On Monday, January 25, a change took place in our household. We rescued a 1 year old adult male cat who had been declawed and neutered, of course. His mother had lost her job and could no longer afford to keep him. He spent several weeks in a cage, waiting for someone to take him to a forever home. When we first met him, I was concerned as he seemed to not want much contact, and he was BIG. I had never had such a large cat. I guess I have always had petite females. However, he is magnificent looking. A striking tiger cat, not mackerel but actual stripes like a tiger, only all in a silver gray with darker gray stripes with light tan underbelly and inside his back legs. He is very athletic, agile, and fast; necessarily forcing me to watch where he might be next before I fall over him. He particularly prefers to lie down directly behind me in the kitchen.
His name was Frankie but he is too self-assured and confident to have such a name so we named him Ki, pronounced like key which is a Japanese word for the heart of strength and energy. He is lovable and gradually learning to trust us. He went through a traumatic event in his life, being abandoned and caged after having a home with a dog for a companion. He is alone with us now and we will see how he adjusts to solitary status. Of course, he is the king of the house and made sure he claimed every inch of his territory.
It is amazing how much difference a simple thing like a cat can change your mood from depression to pleasure. We had missed our Tiki, and now we have Ki. Sometimes I find myself calling him Kiki and have to rein myself back in. He adjusted to his new name with no complaint.
I went to the grocery today for some catfood for him and he was so excited when he heard the bags come in. He pranced around the kitchen inspecting every bag and immediately homed in on the catfood bags. I poured some into his bowl and he dove right in. Earlier, I had a yogurt for lunch and when he heard the lid of the yogurt lift up, there he was waiting. He ate 3 teaspoons and then went under his couch for a nap.
What a joy it is to have a warm, fuzzy back in the house. No, he isn?t Tiki and can never take her place, but he is totally himself and has already wormed his way into our hearts. As he has gradually learned to trust us our bond has grown deeper. We think he was not allowed on the beds or the furniture as he has turned down our invitations to come up. In time, he has learned that we welcome his body snuggled next to ours. Welcome home, Ki.
Although he came to us with no manners, he is eager to please and has caught on quite quickly that he is not welcome on our food tables and respectfully removes himself to the hallway until we are finished. His idea, not ours.
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