The Cat

I'm not sure how this cat thing is going. I mean, I like a pet that is glad to see me when I get home from work....not one that hides. Occasionally Scully will come out of hiding, and she spends about 10 minutes an evening near me for some attention, but that's about it. The rest of the time she hides. The thing about cats is that the relationship is all on their terms. When she needs attention, I have to give it to her, but when I want to be greeted when I get home from work, she is nowhere to be found. Right now she is downstairs meowing loudly, but she won't come upstairs with me and when I try to see what she needs, she hides and even hisses at me. So...how am I supposed to know what she is meowing about? Dog's are much easier to understand. I'm still feeling that sense of grief over not having a dog. I'm not giving up on Scully yet. I think we both need some time. But, if she's going to spend 90 percent of her time in hiding, I'm not sure she is the pet for me.

Shoes

Remember last year when I was buying all those cute shoes to celebrate the New Year? Well.....here are this year's shoes.




I haven't even thought of wearing anything but boots since the blizzard right before Christmas. We got tons of snow then, and have gotten one major storm a week since then, with very little melting. In fact, it's snowing again now. It's hard to capture in pictures just how crazy all of this is...but her are a couple of my attempts.


The view from my front door.


My back yard.

I've only fallen once getting to and from work, but climbing over piles of snow to get on and off the bus has been quite challenging. After a couple of weeks of slipping and freezing, I headed to REI for some gear. As I explained to the sales clerk, I'm not really an outdoors person, I'm just trying to get to work and back on the bus. It's brutal out there.

An addition

Ever since my dog died last April, I've been contemplating what to do next about a pet. I've debated if I'd rather have the freedom of no pets, or if it's better to sacrifice the freedom to experience attachment to another living being. I've always been a dog person, and I love the companionship of a dog and they way they seem to open doors in some situations. I mean...you go anywhere with a dog, and people stop and want to pet your dog, or ask you about your dog. They are such social beings. But, dogs take a lot of work and a lot of attention. Lannie was older, and she was okay with staying home by herself all day, but I wondered if another dog would be. Also, Lannie didn't really try to get out of the yard, so I felt okay with the state of disrepair of my fence. I started wondering if maybe a cat would be a better fit for my current lifestyle. I could go away for a weekend and not have to worry about leaving it with someone. I wouldn't have to feel guilty if I went out after work. Lot's of things just seemed to make sense about getting a cat over a dog. But...can a person really switch from being a dog person to a cat person?

I was with my nephew and his wife last weekend, and they have 5 cats and one of them really didn't seem to enjoy being around so many other cats, so we thought maybe I could take that cat on a trial basis and see how things go. So yesterday was the appointed day to pick up the cat. First I went to Petco to buy the appropriate supplies. The weirdest feelings began to come over me. I kept being drawn to the dogs in the store and the dog supplies and dog pictures. I finished the shopping and picked up the cat, but all the while it felt like I began grieving the loss of my dog all over again. Today I'm trying to bond with the cat, but I mostly just feel sad. I wonder if I can ever learn to love a cat or if I'll always feel like I settled. Will I ever stop feeling like I'm being disloyal to my dearly departed puppy?

The cat (Scully) seems to be adjusting okay. She hides a lot but comes around to me occasionally. I don't mind the hiding as long as I have an idea where she is, but for about 4 hours this morning I had no idea. I looked everywhere I could think of, with a flashlight. I was getting nervous that she got trapped somewhere she couldn't get out of. I had looked so thoroughly that I really started getting worried. Finally, I shined the flashlight behind a laundry basket way back in my closet, and I saw a whisker. I hope we will bond, but if not, the agreement was that I could take her back. We'll see how it goes.