The key is to just keep breathing...
Aug. 8th, 2003 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockFirst and foremost, got some terrific news this morning. The credit card fraud that has hung like a dark cloud over my head for the past few weeks as been officially expunged from my credit reports. It was so nice to scan across the report and read "deleted". Back to perfect, 100%, so squeaky clean car dealers bow at my feet, credit. *happy sigh*
Now the downside. Brought the Siamese home last night and at first everything seemed ok. He's affectionate, sweet, and definitely a lap slut when given half a chance. He's also tiny, just over 7 pounds and all skin and bones. Many "snowshoe" Siamese actually look more like regular short-hairs (with which they're bred), but he's pretty much all Siamese with white toes and a white splotch on his nose. In the sun you can actually see some orange in his tail and a little tabby striping. He's got the angular, high cheekboned face and huge, beautiful blue eyes of the breed, and when petted his tail wags just like a puppy's. It's adorable. The bad news is he wants outside very badly. He climbed the screen door twice and would have a third time if we hadn't shut the glass (he found that out the hard way). I took him into my room hoping he'd lay down and sleep, but instead he flipped out and threw himself at the window repeatedly. Finally I had to give in and move him to my bathroom (once all the breakables were removed) and pen him up in there with litterbox, food and water.
Despite cat-proofing it he still made a huge mess. Half his litter was out on the floor this morning, and the bathtub... Ok, so I left the weatherproofing plastic up on my bathroom window because I never open it anyway and being lazy I figured it'd save me a task this fall. Well the plastic is now in shreds all over my tub. In order to get to the window he had to leap from the toilet to the top of the shower stall door, and then over to the very narrow window sill. This will show you what a leaper he is.
Fortunately the window isn't clear so he might know on some level that it was a means of escape, but at least he wasn't egged on by seeing the outside. This morning he stayed curled up under the sink for a while as I cleaned up the mess. Aelf came in and we coaxed him out for pets. Unfortunately that seemed to get him all excited again and he started leaping around the room again until I ignored him and got ready for work. As I was putting on makeup he laid down on my foot and purred, and my frustration level dropped. How can I be annoyed at a creature that doesn't really mean any harm and desperately wants to bond with a human?
So, I've done some reading this morning and talked to a coworker who rescues all kinds of animals herself and have worked up a gameplan. Small space confinement for now, he'll be allowed back out in the regular house only with supervision and when he's calmer. Lots of human contact (or at least as much as possible), maybe some toys, etc. I've talked to the woman who trapped him and we'll make his picture available for adoption, if someone responds immediately who can spend more time and energy with him than I can, so be it, if not, then I think about maybe a kennel cage for him while we're away, and a cat tree while we're at home. I think he'd love one of those multi-tiered things he could jump up and hide on. We shall see.
So this weekend I focus on kitty, next week dance becomes a priority again. Went through the numbers last night and I was sloppy as hell, not practicing nearly enough right now. That must change.
Now the downside. Brought the Siamese home last night and at first everything seemed ok. He's affectionate, sweet, and definitely a lap slut when given half a chance. He's also tiny, just over 7 pounds and all skin and bones. Many "snowshoe" Siamese actually look more like regular short-hairs (with which they're bred), but he's pretty much all Siamese with white toes and a white splotch on his nose. In the sun you can actually see some orange in his tail and a little tabby striping. He's got the angular, high cheekboned face and huge, beautiful blue eyes of the breed, and when petted his tail wags just like a puppy's. It's adorable. The bad news is he wants outside very badly. He climbed the screen door twice and would have a third time if we hadn't shut the glass (he found that out the hard way). I took him into my room hoping he'd lay down and sleep, but instead he flipped out and threw himself at the window repeatedly. Finally I had to give in and move him to my bathroom (once all the breakables were removed) and pen him up in there with litterbox, food and water.
Despite cat-proofing it he still made a huge mess. Half his litter was out on the floor this morning, and the bathtub... Ok, so I left the weatherproofing plastic up on my bathroom window because I never open it anyway and being lazy I figured it'd save me a task this fall. Well the plastic is now in shreds all over my tub. In order to get to the window he had to leap from the toilet to the top of the shower stall door, and then over to the very narrow window sill. This will show you what a leaper he is.
Fortunately the window isn't clear so he might know on some level that it was a means of escape, but at least he wasn't egged on by seeing the outside. This morning he stayed curled up under the sink for a while as I cleaned up the mess. Aelf came in and we coaxed him out for pets. Unfortunately that seemed to get him all excited again and he started leaping around the room again until I ignored him and got ready for work. As I was putting on makeup he laid down on my foot and purred, and my frustration level dropped. How can I be annoyed at a creature that doesn't really mean any harm and desperately wants to bond with a human?
So, I've done some reading this morning and talked to a coworker who rescues all kinds of animals herself and have worked up a gameplan. Small space confinement for now, he'll be allowed back out in the regular house only with supervision and when he's calmer. Lots of human contact (or at least as much as possible), maybe some toys, etc. I've talked to the woman who trapped him and we'll make his picture available for adoption, if someone responds immediately who can spend more time and energy with him than I can, so be it, if not, then I think about maybe a kennel cage for him while we're away, and a cat tree while we're at home. I think he'd love one of those multi-tiered things he could jump up and hide on. We shall see.
So this weekend I focus on kitty, next week dance becomes a priority again. Went through the numbers last night and I was sloppy as hell, not practicing nearly enough right now. That must change.
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-08 10:23 am (UTC)I remember seeing that book and thinking 'Damn what an apt metaphor for what my life feels like'.
Congrats
Date: 2003-08-08 10:49 am (UTC)And about kitty, I swear that once he gets used to the new living arrangement he will be fine. Don't let the first night get you down. I bet he'll get a little better every day.
Re: Congrats
Date: 2003-08-08 11:02 am (UTC)And did I mention I'm completely credit debt-free too? Paid off my last card last week, woo!
And about kitty, I swear that once he gets used to the new living arrangement he will be fine. Don't let the first night get you down. I bet he'll get a little better every day.
It's the harming himself that has me worried. He can tear down all the plastic in my bathroom and knock shit over as much as he wants, but I don't want him to hurt himself. He did calm down this morning after I left and closed the door. Didn't hear a peep out of him. I'm going to try making him a little bed in a box in there because he crawled behind the drawers under the sink last night and I don't think that's a very good spot for him to get used to sleeping in.
Re: Congrats
Date: 2003-08-08 06:48 pm (UTC)And yeah I know you don't want him hurting himself, but I think that the poor dear has probably had a rough time. Once he feels comfortable and loved then I think he will calm down. Think about how traumatic the whole thing must be for him at the moment. Poor kitty!!!!
no subject
Date: 2003-08-08 10:54 am (UTC)Has yahoo eaten our latest email?
no subject
Date: 2003-08-08 10:59 am (UTC)Indeed. I'll try to get some pics of the little fella this weekend.
Has yahoo eaten our latest email?
Probably. Let me check a couple of folders before I say for sure, though.
new kitty?
Date: 2003-08-08 05:24 pm (UTC)Re: new kitty?
Date: 2003-08-11 08:17 am (UTC)You know the Humane Society I volunteer at? Well they focus on cat and kitten rescue and rehabilitation. Part of what they do is trap strays that are either in need of medical attention (or to be neutered) or good candidates for being house pets and then foster them or adopt them out to folks willing to work with the animals. The woman who trained me trapped him and was desperate to find a fostering situation for him. I offered with an eye towards adoption, and I'm not entirely sure I could give him up at this point, despite all the work, he's such a doll.
awww
Date: 2003-08-11 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-10 04:50 pm (UTC)