Introducing Kitty Cat

Ladies and Gentlemen . . .

Attention, Please!

I introduce to you . . .

Drum Roll, Please!

Our newest Family Member . . .

Kitty!

Kitty Cat!

I never thought of myself as a cat person. Ever.

I found them aloof and disdainful. Of course, I care about all animals, but cats were not for me. Errrr, or so I thought.

Wild Cats

Our little cay is home to a number of wild cats.  Thankfully, it is not crazily over-populated as in years past.  But there are some who roam around, living in the bush, stealing from garbage bags left curbside, fighting among themselves, and screaming bloody murder in the most awful-sounding mating rites imaginable.

When I first came back to the island almost 4 years ago, Beau was feeding a wild kitten.  He has a soft spot for animals, too, and this itty bitty kitten hung out in the bush by his house, seemingly without a momma cat.  Truly wild, it ran from everyone, except it gradually warmed up to him, even allowing Beau to hand feed it.

We called her “Kitty,” not so much a conscious naming, but that was just how we called her from the bush and referred to her, so it stuck.  And, while unoriginal, it was an appropriate name for such a pretty kitty, sweet little thing.  Because we were living in my family home on the other side of the cay, I didn’t see Kitty much, though Beau stopped by his house often to look for her.  Beau was planning to try to capture Kitty to take to a Nassau vet to be spade since we don’t have a vet on the cay.

But then, lo and behold, Kitty dropped big boy balls!  (We still plan to try to get him neutered, though we’re nervous about the trauma of a capture/trip/medical for him – or anyone subjected to his claws.)

She’s a He

So, the “pretty kitty” is now my handsome little lion, but the name Kitty is still stuck, poor guy. 🙂

Since we’ve renovated Beau’s house and moved in, Kitty has gradually warmed to me. Especially with the now-regular feedings! And, a big surprise to me, this sweet Kitty is a little lovey! Totally cuddly, loves to crawl into my lap and purr, runs to us when he hears the door open, meows outside the door for food if he hears us inside and we’re not getting to him quickly enough, soaks up every bit of attention we offer.

Snuggly Kitty

Cozy Kitty

Sleepy Kitty

Playful Kitty

But What about Angel?

For the first few months with Kitty at our “new” home, Angel was absent (staying with my mother in Florida while we had travel and dog-care conflicts).  I’m sure I projected some of my Angel-love to Kitty, plus with Kitty’s own affectionate nature, we quickly bonded.  I wondered how it would be once the oh-so-spoiled Angel returned to “rule” her home.  Kitty still lives outside, but he is ever-present by our kitchen door and deck.

We’ve all been together a few months now, and the animals are getting used to one another.  Milo and Kitty were already cozy from Milo’s days of running back to the Village and hanging out by Beau’s house.  Plus, he’s so easy-going!

As for Angel, we introduced her to Kitty slowly: Beau holding onto Kitty and me holding onto Angel for the first few encounters.  And despite the stereotypes of dogs chasing cats, it was Angel for whom I feared!  Kitty’s feral instincts are sharp, his claws are even sharper and his fighting skills well-honed.  I shudder to think what one swipe across Angel’s big round eyes could do.

But, so far, so good.  They have had a few little scraps, but that seems enough for Angel to know not to antagonize Kitty.  On the contrary, Kitty likes to swipe playfully and pounce at Angel!  Angel usually just ignores Kitty, in her own disdainful way.

Kitty about to pounce towards Angel; Angel ignoring Kitty.

Kitty finishes rolling after taking a swipe at Angel’s passing plume of a tail.

Surprisingly, Angel is not as jealous of Kitty as I expected.  Well, let me restate that.  Angel’s jealousy is restrained.  If Kitty is crawling around in my lap and I’m petting him, Angel doesn’t get too concerned.  It’s only on a few occasions where Angel has been next to me and Kitty crowds in that Angel has let loose with a few snarls.

All in all, we share a peaceful coexistence.

Life is good.

Peaceful, even when Kitty sneaks into the house, as he is boldly starting to do more often!  I was shocked to discover Kitty curled up on Angel’s bed the other day, and more shocked that Angel was calmly lying on the bare tile nearby!

We’ve settled into our routines and, as with any jealous first-born “child,” I give Angel extra care.  Kitty has also succumbed to a flea collar (break-away style in case my still-wild cat gets caught in the bush or into a scrape with another wild cat).  AND, although Kitty is remarkably clean, I managed to give him a bath with one of those no-water foaming shampoos.

Kitty’s Live Performance

Here is a video snippet so you can see Kitty’s sweetness (and playfulness) for yourself. This was filmed on a typical early morning on our back deck/patio.  You can’t hear how Kitty is purring away, but if you listen closely, there is a rooster crowing good morning in the background!

Introducing Kitty Video Clip

 What do you think of Kitty?!  Do you like cats?  Do you have dogs and cats who interact well?