As you may know, we have three (3) cats: Audrey, Isabella (hereafter and always in real life referred to as “Kitten,” which confuses everyone), and Noodle. One of the parts of moving that stressed me out the most was wondering how the cats would do.
I figured Noodle would be fine; we just adopted her in February, and within half an hour of getting home she was romping all over the house like she owned the place. Audrey is generally not a big fan of change, but is attached to me at the ankle, so I thought she might hide for a day or two and come out. Kitten is the one we worried about. She’s extremely shy; on a good day we only see her for a half an hour or so, because she’s usually off doing her own thing. Usually this involves exploring air ducts. When she was a baby, she got lost in the walls in my apartment for a few days, and also used to just hide under the dresser, occasionally climbing up into the drawers through the back. That always made for fun surprises.
Noodle, who did not, in fact, have catnip
In a turn of events which surprised nobody, Noodle sort of sniffed around for maybe fifteen minutes and then commenced galloping through the house. (Aside: I love cat-galloping, because they manage to look really elegant from the side and like total goofuses from behind.) She lives to be snuggled, kissed, and petted, and is being completely and totally spoiled. When my mother-in-law gets home from work, Noodle is there at the door, and MIL obligingly picks her up, holds her, talks to her, and pets her, all the while cooing about how freaking CUTE she is. And it’s true. She’s very cute. So cute I’m not sure it’s actually physically possible. A little later, my father-in-law gets home and we repeat the process, and then Zack. Lather, rinse, repeat. She isn’t supposed to be allowed in my MIL’s office/study area, but it seems last night she cuted her way in and hung out for a couple of hours. She also charmed the electrician with her general nutso antics.
Noodle Transition Report: A+
Audrey, queen of all she surveys
(I have no idea why WordPress wants the caption there to be bolded, but I’ve removed and reinserted the image like five times now, so I think it must Mean Something.) Next up, we have Audrey. When I adopted Audrey, she was already two years old, and surly. She’s still surly; it’s sort of her raison d’etre. Anyway, after I brought HER home from the shelter, she alternately lounged on my lap and hid in the upright piano. After a week or so she was willing to follow me around but never got more than four or five feet away, and four years later it’s pretty much the same. She does actually spend a good third of her day out of line of sight of me, though. When we got here, she did the cat-slink, found her way under the couch, and stuck there for a few hours. Late at night she started exploring the various chair options before finding that the blue wing chair, above, suited her needs. This house has many more chairs than our old place, so during the day she tests other locations but generally comes back to Blue Wing Chair. She also digs the fact that the bed is rightnextto the computer, so she can lounge by my elbow while I work. MIL wants to know why Audrey talks so much, and I just kind of make a gesture that says “I’ve been telling you for three years this is the cat that never shuts up.”
Audrey Transition Report: A
Kitten, wearer of stripey pajamas
That brings us to Kitten. We worried pretty much from the moment we knew we were moving about how she would react, and tried to talk to her about how fabulous the new place would be, what with all the extra windows and furniture under which she could hide. Which is exactly what she did: We got her here, opened the carrier, and whoosh, under the buffet she went. She stayed there for a few hours until she judged it safe to move elsewhere, and then vanished. Apparently she’s found a way into the ceilings via the laundry room — we’ve seen her exiting said hiding place. But here’s the sort of awesome part. Late at night, she comes upstairs and roams around freely, even going so far as to jump on the couch with me (this is not a thing that happens in Kitten-land) and demand pets. Last night she ran around meowing and trilling at everything for a good hour and a half, which was hilarious. She also spends a good deal of time rolling vigorously on the floor. I am totally surprised that she’s adjusted so very well, and while she still plays hidey-cat most of the time, she’s been more interactive than ever. Really, that’s the entire reason for this post, because it makes me smile to see her being so bold… and so silly.
Kitten Transition Report: A++ would buy again
Noodle and Otter
little birdhouse 