubbing.  Finally she makes sure that I always have her scent by rubbing up against me. She’s especially fond of rubbing against my feet and legs.

Tommy doesn’t like to be held or sit on my lap which has been quite hard for me to accept.  Friends tell me that sooner or later she’ll get comfortable enough, so I just have to continue to be patient.  On a positive note, Tommy does allow me to pick her up and hold her for about a minute before her tolerance of my behavior ends.

She doesn’t like her carrier or riding down in the elevator. She’s quite vocal during those times and if there are others in the elevator I tell them she’s just singing along with the tones announcing each new floor.  Once we get in the car, she enjoys the ride.  Her monthly trip to Petco to see Stephanie to get her nails clipped is usually her only reason for traveling.

This summer she’s enjoyed being on the balcony. She usually stays on the carpet which is just under the chairs and table. There’s at least a foot or two between the carpet and the railing. The few times that she’s gotten curious and tried to stick her head out through the railing I’ve calmly told her “No,” and then we go inside.  She’s learning that if she wants to enjoy the balcony, she needs to keep my anxiety level down.

After our visit to the vet last year we changed her diet and also starting brushing her teeth. She loves her wet food and tends to eat the dry food during the night. Occasionally if she’s hungry and I’m gone during the day, she’ll eat the dry food.  She tolerates getting her teeth brushed, but I think that’s mainly because she gets her favorite treat, dried tuna flakes, when we’ve finished that task. Because we’ve followed Dr. Becky’s instructions, this year she reported that Tommy was in excellent health and we just need to continue what we’re doing.  I felt validated because I’d never had a cat before and I’m always concerned that I’m doing what’s best for Tommy.

Our days are filled with play, naps, and food. I’m glad that Tommy allows me to sleep through the night.  She’s awake quite a bit during the day, so I’m sure that at least part of the night she sleeps. I’ve been known to have to get up during the night, and I’ve usually found her sound asleep under the table.

She’s good company and she keeps me on my toes. I always look forward to her wake up visit up on the bed in the morning, although she sometimes starts at 5:00 A.M. which she’s learning is way too early to wake me.  By 7:00 she’s pretty persistent. I don’t know how she knows that 7:00 is the time to make sure I get up, but I appreciate her efforts.

She doesn’t like television. She will usually vacate whatever room I’m in once the T.V. is turned on. She also doesn’t care to listen to music.  She will sometimes remain in the room if I’m playing classical music. She also stays when I put on Barbra Streisand although she’ll leave if I start to sing along. When I’m at the keyboard learning songs for choir she’ll also vacate the room. I’m not sure if she’s critical of my voice at that point or the combination of my plunking away at the keyboard while I’m singing.

She also regulates my time on the computer. If I’m spending too much time in the study, she’ll come in, jump up on the desk and make sure that I notice her. Of course it’s hard not to notice her when she sits right between the computer and me.  It’s also the time when she allows me to be close to her for an extended period. Her purring is one of the sweetest sounds to my ears and it almost always happens when we share time at the desk.

When I come home Tommy may be waiting at the door, or may run over to greet me.  I know that I’m in trouble if she remains sitting on her chair which means I may or may not be granted an audience with “Her Highness.” As I approach, she may allow me to pet her, or she may leave the room to put me in my place.

Even after a year, we’re still learning about each other’s quirks.  I’m sure that it will continue throughout our time together which I hope is for many years. I look forward to writing many yearly updates. As I said at the beginning, Tommy has enriched my life and adopting her was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.   

A Visit to the Vet

Tommy had her annual exam and shots today.  Dr. Becky said that Tommy was great. She'd lost the little bit of weight that she needed to lose and her teeth were great. Dr. Becky said that I was Dad of the Year! I'm so glad that Tommy got a clean bill of health and that it was evident that I'm taking good care of her.  When we got home Tommy got an extra treat and lots of lovin'. She's such a good kitty and I'm so happy that she's mine.

Eleven months and the First Fireworks of the Year.

June 5, 2015: It's been eleven months since I adopted Tommy from the shelter.  I'm so glad that I decided to bring her home. She keeps be busy and most of the time laughing (or at least smiling). She likes hanging out by the balcony screen and we occasionally venture out on the balcony together although she hates her harness. She sometimes walks out on the balcony untethered, but stays near the wall and under the chairs. She did sneak out today as I took a photo of all the sailboats. I didn't notice, but when I closed the screen, there she was sitting by the door waiting to be let back inside. I guess I'll have to do a better job of blocking the opening when I'm taking a picture.

June 6, 2015: The first of the fireworks of summer started at 9:30 P.M. and this year Tommy was not as disturbed by them. At first she stayed close to me, but after some reassuring petting she ventured over near the balcony door to watch them. She did retreat once the finale began with the continuous loud booming.

Ten Months and Counting

On May 5th it had been ten months since Tommy joined me in the condo.  We've settled into a routine, but each day is a new day with surprises and changes. This last week was the first of two weeks where I'm gone quite a bit during the day and I wasn't sure how Tommy would handle all the alone time.  She's used to spending some time alone, but not every day for most of the week. I also had a couple commitments in the evening, so she would be spending considerable time alone.
She usually greeted me at the door when I came home, but still has her independent spirit.  She sleeps when she wants where she wants which means I usually have the bed to myself.  She begins her morning wake up calls around 5:00, but has figured out that no matter how hard she tries, I'll get up when I'm ready.  Because I've needed to leave early a couple days during the week, I've actually gotten up while she's asleep.
 Last weekend two of my sisters and two of nieces stayed overnight.I have one sister who likes to hold her which if you've been following the blog, Tommy doesn't like. Somehow my sister got Tommy to stay in her arms for a few minutes by petting her chin and neck.  Even though this is the sister that "pesters" her the most, Tommy spent much of her time sitting near that sister.
Tommy loves the study and wasn't very happy that my nieces were staying in that room.  One of my nieces is allergic to cats, so I did a thorough job of cleaning vacuuming and preparing the room before her visit. It seemed that the girls didn't shut the door completely and Tommy found that by butting her head and pushing her paws against the door she could get in during the night. Fortunately Tommy didn't chase around and the girls were able to pick her up and move her back out of the room every time it happened. The girls now know how to secure the door.
Tommy spent the weekend recuperating from the visit. She didn't play much just eat and sleep.  By Monday, she was finally ready to spent some quality time with me. We had a nice play session in the morning and later when I was working on the computer, Tommy came and joined me.  We had a very long "pet and purr" session including a time when she turned on her back so I could pet her chest and tummy before she left for her morning nap time.
Although she's still doesn't sit on my lap or sleep on the bed with me, I know that she loves me. She's always showing me how much she trusts me and depends on me. The times when she follows me around, puts her paw on my arm, or just comes to find me, reminds me that I'm her human.
I'm so glad that we've had these last ten months together and look forward to he many months and years we'll have together in the future.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015: An Update and a New Hiding Place

Things have been going well for us. Tommy is now back to sleeping on the bed and doesn’t wake me up until almost 7:00. With any luck this is a pattern that will continue. We still have our morning routine of breakfast and chores followed by a play session.

I’ve moved Tommy’s dishes to her rug in the main room. It’s a bit more open and she seems to be eating more of her food. She has taken to eating some of her wet meals with her paw.  It’s quite the feat to see her swipe her food with her paw and then bring the paw to her mouth to lick off the food. She does tend to occasionally drop some of the food but she’s pretty good about cleaning up her eating area.

I’ve also moved some tables and plants around. Tommy checked everything out when it was moved, but only smells the plants. She hasn’t shown any interest in eating them as long as she has her grass for lunch.

She started playing with her toys again when I’ve been busy working on the computer or watching television and she usually ends up next to me on the sofa while I’m watching T.V. She also still does her run around the condo to burn off some energy.

I’ve added full length drapes in the study. Tommy didn’t climb up the sheets that I temporarily precariously taped to the windows as a trial run. Step two was adding the drapes in the study. The drapes for the main room will arrive in early May, and I’m pretty confident that she will continue her good behavior and not climb on them.

After the news I went to find Tommy for her last play session before bed. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find her.  During the second circuit through the condo I saw that the drapes were billowed out at one point. Sure enough, there was Tommy when I pulled back the curtains.

We had our play session and then headed for the bedroom. Tommy has gotten so used to the routine that the minute she hears me open the drawer, she jumps up on the bed and looks for her nighttime snack. She doesn’t always stay on the bed, but she takes her place on the bed sometime during the night when I’m asleep and she’s ready to settle down.

Thursday, March 12, 2015: The End of the Daily Blog

Now that we’ve been together over eight months, I find that I am writing about many of the same activities every day.  Because I don’t want to post just for the sake of posting, I have decided to stop writing a daily blog.

I will instead write occasionally when there is some major news, some photos to share or just a periodic update when we reach a milestone.  Until you hear from me again, take care and be well.

Don & Tommy

Wednesday, March 11, 2015: New Toys

Tommy jumped up on the bed a little after 6:30 A.M. to see if I was ready to get out of bed. While I was glad to see her, after a quick acknowledgement of her presence I tried to fall back asleep. She was pretty god about only quietly disturbing me a couple more times before 7:00. For the most part she either left the room, or just sat next to my head waiting for the next time that she thought would be the optimum time to get me to wake up.

At 7:00 I got up and got out her breakfast. I went to the study as always to work on posts and Tommy showed up later to get some attention. She again didn’t want to play, but only wanted petting and attention.  Her purring told me that I had chosen the right areas to pet.

She left for a while but returned to look out the window. Unfortunately I hadn’t opened the blinds yet, but that didn’t stop her. She just stuck her head in between the slats, but also let me know that I was shirking my duties.  I went over to open and rise the blinds. After a cursory glance outside, Tommy left to play in the main room with her box since her job was done.

When I finished I went to join her in the main room and work on the daily puzzles. I came out and found her curled up in her box with one of her toy mice.  I hadn’t been able to figure out why she had made so much noise playing in her box and now it made sense.  After some quick attention and petting I worked on the puzzles while Tommy went and napped in the sun by the balcony door.

I was meeting a friend for lunch, so I went to get ready and when I returned found Tommy sitting in her box waiting for me. I gave Tommy a couple new toys that were dental chews. The first one was a mint chew which she proceeded to sit on to guard.  I didn’t actually see her chewing it, so I’m not sure if it will help her breath.

The other chew had catnip in it and Tommy started licking that one right away.  Again, I didn’t see her chewing on it, so I’m not sure how much it will help. I had put the catnip treats on the table and the counter and Tommy went exploring the scents.  She ended up sitting on the table trying to find the source. Unfortunately for her I had already put away the other treats.

We spent a quiet afternoon and evening. We played a little and Tommy amused herself with her new toys while I read.  I worked on the postings and Tommy again amused herself in the main room while I worked.

When it was time for bed I got out Tommy’s snack. I went and picked her up, and gave her a big hug before I put her down on the bed.  She ate her snack, looked up at the television and then at me in the bed. I think she was surprised to see the T.V. wasn’t on.  Since there was nothing else for her in the bedroom she jumped down and went back to the main room. I turned out the lights and went to sleep.