Eating My Words

Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 3:18 PM

I'm not too proud to admit when I'm wrong, as I'm about to prove. I've always liked dogs much more than cats, and the few times we ended up with a cat, I basically tolerated them because a) they belonged to the kids and the kids really loved them, and b) they (the cats, not the kids) lived outside.

Shortly after my husband passed away, I decided to get a dog to keep me company. Eventually, though, I decided that wasn't a good option because I like to be free to go visit my children or my sister for a few days and because on the days I work I'm away from home for 13 hours. After careful consideration, I decided to try a cat.

I checked with the Humane Society and found that they had a four-year-old female cat that had already been declawed and spayed. One of her owner's had passed away and the other could not longer take care of her, and it seemed to me that she and I might be a good fit. I filled out the paperwork, passed muster with the Humane Society lady, and brought Isabel (aka Izzy) home two weeks ago.

I hate to brag but truth be told, Isabel is a fantastic pet. She settled in very easily, uses the litter box without fail, lays on my lap or by me when I'm grading papers or watching TV, allows me to pet her but doesn't pester me to pet her when I'm busy, and sleeps by my side every night. Actually, she only sleeps with me part of the time; the rest of the night I think she roams around the house. She's quiet, clean, and basically an all-around low-maintenance companion.

I went to my daughter's in St. Louis for two days, leaving Isabel home alone, and when I came home it was as if I'd never been gone. She hadn't torn anything up or shredded the toilet paper or gotten into the trash. She didn't hyperventilate or act like I'd abused her by leaving her for two days; in fact, I suspect she may have enjoyed having the house to herself!

I can see now why cat-owners are so smug about their pets and swear that they make the best pets. I'm still a dog-lover at heart, but Isabel has certainly changed my mind about cats. Don't worry, though. I promise I won't write endless entries about Isabel's antics. I'll just relax and enjoy her company.

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Good for you! Cats are special pets.

-- Posted by dgparham on Wed, Feb 24, 2010, at 3:35 PM
Please, write about Izzy's antics! I miss having cats as w/the dog door here and the hounds, a cat may not be safe - though the current Dachshund puppies, small as they may be at less than 9# each are able to handle the largest dog here. "Scram!" and the bigger dogs do....Enjoy your cat and let us know when you get a dog again, like a Dachshund puppy who does well in his X-pen when I am away.....:).

-- Posted by silverwalk on Wed, Feb 24, 2010, at 5:52 PM
Just wondering, did your kitty's food consumption drop while you were gone? Ours only eats about !/2 as much when we are gone.

-- Posted by John in Jackson on Thu, Feb 25, 2010, at 7:08 AM
Just a word of warning, I had to find out the hard way that de-clawed cats develop arthritis as they age & then can't dig litter so urinate on floors, carpet, etc. I adopted a de-clawed 6 yr old purebred Aby from a shelter who is 10 yrs old now and he has ruined my home with his urine. I had his paws x-rayed and the vet said that because de-clawing removes the 3rd Phalanx bone it puts extra pressure on the wrist & elbow joints when walking causing painful arthritis. The good news is that there are not extra bone fragments in the paw that would require an additional surgery! I also learned this surgery is illegal in many countries and several California cities (inc Los Angeles) because it harms so many cats (many end up euthanized or relinquished because they toilet around the house or become aggressive & bite). So word of warning to you all - it's easier to trim the claws & buy scratch pads for a clawed cat than trying to get urine out of your carpet, couch, & hardwood floors from a de-clawed cat!

-- Posted by FeralCatWoman on Thu, Feb 25, 2010, at 8:02 AM
I didn't know de-clawing a cat caused arthritis! I'm glad we didn't have our cat de-clawed.

We adopted a stray cat off the street. Talk about antics; she would attack our feet, legs and hands without warning. Then she went into heat; the violence stopped but she screamed all the time! Finally we had her "fixed" (much to my daughter's disappointment, who wanted Snowball to have kittens)and we're all able to sleep at night.

-- Posted by redpen on Fri, Feb 26, 2010, at 6:54 AM
FeralCatWoman, thank you for sharing the information about arthritis. I'll have to ask the vet if I can do anything, diet and nutrition-wise, to try to prevent that.

-- Posted by pmiinch on Fri, Feb 26, 2010, at 12:33 PM
John, I think she ate about the same as she usually does, and I know she drank water while I was gone because I try to keep an eye on that.

-- Posted by pmiinch on Fri, Feb 26, 2010, at 12:34 PM
Silverwalk, thank you for commenting. In all honesty, I don't know if there will be any real antics. Izzy seems to be a very low-key cat so far. She only gets antsy early in the morning and at bedtime. One thing I've noticed so far is that she doesn't play with toys. I bought a few things and showed them to her, and she walks right by them as if they don't exist. Maybe she's too dignified for them :)

-- Posted by pmiinch on Fri, Feb 26, 2010, at 12:36 PM

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