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We had no intention of ever having a new kitten join our family. After all, two old people and one very old (16year old) cat were enough in a household. Everyone was set in their ways and things were running smoothly. Everyone knew each others rules. It was nice.
One day in late October, our next door neighbor, Angie, was gifted with a new kitten. Angie's old cat had been killed by dogs late one night about six months ago. She longed of another cat, but her mother has allergies and didn't really want to have a cat in the house again. Angie called her new kitten, Nola for New Orleans LA because it had black and gold eyes. She believed it to be a female. It was Gorgeous. Gordon called it a show cat. Its markings are precise.
That's Nola looking inside our house.
Angie's next door neighbor, Earline loves cats. Angie came to our house looking for Nola one Saturday morning. She told us about the kitten and how Earline really liked it. We said, "No, we haven't seen a gray and white kitten. She said she was going to wash her car, that Nola liked water and hopefully would come around when she heard it.
About two days later, Nola showed up at our house. She looked hungry. We did not feed her. She was very nervous, but let us pet her. She chased leaves and feathers. She was very entertaining and very unassumingly funny. Our granddaughter, Annie came over to make Jack-O-Lanterns and played with Nola.
Nola loves to jump up at feathers.
So, Nola began spending a lot of time at our house. We started to feed her. We talked to Earline. Earline didn't really want Nola, and said Angie said she couldn't keep Nola because her mother's allergies acted up every time Nola came inside.
Earline, Angie's neighbor, had taken Nola to her vet's to have her checked out. Vet said she was a he and less than six months old. Earline and her husband had a conference with me and Gordon. Both couples are retired. They have two inside cats. We have one. Earline agreed to pay for half of the neutering fee/rabies shot for Nola. She called for an appointment at her vet's. I have had cats die of feline leukemia and it was awful. I wanted the newly named, Nolan, to have those shots and the aids shot. He also had ear mites. When it was all over, Earline paid $68 of the fee for neutering and rabies. We paid $325 for the ear mites, the other shots, half the neutering, etc. Earline uses a very expensive vet. Nolan will not see this vet again. Our vet would have charged maybe half that.
So, it all boils down to we have a new kitten. He weighs 8.2 pounds. He is tall, long and has big feet. He is very handsome and a show stopper. He has changed his name from Nolan to Trouble. He changed it by his actions. We keep forgetting that he doesn't know the rules.
He's pulling Annie's hair, above. He's sleeping in my computer cabinet, below. He jumps on the table. He earns his name.
He is very inquisitive, he loves water. He puts his paws in it to drink. He is the most "pliable" cat I've ever held. He is not at all ridged. He has a big stomach. He makes noises when he eats, kinda like a pig at a trough.
I am typing about him in this blog and he just jumped up and got behind the monitor. He is so big, I couldn't get him out without displacing the monitor, so I took his picture.Wee is really unhappy about the new addition. Trouble attacks Wee because he moves. When Wee tries to run away, it just makes Trouble chase after him. Trouble grabs him, engulfs him in his arms and sucks on poor, outraged, scared, Wee. Yes, Vet said he was weaned too early from his mother and he will always suck like that. He sucks on pillows, on my robe, on my arm. His sucking hurts. Wee screams and we run because we know he's being killed. You must know, Wee weighs 5 lbs. and has short fur. Trouble has long fur and is a big 'presence'. We find screaming Wee under Trouble and held tightly by the intruder who is biting and sucking on him. I have not taken a picture of this, but I've had many opportunities daily. I think it is more important to rescue Wee than snap a picture of his misery. Trouble gets put in "time out" about 20 times a day. "Time out" is either outside or behind a closed door in a room away from Wee.
Wee appears larger here, but that is an optical illusion due to the camera angle. Our solace now is that Trouble has a big fur coat and can take the cold. We don't feel badly about putting him out. Our promise to him is that he would always sleep in. We don't want the same fate for him as our neighbors cat.He still visits the houses in the neighborhood. He's after the food dishes that are out for him.
He has been given flea meds and the ear mites are almost gone, so he is not as hyper as he was. He just got his big teeth in his mouth. They were those tiny ones up until about a month ago. Today, after he jumped on the back of my leg and I felt the claws Wee has been exposed to, I cut his toe nails. Argh! That hurt. I guess Wee feels like a pin cushion.
When he's being good, he is awesome!
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