I'm a bad, bad blogger!
I had to edit my email address here and happened to read my last few posts. I just realized that I hadn't posted about my sweet Max.
About a month after Nyx died, I ran across an ad in the local "Bargain Hunter" pages. A woman was getting rid of two cats because she had just had a baby and wasn't comfortable with the cats around the baby. Both cats were male, had been neutered, and, sadly, declawed. (All four feet - I've never heard of that one before!)
Anyway, I called. One of the cats was already taken, but I got the other one. Bonnie picked him up for me on her way home from work. I thought I'd made a serious error - he was in a carrier and screaming and yowling and beating on the carrier. Of course, Bonnie's three girls and two dogs were all trying to see what he looked like and talking and laughing, etc.
But I took him home with me, let him out of the carrier, put down food and water and a clean box, and turned a cardboard box toward the wall so he'd have a place to hide. In a very short time, he came out, drank a little and tasted the food, then calmly bathed as if he'd never been bothered at all ;)
He's a big boy. Nyx weighed eight pounds (3.6 kilos; a little over half a stone). Max has to weigh 15 pounds (6.8 kilos; a bit over a stone). Max is at least twice as tall as Nyx was, as well. He looked odd to me for the first couple of days with those long legs and big ears. Now, though, the other cats around here look odd to me.
He's settled down beautifully. He demands his treats and lets me know immediately if I try something he doesn't like. He loves to sit on my lap and sleeps sprawled across my chest. He's so long he doesn't fit, but he doesn't care ;)
I've had him six months now, and I'm very grateful I found that particularly ad when I did. He's only two, and can't be allowed out, which I regret for him, because I know how much Nyx loved hunting and climbing outside. But Max has no defense at all except his teeth. Most cats that are declawed (a practice I'd love to outlaw!) lose only their front claws to keep them from ruining the furniture or stockings or whatever. The back claws are left as defense. They grab with their front feet and try to dig into the soft belly with their hind claws. But since Max has no claws at all, he's stuck inside. The plus side is that he'll most likely live a good bit longer than most outdoor cats since he won't be exposed to disease and pests and fights.
He's a pretty thing - all black and white. He's what's called a "tuxedo cat" because of the white chest surrounded on each side by black. His fur is soft, too, which is unusual for most adult males cats I've known. I've no clue what breed he is, if he is a breed.
Hrm, I'm gonna have to cut this. I wrote much more than I intended. Just normal for me -- once I start talking, I don't stop easily ;)
About a month after Nyx died, I ran across an ad in the local "Bargain Hunter" pages. A woman was getting rid of two cats because she had just had a baby and wasn't comfortable with the cats around the baby. Both cats were male, had been neutered, and, sadly, declawed. (All four feet - I've never heard of that one before!)
Anyway, I called. One of the cats was already taken, but I got the other one. Bonnie picked him up for me on her way home from work. I thought I'd made a serious error - he was in a carrier and screaming and yowling and beating on the carrier. Of course, Bonnie's three girls and two dogs were all trying to see what he looked like and talking and laughing, etc.
But I took him home with me, let him out of the carrier, put down food and water and a clean box, and turned a cardboard box toward the wall so he'd have a place to hide. In a very short time, he came out, drank a little and tasted the food, then calmly bathed as if he'd never been bothered at all ;)
He's a big boy. Nyx weighed eight pounds (3.6 kilos; a little over half a stone). Max has to weigh 15 pounds (6.8 kilos; a bit over a stone). Max is at least twice as tall as Nyx was, as well. He looked odd to me for the first couple of days with those long legs and big ears. Now, though, the other cats around here look odd to me.
He's settled down beautifully. He demands his treats and lets me know immediately if I try something he doesn't like. He loves to sit on my lap and sleeps sprawled across my chest. He's so long he doesn't fit, but he doesn't care ;)
I've had him six months now, and I'm very grateful I found that particularly ad when I did. He's only two, and can't be allowed out, which I regret for him, because I know how much Nyx loved hunting and climbing outside. But Max has no defense at all except his teeth. Most cats that are declawed (a practice I'd love to outlaw!) lose only their front claws to keep them from ruining the furniture or stockings or whatever. The back claws are left as defense. They grab with their front feet and try to dig into the soft belly with their hind claws. But since Max has no claws at all, he's stuck inside. The plus side is that he'll most likely live a good bit longer than most outdoor cats since he won't be exposed to disease and pests and fights.
He's a pretty thing - all black and white. He's what's called a "tuxedo cat" because of the white chest surrounded on each side by black. His fur is soft, too, which is unusual for most adult males cats I've known. I've no clue what breed he is, if he is a breed.
Hrm, I'm gonna have to cut this. I wrote much more than I intended. Just normal for me -- once I start talking, I don't stop easily ;)