1. We got a “free” cat
Meet Chiquita!
Soo…I’d been thinking for a little while that perhaps when Lisey moved out, a second cat would be a nice thing for Zoe.
It’s hard being the youngest, I think, and the only kid left at home with mom. 😉
We visited two SPCA shelters, but eventually we ended up back at the shelter where we adopted our first cat, and Zoe fell in love with this little dilute calico.
We have her home on a foster-to-adopt basis right now, because her spaying appointment is still coming up. But she will be free to adopt after her appointment.
I know no cat is actually free, given the costs that will arise down the road.
Don’t worry. The fireplace is entirely non-functional. 😉
But some of the adoption centers here charge up to $250, so this is definitely a bargain.
And I think she and Zoe are going to be very good friends.
(Will Chiquita and our other cat be good friends? Time will tell once we introduce them in the future. We’re supposed to keep them separated for a while at first.)
She’s a year old, so she’s definitely got more energy than our other cat (she’s 12!). But she’s not quite as crazy as a kitten, so this is a nice middle ground. 🙂
2. I got some free food and water bowls
There was a corner full of free-for-the-taking items at the shelter, so I picked up a water bowl and food bowl for Chiquita.
3. I ordered some furniture protector sheets
Miss Chiquita seems like she might be a little more prone to furniture scratching than our other cat….so I ordered some of those clear sticky sheets to put on our leather furniture.
If she scratches the downstairs couch, I don’t care! That one was free, and it came with some prior cat damage already.
But my leather couches are still ok, and I’d like to keep them that way. If the sticky sheets work, they will be VERY worth the investment.
4. I ordered a second-hand hair dryer
Lisey and I were sharing a hair-dryer, but she took it to Hawaii (which was fine with me, of course!)
My mom had ordered a new version of the Conair dryer we had, and apparently something changed, because the new one had almost no blowing power.
So, I knew I didn’t just want to order a new one. I hopped onto eBay and found an old one for $8, and now it’s on the way to my house.
Hopefully it’ll be working well; I’ll let you know!
5. I used up leftover rice and sauce
I made chicken katsu for dinner the other night, and I ended up with some leftover rice and sauce.
Sooo, I fried some eggs this morning, put them over the rice, and added some sauce on top.
PBE
Thursday 8th of June 2023
Oh P.S. meant to add we had a 4 year old cat and got a tiny kitten. They hit it off like gangbusters right off the bat! 4 year old was so curious about kitten and they just started playing together.
PBE
Thursday 8th of June 2023
So excited about Chiquita!!
Kristen
Thursday 8th of June 2023
Heh, so are we!
Liz
Wednesday 7th of June 2023
I don't usually comment often but I also went through a divorce after a long marriage and I'm so happy for you and pulling for you. (My first thought was that a lady who restores furniture from the trash wouldn't end a marriage carelessly!)
Anyway, I used to have a cat with just the same coloration - we called it dusty calico! She went to the rainbow bridge in 2019 but she was the sweetest, most loving kitty. I hope this little miss brings you and Lisey so much happiness!
Kristen
Thursday 8th of June 2023
Hahahaha, I love that! (My first thought was that a lady who restores furniture from the trash wouldn’t end a marriage carelessly!)
Yes, you are right. This was the very, very opposite of a careless decision; 25 years, two separations, five rounds of marriage counseling. I know I gave it my all, so I can walk away with a clear conscience.
Millicent
Wednesday 7th of June 2023
Cute kitty, what a nice idea for Zoe to hug on--- I'd love to get an update of what everyone is up to? I seem to have lost track: Zoe is home (attending HS?) Lisey went to Hawaii for her airplane mechanic job. . . and Sonia? Is she away at fashion school? I started following your blog when I was sort of newly married, needing to save money as a new homeowner, and trying to bake bread and cook from scratch, but I got involved in your whole family activities too. It's been easily 10? 15 years? Maybe not that long.. .
Kristen
Thursday 8th of June 2023
Sonia's finishing up her two year degree at the community college and then she's gonna transfer for a four year school! She might eventually do something with fashion history, actually. She might like to teach on the subject, and I said, ok, as long as you are willing to teach, then it can make economic sense to get your degree in something rather off-the-beaten path. lol
Zoe graduated from high school this spring and she will keep working on her two year degree at the community college this fall. She's been doing college classes for the last three semesters of high school, so she's got a head start. :)
Terri
Wednesday 7th of June 2023
I love calico cats; have two tortoise shells of my own. They have such a great disposition and very loving once they bond to you. One of my calico cats is 10, she was adopted via a no kill shelter. The other is a little over 1 year old who is part of a chowder that showed up on my property. (in total I take cat of 8 cats; mama and two brothers are 2 years oe there about- 4 kitten who are now a little over 1 year old; all but one still needs to be caught and nurtured via the feral cat program we have in our city; catch, fix and release back into their environment thus keeps rodent population down due to me living by a canal. ) Thank goodness my sister will be taking two of the kitten for her own yet I have had to domesticate them which is a long term thing with feral cats. Oh well, one down and one to go and the nice thing is that the other feral trust me in the process and are coming around little by little. Once there I will be listing them for adoption via one of the many programs (or in all) we have.
As far as your new family member; might I suggest you try to teach her not to scratch the furniture, any of it. This is due to my long experience with cats. Once they start scratching furniture they never really stop....perhaps when you are around they are good about it due to them knowing they will get in trouble. However when you are not around they usually do as they please. Good for you for taking steps with the clear sheeting, I had to do such on my furniture due to the 1 year old not getting that furniture was off limits for scratching. purposes. Lucky for her that my 10 year old is very spoiled and has a scratch pad of some sort about every 10 or so feet within my home. With the addition of the many many toys the one year old learned real quick what was accepted and what was not. This is not to say that even now she does not act like a cat. I do in fact catch her on the kitchen counters once in a while which she promptly jumps from when she see me, lol. All my cats have always been allowed to get on anything they so desire...just not the kitchen counter nor the dinning table; dinning chairs okay just not the table.
New pet are always such fun and I would not worry about your cat and the new one. They will learn to get along, tolerate each other and/or become friends. I never thought Cali Flower would take to Tortie yet here they are coming from "talk to the paw or I slap you' from Cali to then running about play chase. I ever catch Cali cleaning Tortie here and there. Makes me laugh because when I do catch them doing such Cali always acts like 'no I was not' and walks away, lol.
Hope you and your family have many many joyful years with this new pet!