I just want to start by saying I have never been a fan of cats. Every one I have a memory of was unpredictable. You could pet it one second & it would swat/nip you the next second! I've always adored dogs & their instant love. You never have to work to get a dog to love you.
With that said, my husband loves cats. He apparently had 'the best cat' his entire childhood until he went away to college. His cat was his best buddy & would do anything with him. He was super friendly, laid back, and was very 'dog like.' He loves dogs too (it was a pre-requisite when we started dating), but he liked the flexibility you have with a cat versus a dog.
I kept putting it off when he'd ask for a cat. At first, I said I'd be open to getting one eventually. Then I said we could get a cat after we had a baby. Then Noah came, and the cat topic came up again. I put it off since I didn't like the idea of cat fur on the floor where our baby was crawling. Then Noah began walking & I kind of ran out of excuses at this point. It was always a hot topic when Matt & I would discuss getting a cat. Then for Christmas, I decided to give Matt the gift of a cat! He was pretty surprised I was willing. While the fun idea of surprising him and the kids with a kitten on Christmas day sounded more fun, I didn't want to just rush & get just any cat. Apparently, you can't just find a breed you like & get one. They all have personalities and I didn't want the skiddish/snotty type cats & wanted one that I wouldn't have to worry about with the kids. So the search was underway...
We searched online, visited oodles of shelters, researched breeders, learned about different breeds, etc etc etc etc. Matt still kind of wanted another Siamese cat, while I just kept hearing the song from "Lady & the Tramp" in my head (...We are Siamese if you pleee-ase...). My want list was growing as our search continued. I wanted a good breed with kids, a kitten young enough that it doesn't have any weird quirks, but old enough so it'd be litter box trained. I wanted short hair. I wanted a non-ugly cat. I didn't want one that hid under the bed all day or tried to bolt out the door every time it opened. For a cat that is supposed to be low maintenance, it was turning into some very high maintenance!
We ended up finding a breeder in Ocala that had 5 male Siamese kittens that were 3 months old. When we didn't find anything locally, we decided Matt would go to Ocala and try to pick one out. He drove the 3 1/2 hours, spent a crazy amount of time at the breeder's house trying to see which kitten would fit all of our requirements and finally got home around midnight with our new kitten.
This is Seuss.
(Name was my choice. I told Matt he got the cat, so I got to do all the naming/accessorizing/etc. I wanted a fun name for the kids, yet not a dainty cat name like "Jingles" or "Precious." I thought "Cat in the Hat", then went with Seuss).
Seuss was super skiddish and scared. He hid in our bathroom, and came out a little if Matt and I sat with him by ourselves. If he even heard Noah in the other room, he'd bolt. He hissed a few times and wasn't warming up to us, so we made the executive decision that Seuss needed to go back to his home with his litter mates. Matt was super thrilled about driving him all the way back!
The morning Matt was to head back to Ocala, we found a listing online for a female flame point Siamese in St Pete area that sounded great. The cat was said to be GREAT with kids and super friendly. The cat came from a breeder & the family loved the cat, but their son developed cat allergies and they now needed to find a new home for this cat. Since Matt was going to be in Ocala, we arranged for him to stop and see this cat on his drive back. I started thinking & really wanted Noah to meet the cat to see how it did around him before we drove it all the way back home. So we timed it right & I met Matt in St Pete with Noah. I talked to the cat owner & she sounded pretty normal. We learned otherwise once we got there.
She gave us her apartment address in Treasure Island, but learned her apartment was really a run down motel efficiency. She was probably my age and was super filthy. He finger nails and feet were black with dirt. Her shirt was holey. The 'apartment' wreaked of smoke. Without trying to be judgmental, I was just being careful. While we opted to not go inside their 'home,' we did our best to interact with the kitten while holding it outside. She was super chill and had a great temperament. Matt and I knew we were rescuing this kitten from this place and went ahead and got her. We vowed to bathe the cat immediately since it was probably filthy and smelled like an ash tray.
We got home and let her explore. She seemed thrilled to be in a clean, bigger home to roam.
We decided to name her "Dory."
Everything was going great. She was great with the kids. Smelled better after a bath.
The next morning, I had a photo session in Naples. Matt's Mom came over while I was gone and I got a text from Matt saying they had made a discovery! It turns out...Dory has testicles! Ahhh!
Our "Dory" turned into our "Seuss Deuce." We got a good laugh out of it!
We knew the previous owners definitely were sketchy, but didn't know just how sketchy. We didn't think the verify the cat's gender! I went ahead and called the cat's vet to get her shot records. The vet's office was very nice, but had zero record of this cat. Fun discovery #2.
I already had a vet appointment for the cat the next day, so it wasn't a huge deal. I knew he'd be due for his shots. At the vet, I was nervous to discover anything else about this cat. Fun discovery #3 and #4-- he has fleas and tapeworms (cat got it from eating a flea). I was so grossed out! The vet was amazing and helped me put flea medicine on the cat right away. Seuss got the needed meds there & all was going to be okay! When we got home, I put Noah down for a nap & flipped my house upside down! I vacuumed, washed bedding, washed clothes, brushed the cat for a good 10 minutes, and sanitized everything. I luckily had a cleaning company coming the next day, so I knew they'd clean everything again to make sure all was good & flea-free! Eww! Eww! Eww!
I couldn't help, but just laugh at it all. This 'simple' cat idea has been interesting!
BUT now, all is good. Seuss is healthy! He's so well behaved, minus having to teach him to stay off the kitchen counter, and he's either sleeping or playing. I've had to do nothing to get him to use litter box and he can be left to roam the house while we're gone. He's even been very chill when Noah pokes and tries to squish him. Haha!
So yes, we have a cat. Who knew there would ever be the day I'd have a cat in my house?!
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