Back in April, I made my first step back into pet life by
adopting a tuxedo cat named Benzi. You may recall in that blog entry that I was planning to adopt a second cat later in the year. On Saturday, July 27th, I had finished a number of weekend trips and was back home in Tucson, so I decided it was about time to go take a look at more kittens. I went back to the Hermitage first, where I got Benzi, because my application was already approved and good for 6 months.
When I got to the cat sanctuary, I didn't immediately fall in love with any of the kittens. I had a preference to adopt a female cat, because I already had a male cat at home and had never owned a female cat before. I wanted to give it a shot, but it did however reduce the options I had to choose from. I spent some time in there before coming across a 4-month-old orange ginger cat named Ingrid.
She was extremely playful, but seemed more interested in her cat toy then myself. She would let me pick her up and pet her, but after a few seconds it was back to being hyper and playing with toys. I continued to play around with the other kittens, but again, none of them were really peaking my interest. Eventually I picked Ingrid up again and put her next to the other kittens, seeing how she plays with others. She started grooming one of the other cats, which I later learned was her brother, and that's when I decided she was the cat I wanted to adopt. I figured it was a good sign to see her get along with another cat in hopes that she'd get along with Benzi at home.
I took her home with me that day and changed her name to Ember when I got to the house. There's a reason I chose that name and it is connected to Benzi, but most people think I named her that because she is orange like burning ember on firewood. Props to anyone who ever figures out the origin of the names Benzi and Ember.
This was the first time I had ever owned two cats at the same time, so learning how to get them to get along well was a lengthy process new to me. I had Ember start out in the bathroom, just like Benzi had started. I would then occasionally let her explore the house while swapping Benzi in her room, slowly letting the cats take turns sniffing out the new smells without introducing them to each other. After a few hours, I'd crack open the door and let them see each other, but that was about the extent of any contact they'd get on Day 1. Over the course of the week, I slowly let Benzi and Ember see each other until the point I felt comfortable letting them eat near one another. It took about a few days before they were finally comfortable with one another and co-exist in the same area.
More weeks would pass and I'm happy to announce that they are the bestest of friends! Haha, okay they are more like brother and sister but they certainly get along. I'm quite happy with my new cat family and it's really nice to have an extra cat in the house. Benzi is more aloof and Ember is very sweet and cuddly, so they have different personalities but I love them both! Ember has now been at the house for a month and there have been no complications, she just gets really hyper and loves to play. I get a little annoyed when the two of them horseplay too hard and get in the bathroom curtains or accidentally tear up the guest bed box springs, but they are kittens after all.
That pretty much does it for me in terms of cats for now. I am still thinking of adopting a dog at some point, I'm just not sure if it will happen in 2019. I want to let these two grow together a bit more before adding a 3rd party into the mix. Hope everything is well with all of you and your families! Thanks for stopping by and until next time!
