The comforts of his own home.

Arthur is right now sprawled out on top of a pile of clean laundry I have yet to put away, in part because I’m lazy and in part because it is Arthur’s favorite place to sleep when I’m working in bed.  (When I’m in the living room, he’s abandoned his cat condo for an old cardboard box top, which cost zero cents.  The condo cost $30!)

He’s entirely on his back right now, with his front paws stretched out to the side.  The cat is clearly comfortable here.

Meanwhile, I cannot get his diet right.  He’s had diarrhea, probably because I immediately put him on a diet of mostly dry food, which is what my mom fed our cats, but it turns out he was eating mostly wet food in his previous home.  I moved him back to wet food, and the diarrhea went away for a day, but now I’m mixing dry food back into the wet, and the diarrhea came back tonight.  I grew up with cats, but I never knew their stomachs were so delicate!  I need to get him in better shape before I go away next weekend, though my amazing brother has offered to take care of him while I’m gone, so I really won’t have to worry.

It is nice to have someone to worry about, though.

Oh, Arthur.  I didn’t realize how lonely I was in this big apartment all by myself until you came along!  I can’t wait until I fall asleep and you decide it’s time to relentlessy dig your claws into my neck and arms and suck on my duvet cover (the Internet tells me you were weaned too early).

Read Full Post »

Holding down the fort.

Tonight I had my tutoring job after work, and then I met old friends for drinks, and I came home later than I have all week. My sweet Arthur (aka Parthenon aka the Panther aka Artemis aka Artsy Fartsy aka Arturo aka Parthy) was distraught. I could hear his soft mews through the door as I turned the key. I thought at first he was starving, but he’s barely touched his dinner. I think, actually, he was starving for attention. He wanted love! My pets and kisses have been met with the happiest of purrs, and even as he bounces off the walls, he seems to want to bounce off the walls closest to me.

That’s so nice, coming home to someone who’s been waiting all day for you to get there.

Read Full Post »

Laundry day.

When I moved into this apartment, I thought I’d hit a goldmine. Laundry in the building! No more lugging seven loads of laundry (because I always put it off till I absolutely have to do it) to the laundromat in the morning so they could have it ready for me when I got home from work, inevitably ruining a piece of clothing or losing a sock in every batch. I thought: I’ll just do my laundry as I need to do it, and it’ll be so convenient! I’m even on the first floor, so I’ll only have to take the elevator for a quick ride down to the basement!

Ugh. Laundry is such a nightmare here. There are four washers and three dryers for a 100-unit building, and the laundry room is only open from 9 a.m. till 7 p.m., meaning anyone with a 9-to-6 (when did it stop being a 9-to-5 anyway?) has to do laundry on the weekends. The machines are old, and the room is dirty. Today, one of the washers (I used all four) didn’t spin my load, so it came out sopping wet. One of the dryers is broken, and another one swallowed three quarters without registering them.

The real bummer is that there’s not even a laundromat convenient to me here. At least in the old place, the laundromat was on the way to the train. In retrospect, it was pretty easy just to drop off the clothes and let someone else do all the work.

In other news, Arthur’s amazing, and I woke up this morning to find that he’d finally pooed in his litter box. I was so worried last night that he kept eating and eating and wasn’t using the potty! We’ve had a lovely day together of sleeping (him, not me) and eating and watching a couple of mediocre movies. He’s so exhausted from it all, he just collapsed next to me on the couch and fell right asleep. Again. Take a load off, Arthur!

Read Full Post »

Arthur has arrived!

I can’t write much because I am totally absorbed by the newest addition to my family, King Arthur, who arrived several hours ago and has been causing me uninterrupted joy ever since.

I don’t know what this cat’s previous foster family was thinking. How could they give up such a lovely cat? He spent the first hour or so just looking around, sniffing, exploring, climbing. He loves to eat, and I guess I picked the right food and treats, because he seems very happy with them. He’s actually a bit of a cuddler, though Chris was the main recipient of that. He doesn’t run from me when I approach him like Luna used to do, and he lets me pick him up and snuggle him whenever I want. He’s mildly playful, and he’s a grade-A napper.

He’s also beautiful!

I’ll post more pictures soon. This guy is very photogenic.

Read Full Post »

Here, kitty kitty.

I just got another email from the cat shelter, which is desperate to find a foster for a cat named Tiny. I’ve been putting this off because I wanted to prepare my apartment, but it’s pretty much ready now, at least for a cat. I responded positively to the email, and ever since, I’ve just been SO EXCITED about the possibility of having a cat puttering around the house soon!

All I know about this cat is that it’s named Tiny. I’m anxiously awaiting more information and hopefully a picture. I hope it looks like this:

via funnycatsite.com

Read Full Post »