I am a happy girl tonight! I had a feeling about Elliot, you know? From when I first saw him through the window at the adoption center. They weren't open at the time, so I had to come back after work.. and was then disappointed that he didn't seem to like people. But after the mind-boggling experience of trying to choose another cat, I went back to the one cat I really had a good feeling about (that wasn't an adorable 6-week old kitten, anyway).

The first night at home, I admit I was worried; had I just made a mistake? Did I just sign myself - and Kitten - up for a "companion" that just hid under the bed? The last people that had him took him for two whole weeks, of which they never saw him.

So I reminded myself constantly that it would take time - months, possibly.

But within days he started to come around. It was amazing. He's mostly hiding under the bed all day, but come nighttime he's out.. And active long after I go to bed. I wake up to mousies all over the floor, things knocked over, and an empty food dish. I smile as I put everything back in its place and am happy he's enjoying himself.

Now tonight it finally struck me how lucky I've been. He and the kitten are actually playing. And she's not much of a player, either. They're scampering around the house together and play fighting. Even when Elliot takes a break, Kitten is out-of-character playful, pouncing on cotton mice and chewing on toys.

On top of that, Elliot is just a tiny little teddy bear when I get my hands on him. Tonight I hugged and patted him for a while and he never did the I-want-to-go stiffening up. He really liked it.

It made my night. :)

Alright, onto pictures!


Look! A kitchen island! Great for Kitten storage.


Elliot actually used the catbed no one else has! He is officially Best Cat Ever in my book now. :)
See his clipped ear? I still have no vampire teeth evidence, but I'll get it.


Bethy asked for a Fluffy update. He's doing great! Unfortunately, now his friends are coming around too so I have to fill the bowl, like, four times a day - but that's okay. He wants to come in my house SO BAD, but I just can't let him until he gets vaccinated ($140!). In the meantime - tonight, esp. since it was raining - I shut my cats in and let him come on the porch when I'm out there. He's a great little helper. Tonight, he helped me by:
- Trying to knock my bike over, as in this photo.
- Laying in the finished seedbed.
- Laying in my tortoise's enclosure (no, no, no!).
- Trying to kill the broom as I swept up dirt.
- Jumping in the mound of swept-up dirt like it was a pile of leaves.
He cracks me up. :)
BTW - he is not at all evil looking, unlike in this picture. His face is actually amazing lionlike, but I have unfortunately not been able to capture that in a picture yet.


Seeds! 1/4-inch of soil added to this, and in 6 weeks I should have a mini pasture fit for tortoise-grazing.

In sad news, while I was planting these, a new kitty came to my door. He was a big'un - a cow cat - so I immediately named him Brutus and went over to see if he was friendly. I realized right away that he either had a clump of mud on the side of his neck or he was not in good shape. It turned out to be the latter. I called the people I had adopted Elliot from to see what my options were and left a message. Then grabbed the cat carrier and a towel and went outside.

I followed him around the yard and he let me pet him through a tangle of bushes. I tentatively tried to pick him up but he wasn't too keen on the idea. Meanwhile, I wasn't too keen on the idea of being scratched or bitten by a really dirty, smelly cat - they still do rabies shots, right? Yeah. So I lured him back to my place with food and realized I could throw the towel over him quite easily and get him in the carrier. He seemed hungry, so I figured I'd let him eat first. But then something spooked him and he jumped off. I followed, but he went through a fence and was gone by the time I made it over..

I'm so pissed because he was RIGHT THERE and CALM. I coulda had him instead of worrying about him, as I am now.

The lady called me back and told me she could hook me up with the vet they use and they'd probably give me the same discount. Now, this sucks as I don't really have money and I'm trying to cope with this getting-paid-once-a-month thing, but.. you know, I get a bug bite and it drives me crazy; I can't imagine what a huge OPEN WOUND would feel like. Plus, this guy was a big ol' sweetie and just not making it as an outside cat. He had scabs all over his poor little head, which he so calmly let me pet.

He came back around an hour or so later but skitted off as soon as I tried to approach. I'm hoping sometime this weekend I'll be able to catch him. I hope he realizes more quickly than Fluffy that I'm not going to eat him or anything.

Then maybe I can find someone with a cat vacancy that can take him in. Ahem.  ¶ 12:28 AM