What was I thinking??

Tax season is over, life is back, and it's NICE! I worked Wednesday...left early yesterday....our office was closed today for our 'after tax season day off' and THIS is how life should be! Of course, with a day off comes all the things that need to be done that have been put off....

Here's the deal:

Grace and I were at Target a couple of weeks ago and I found this pet blanket that I just KNEW my cat would love. I was right...she snuggles right up on there leaving big chunks of hair every day..a fact of changing weather with cats. She sleeps every day right in the middle of my bed, so I'd been putting a sweatshirt or something up there for her to lay on, but when I saw this blanket, I thought it would be perfect. Well, last weekend or early this week, I noticed that my cat had been licking the hair off the inside of her back legs...YUCK! :-) I took her to the vet this morning because I knew she had an allergy or something, but with the weather changing, etc, I had no idea what it was. Wouldn't you know the first question the vet asked was if there were any new blankets or anything she'd been sleeping on?? Helloooo....lightbulb moment! :-) Could have saved $56 if I had just thought of that myself! Anyway, he gave her a shot to keep her from itching and scratching, then she needed a rabies shot, so I couldn't be a bad mom and let that go unattended. Anyway, we came home and removed the blanket from the top of my bed...hopefully that will help. I do NOT want a hairless cat! :-)

On another note, I was at my sister's last night and we discovered a kitten on their deck. Their cats get pregnant, but they are SOOOOOO skittish that you can't get around them enough to know until they have babies, so next thing you know, there are kittens everywhere! I don't know where any others may have been from this most recent litter, but there was only one kitten there last night...probably about 4 weeks old. Now, when I say the two cats at my sisters are skittish, I mean it. One will let you rub her, but you can't dare pick her up. The other will sit at the door and beg for food, but the minute you open the door, she runs just far enough away that you can never touch her. Almost a wild sort of thing, but not quite...it's like they want to be tame and trusting, they are just scared. Of course with dogs there too, it's no wonder they are scared.

After some fenageling on my part, I was able to get my hands on that kitten. The mom FREAKED and ran away, the kitten hissed and spat, but eventually calmed down so we could pet her. Now my cat came from that house too and while she is still skittish, she's not nearly as 'out there' as those are, but I got her when she was only a couple of months old and she's about 7 years old now, so it's been a while. Anyway, while we were petting this kitten, my sister said, "Do you want to take her and tame her?" Well, the way she was acting and the way I love cats, I couldn't say no, thinking that I would get her used to being around people and make her sweet, then find another home for her. That is still my intent. We put the kitten in hamster cage until Grace and I could get back from Target, where we were headed to buy Barbie stuff with a gift card she got for her birthday, so we bought a carrier while we were there and I brought the kitten home. I sat the carrier in the floor when I got home so my cat could get a look at it and in it and the kitten could see what was happening, then I put the kitten and carrier in another room where she slept all night. My cat was JEALOUS! :-) She usually purrs 90-nothing, but it was midnight before she got happy again....that was cracking me up....a pouting cat! Definite attitude. :-)

Well, as I've been off today, I've gone in there to check on the kitten and she's hissed and spat so much that I've been scared to put my hand in the carrier! I did manage to slide some soft food in there, but she still felt threatened. Tonight, I took her out on the patio and took the lid off the carrier so I could change the newspaper in there and we had a little time to bond. She seemed to calm down a bit and is hopefully learning that I won't hurt her. We'll see. At this point, I am more hopeful than I was even earlier today. I asked the vet about it when I was there this morning and he said to just keep holding her and petting her and she'd change. I hope he's right. For now, here are a couple of pictures of her (or him...I really don't know yet!).....


...and the QUEEN....who is unamused! :-)

Again, I ask, 'what was I thinking?'