I've always been a cat person. Growing up, my folks wouldn't officially let us have a cat, but I adopted a couple of strays. First there was KitsyMittensGhost (I just couldn't quite decide on a name) and then there was WhitneyHouston (I think one of the younger brothers named her, it wasn't my idea!). Little Ms. Houston gave birth to a litter of kittens. Our neighbors adopted one (Bengal ... he was like a child to them) and one of them became MY best buddy. Gurken.
I was a little surprised I never had a cat as I married and moved into a home with hubby. He's actually a dog person. We did try that ... it didn't go so well. Then came the kids, and I just didn't want my babies crawling on carpet with kitty hair all around, and little kids and cats aren't always a good mix. As the kids grew older, we also wondered about allergies, as they would have interactions with cats at friends and family.
But this past Christmas, the kids couldn't stop talking about getting a cat or a dog. I said I wouldn't be opposed to a cat. They all stopped, shell shocked. I was giving permission! They scanned KSL and the adopt-a-pet websites, and actually didn't have much luck. Then, a picture came across of OREO ... a name which fits into our family perfectly. He was a four month old male up for adoption at the Humane Society, Landon took Colton and Cooper and went and picked him up.
His original family had given him up as he was soiling the house ... not great news, but we didn't really have much trouble. Oreo occasionally went potty in the tub. I guess if he wasn't going to go in his litter box, that is the next best place. We actually bought the "sitty kitty" toilet training system, but we soon gave up on that.
Oreo is the stereotypical kitty when it comes to computers. As I work at the computer, he ALWAYS comes and sits right in front of it. Such a little helper! Silly Kitty! He is very personable, he loves to be around everyone. He'll usually follow me from room to room.
Originally we set up his bed, food/water and scratching post in the downstairs hallway. His litter box in the downstairs bathroom. That way, we could close him up in a fairly large area if we were leaving for a while. After the room rearrange, the little boys moved into the downstairs bedroom, and we moved kitty's bed and food/water into their room. The little boys enjoy having Oreo keep them company at night.
Oreo is such a silly kitty, he makes me laugh a lot. As he chases a toy mouse, or just runs crazily through the house, lounges in the bathroom sink (attention ... we have a clog!) or just lays down in the middle of the walkway to relax. He LOVES freshly washed, nice and warm laundry just out of the dryer, he always "helps" me as I fold it and put it away. Much of the times he's a very laid back kitty, other times, he's in "predator mode" in which case, you had better watch out!
He's a silly sleeper too.
I love seeing all the positions he assumes as he snoozes the day away!
We have had a little trouble with him scratching ... both things (the chair, the couch, my ipad cover) and us! He has sharp claws. I don't think he's every purposely tried to hurt us, but we all have received some pretty good scratches. He'll bite a little at times too, but again, not with evil intent. He IS a shedder ... probably not as bad as some, but enough that we notice.
So far, he's pretty much just an indoor kitty. We just don't know if he'd stick around and come back in if we let him out unsupervised. He does love looking out the windows at the birds, and when we do let him out, he'll lay out in the sunshine, and explore the outdoors.
Cooper wants to give Oreo a bath, but I don't think bathing him is required ... and I'm afraid of his claws and teeth if we tried! He seems very interested in water though, he LOVES playing in the drinking fountain downstairs. Whenever we walk by, he'll jump up on it and wait for us to push the button and release some water. Then he sticks his paws in it. He often has moist paws! If we leave the toilet seat up (which even in a house of five boys, actually rarely happens) he'll almost always investigate, and much to the goldfish's chagrin, he likes to drink and play in that water too.
As much as I've known I always liked cats, I'm still somewhat surprised at how much I'm enjoying having this kitty around. I'm always talking to him, loving on him ... tripping over him as he comes up behind me and I don't know he's there. He isn't the most snuggly kitty, although sometimes he does come lay right by me or ON me (or Hubs, much to Grayson's delight ... not). The kids love him too. It's so fun to see how they all interact with him. We love our Oreo!
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