An Afternoon With My Boy

I've been back in school since the beginning of September, back to the grind. Classes and work and reading and essays...I get overwhelmed, easily. Today I got out of school earlier than usual (well, actually I decided not to attend my last class because I did well on the first test and figured I could use a little extra time to relax). My nose has been stuffed up for two days, and I was just feeling a little down. I came home to a quiet house that was empty, except for my black kitty slinking around. He met me at the door and seemed so happy that I had come home just to keep him company.

He rubbed up against my calves and dipped his nose up towards mine as I bent over. It is so nice to have a kitty to come home to. I seriously think if he hadn't of been there, my afternoon would have been completely different--not as good. I dragged his felt ribbon toy around the house as he chased after me, and tousled it around in his belly as he batted it with all fours in the air.

I had wanted to do some writing before I went to my toil job. I'm taking a fiction writing class this semester, and we're just working on one piece all semester long. We workshop one student's piece each week, and other than that, all my professor asks of us is to sit down and write five times a week. It's easier said than done. It's hard to just sit down and write--it takes leaving that world around you and pushing it off to the side. It is usually easiest for me to do this late at night. A lot of writers say the early morning is good, too, but I wouldn't know. I freaking despise most people's idea of morning. My idea of morning is noon.

But today, the afternoon was a perfect time to sit down at the kitchen table with my pink laptop and write. Duncan sat right next to me the whole time, and that just made the afternoon better somehow. I miss him when I go off to work or school; being at home most of the day writing would be perfect. He could be there helping me.


This cat's name is Adrian; she is about two years old and gets along with other kitties. I've visited her on a few occasions, and she is extremely sweet and affectionate. As of about a month ago she was being kept at the Petco in Norwood, MA, which is right off of I-95, in a room off to the side where Friends of the Plymouth Pound keep some of the cats their shelter has taken in. She has been in a shelter for many months and deserves a loving, forever home!

Click here to learn more about Adrian.

Converting Outdoor Cats to Indoor Cats

Today I was driving through the city I go to school in, and all of a sudden the car in front of me stopped short. What is this person doing, I thought to myself. And then I saw a light orange kitty running in the middle of traffic to the other side of the road. It was probably still under a year old judging by his or her size. My heart stopped for a second. I have never hit an animal while driving, or even seen an animal get hit. I wouldn't be able to stand it. My immediate reaction is always to slam on the brakes if an animal darts into the road.

This made me think how happy I am that my cat, Duncan, is an indoor cat. I especially hate seeing outdoor cats in a city, but there are dangerous things out there even for kitties in suburbia. One of our neighbors spotted a coyote walking down our quiet, suburban street recently. More and more people have spotted coyotes in residential areas, and many cats go missing all the time. My neighbors have had two of their cats never come home, so now their third cat is an indoor cat.

I think it's more difficult to convert an already outdoor cat into an indoor cat than it is to just keep your cat inside in the first place. Their cat, Flik, got used to going outside and knows all he is missing. He spent nine years running around outside and enjoying the fresh air. He's been an indoor cat for a few months now and seems depressed. But then again, there could be other factors contributing to why Flik doesn't seem as happy. My neighbor's brought home a one year old Siamese cat named Judah a few months ago, and Flik is not eager to share the attention with him. Also, Flik is getting older, so he's going to slow down whether or not he's an outdoor cat. In the long run, he's healthier staying inside.

On the other hand, my boyfriend's brother took in his neighbor's cat who was being neglected. Munkey was just under two years old when he started living with Ricky's family and up until that point had been an outdoor cat. Unlike Flik, Munkey has adjusted well. He seems to have no problem staying indoors. Maybe since he is younger and hadn't spent as much time outdoors as Flik, the change wasn't as traumatic for him.

Although I feel bad for Flik that he can't go outside carousing, it is ultimately better for them. We form such strong attachments to our animals, how could we stand to lose them in such a way? I don't know what I would do if Duncan was an outdoor cat and just never came home one day. They are safer indoors, but we need to make sure we play with them often so they work off their energy.


On another note, this cat's name is Cheezits. How cute! What are some of your favorite kitty names?

He is one and a half years old and currently available for adoption at the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA. For more information on Cheezits, you can click here.