The Newest Addition

In the past week, there has been a new addition to the McDougall clan. This newest addition is of the furry, four legged variety.

I have always been a cat person. I love how cute, playful, independent and cuddly they are. Growing up, we always had cats around...Leon, Sticks, Zack just to name a few notable standouts.

Since moving out of Eboogie's house two years ago, I was constantly fielding the question "are you going to get a kitten?" Everyone thought it was a foregone conclusion. I was resistive to the idea for a few reasons.

1. Pretty much everyone I know is allergic.
2. I didn't want my furniture scratched up before it was paid off.
3. I don't like the idea of cat hair all over the place.
4. My job required a lot of travel and I would have felt guilty leaving an animal alone.
5. I am adverse to the crazy single cat lady sigma.

A few weeks ago, Gail B. told me a woman she works with was looking for good homes for her kittens. For the first time, I was seriously considering the option. I pulled out my objection list (above) and started to reevaluate.

1. I never have any visitors so what is the difference?
2. One of my couches is paid off and I am almost done with the other one.
3. There are already copious amounts of my hair all over the place so what is the difference? Plus, I have a Swiffer and a lint roller.
4. I don’t have that job anymore.
5. I no longer care (and I believe that if you stop at one, you can avoid being the crazy single cat lady)

By the time I had made my decision, the cat lady only had one male cat left who was unspoken for…the runt of the litter. She told me that he was a tough guy with an attitude. I saw it as a sign that he was the one for me and my decision was solidified. I was getting a kitten.

After a rocky start at the pet store picking out food and litter, I went to get him. There was little Bubo. Six weeks old, tiny but fearless and macho. I loved him immediately.

He was a little apprehensive when he first got home. Checked out his new surroundings with a little trepidation but got his bearings relatively quickly. I took off the next day so I could spend it with him so we could bond and I could help orient him to his new home.

That was one week ago today. Man, they grow up fast.

Bubo has taken on a few new nicknames lately…Holy Terror, Crazy and Doodie just to name a few. He is certainly comfortable in his new house. He watches Sports Center while I am at work. When I get home (after picking up the pictures he has knocked down from jumping on tables and picking up the clothes he has tossed around the living room), he follows me around and attacks me. All night long. If I walk, move, sit or sleep it doesn’t matter. He attacks me.

He is actually currently stalking me at I type.

The mornings are the worst. Like clockwork, he wakes up at 6:00 am and wants to play. Any part of my body that is exposed is fair game. This morning I covered everything with my comforter including my face (I woke up yesterday to him biting my eyelid) Because the only part of me he could get to was my hair, I got a scalp massage.

Do I regret my decision? Absolutely not for one second. There is nothing sweeter than him leaping off the couch every day to greet me when I come home from work. Or how much I love when he falls asleep cuddling under my chin. Even though my arms have what can only be described as track marks, how can you get mad at this face?

He’s tough, rambunctious, persistent and damn cute. That’s my baby.