Welcome to Catster’s Wednesday Cat! Every week, we’ll share a story from one of our cat-loving Catsters. This week it’s all about Crystal and her soul cat, Ivy.
Hello, this is Casters!
The last time you heard from me, I talked about how I had prepared for Ivy’s arrival and how much preparation was needed to actually welcome the cat.
This week I want to touch on Ivy’s first few weeks with us and some of my favorite first memories with her.
Ivy was just a kitten when we got her (still a tiny baby in my eyes!), so she was doing all the things a kitten would normally do. I slept a lot, moved around just as much, and did a lot of exploring.
At the time, we lived in a duplex, which felt like a small house to us humans, but definitely seemed much bigger to her. Everything had to be inspected – all. There wasn’t a stone that she wouldn’t turn over, there wasn’t a smell left in the cupboard, there wasn’t a crevice or crevice that she couldn’t fit into. This has led to a lot of cat protection being installed around the house.
She arrived during the summer, and for those unfamiliar with South Africa and its climate, it was hot. It’s really hot. But I had to keep all the windows and doors closed at all times so she wouldn’t run away or get lost. Of course, she was interested in the “big outside” and often sat by the window, peering at what was happening outside.
At the time, I was also the owner of a local “garden center” and went home with at least four new plants every weekend. She liked one plant in particular, but it cost her dearly. Luckily, it was a real bamboo plant and wasn’t poisonous for her to eat.
Ivy figured out where we kept our dry food and treats in record time and tried to pry open the containers multiple times a day until I finally locked them up behind closed doors. She was actually very smart about this, but one day she got caught red-footed! The container was standing on the counter and she was on the counter trying to knock the container off so the lid would come off.
Of course, her cute pink bed was completely unused. Instead, to my great delight, she fell asleep either next to my face or curled up in my arms. She still does that and it never ceases to melt my heart.
The shower time was especially interesting. She sat curiously on the shower mat and toilet, trying to understand why humans would be put in a big box and splashed with water. Is Kitty’s nightmare really that bad?
After a while I started to notice that she was bored. She was an indoor cat, so she needed a lot of nutrition. At this time, she got her first proper cat tree and “helped” assemble it.
As soon as the box arrived, she knew it was for her. This cat tree is still with us and used every day.
These memories are just a drop in the ocean. We went through a lot in our three years together, but I will forever cherish those first few months as a kitten.
What is your fondest memory with your kitten?
Next month on Catster.com we’ll be talking about the dreaded F-word. Flea!
This article features Crystal and Ivy from the Wednesday Cats series “Cats of Catster”.
