5 years ago if you asked me what pets we have in our house I would tell you this, “One fish, and I even regret that. He’s cute, but he stinks and his fish bowl is disgusting to clean”. I was fresh into parenthood and wanted to please my boys when they were little and give them a pet. I figured a fish would be the easiest route to take, and their life expectancy is well, less “committing”. I would never say a dog (oh the hair) or a cat (sometimes their personalities are just, well, off.)
We moved into our current home over 2 years ago, pets were not on our radar for any decade soon. A new fixer upper, two boys and the daily grind were enough to handle.
Then the mice came. You guys, it was like the movie Ratatouille – the scene where the ceiling falls in and it is covered in mice. Just take a look, and for a good laugh it’s in spanish, so if you speak spanish you’re in luck – but the scene will give you the giggles regardless.
So two obvious things. We did not have THAT many rats. We are not violent people, nor with weapons. So on the day we found a mouse in our kitchen, we considered it game over. Dan and I literally turned to each other and said, “that’s it, we need to get a cat.” And as mean as this will sound, we were not cat people, at all. So we went into this whole adopting a cat situation knowing that the mice were the reason, sure, we’d learn to like the cat and show it some TLC, but we would never be cat people, ever.
Our local pet store has monthly “adopt-a-thon” where those who foster kittens/cats can bring them in to meet potential families. The kids were over the freaking moon to go look at a pet, I do not think they even believed us 100% that we would be leaving with a new pet that day. We turned the corner to where all the kittens were set up, and there she was. Cuddled in the owners arms, purring away – this bright white calico 5 month old kitten. She was so so sweet. Her coloring was beautiful and she let the boys pet and poke at her over and over without a hiss or a scratch coming their way.
It did not take more than 20 minutes until we knew she would be just the right fit for us, and even better for the mice. At the same time it took only 20 minutes until our “search for the mice solution” grew on us so deeply we suddenly thought of her as another part of our family.
We, the “never cat people” suddenly fell hard for this furry feline.
What. The. Heck.
My little chefs in the kitchen so lovingly named her, Olive Oil. Which we adored.
Adopting a cat was such a great decision for our family, and if you are interested in doing so, DO IT. Not only are cats super easy to have ( very low maintenance ) they can be oh so sweet. I have a few tips for bringing your new lovie home.
1. Be hands on. Hold them, love on them 24/7. The more you show TLC the more they will back.
2. Obviously have a litter box – and ask what litter they used, believe it or not kittens can have a preference and prefer to “go” on what they like, and food they are accustomed to eating at first. You can gradually mix in the new food of your choice. It’s best to keep things familiar.
3. We limited the space she was allowed to roam at first, keeping her comfortable on our first floor and let her get use to her new surroundings.
4. Toys – play as much as you can with your new kitten. They have energy!
5. We did not declaw Olive, in fact we signed paper work to agree not to. We live in a wooden area, with other animals, so if she were to get out, we want her to have her built-in defense.
6. We have the food and water dispenser that refills itself. And we do clean her litter box every single day. Cats enjoy a clean bathroom as much as we do 🙂 Avoiding accidents is key.
It has been nearly two years and she has been the most social, friendly, sweet, laid back cat we could have ever gotten. She will greet you at the door, hop on your lap, never run from visitors, she is chatty and in your face wanting some loving 24/7.
Anyone who comes over calls her name and she comes running down the stairs to greet. She still isn’t on the same page as Duke (our german shepard, yes, we got a dog now too) She wants to hang with him and he’s just a bit to antsy still.
She sleeps with the boys every single night, and it warms my heart so.
Adopting her was such a fantastic decision. There are so many cats that need good homes guys, and I would recommend it to anyone!
Olive Oil, we were never cat people. Ever. And suddenly you turned that around. You have surprised us in so many ways. You have been the easiest pet to take care of, and the sweetest.
You turned us into cat people, and you got rid of all of the mice.
We love ya girl.