In my previous post, I mentioned the farm cats at the Airbnb we stayed in at Shenandoah. So…my whole life, I’ve never been a cat person. I’ve always been a dog person.
As an adult, I raised two dogs, Orion and Autumn. Losing them hit me extremely hard, first Orion in 2015 and more recently, Autumn in May 2019. So I kind of swore off adopting another pet for the foreseeable future. And that was somewhat the intention of the Shenandoah trip: a chance for Michael and me to enjoy each other’s company without having to worry about all the usual pet parent types of obligations.
Needless to say, during our trip, I fell in love. With a cat!
It started at the farm with one kitty in particular. I was sad to say goodbye to my new buddy. After we came home, I could not stop thinking of my furry friend. So I went on our local animal shelter website just to see who was adoptable. Just to see!
The funny thing is, one particular male cat named Buddy Boy (worst name ever) caught my eye and I sweet talked Michael into going to the shelter with me for a meet and greet. Well…Buddy Boy and I didn’t get along. Long story short, although he initially sat in my lap and let me pet him, apparently he hates belly rubs. He hissed and ran away from me (scratching my hand on the way down). Plan foiled.
I was super sad, but then…then!…this sweet little girl kitty climbed into my lap all on her own.
Meet Nutmeg, aka the new love of my life.
And it was absolutely love at first sight. She climbed up in my lap, let me pet her, tried to climb into my purse and leave with me, curled up in my lap some more and started purring.
We adopted her that same day. 😊 Because she hadn’t been spayed yet, we couldn’t take her home until the following week, when we brought her home complete with the famed cone of shame.
I love this sweet kitty so much! I have become 100% a cat lady and it’s now my life’s mission to make the newest member of our little family the happiest kitty on the planet.
Nutmeg is a domestic shorthair and around one year old. She was brought in as a stray (or a “trash cat,” as I affectionately called her). She weighed a paltry 3 lbs when we brought her home, then weighed 5 lbs at her first vet check-up. She has beautiful, unique coloring and omg I am just over the moon in love with this girl.
When we first brought her home, she was understandably cautious and a little skittish. But in the few months since, we’ve earned her trust and she’s really showing her personality now. She’s a total goober—really silly—but so sweet. She’s also a lap kitty (though occasionally, she needs some alone time), which I’m so grateful for because I love snuggling with her. She’s very playful; her favorite toys are anything with feathers, anything remotely resembling a mouse, and cardboard. She LOVES to chew cardboard.
Losing our pup Orion was so rough, especially since he was our first pet to pass away. But in a sense, it was somewhat easier to grieve because we still had Autumn. Then when we lost Autumn last spring, it was absolutely devastating for both of us, particularly me, since I had raised them since they were puppies. Add to that my precarious mental health situation this past year, and I was in a pretty dark place.
Having this new member of our family has made a world of difference. It’s a learning experience for us, since we’ve only raised dogs in the past. Cats are definitely not the same as dogs! And despite what the cat behavior books say, Miss Nutmeg does enjoy belly rubs (just not all the time).
I’m so thankful that Nutmeg chose us and I look forward to every new thing she’s teaching us every day. 💗
In my next post, I’ll update you on the ongoing, excellent adventure (sarcasm alert!) that is the current state of my mental health.
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