It’s hard to believe it has been a year since we spontaneously adopted Cheetah. I can still remember the entire family driving to pick her up. We had no idea what we were doing. At the time, we had no experience with cats and quite frankly we were skeptical of, even frightened by, them. But she needed a good home and I couldn’t think of a really good reason not to take her in. Plus, she had the saddest lil’ eyes. I couldn’t say no.
I’m so happy I didn’t say no. Cheetah has been the best pet ever for our family. She’s protective, mild-mannered, hilarious, cuddly, intuitive, well-behaved, quiet, independent, lazy and at times playful. Personally, I think she’s waaaaay easier than any dog I’ve ever encountered even though she is very dog-like. Coming from “not a cat person” whose family bred beagles growing up, that’s saying a lot. I would have never guessed in a million years that we would own a cat and love her as much as we do. Cheetah has converted many cat skeptics over the last year including family members, friends and complete strangers.
Cheetah has her own little daily routine which cracks me up. She starts the morning by coming into our bedroom when she hears Steve getting ready for work. She sits on the bed and waits patiently for him to scratch behind her ears and rub her face. Then she bounds down the hallway (seriously, you can hear her galloping these days) to the kitchen and quietly mews at the doors to the backyard until someone opens them so she can watch the birds and squirrels. She stays in the kitchen while we eat breakfast. The boys tell her “goodbye, be a good girl” before heading out to catch the bus. She follows them to the mudroom and sees them off.
After the morning rush, Cheetah spends most of the day playing with Mabrey and napping in random places. She’s so great with Mabrey who can sometimes be rough. If I were Cheetah I think I would have scratched her by now, but she hasn’t. Some of the places I find her sleeping are quite comical: the kids’ beds, in baskets / bags / boxes galore, on the mantel, in closets, on Mabrey’s play kitchen and even in the kids’ Legos bag. She will sleep almost anywhere. Her favorite spot is wherever she is at the moment. On the weekends, she follows the kids around lounging while they play. During the week, she greets the boys after school by flopping down and rolling over for belly rubs. Everett always asks her how her day was and then asks me if she was good.
While I’m making dinner, a neighborhood cat usually strolls through our backyard. Cheetah follows it from the mudroom to the kitchen to the master bedroom, watching through the french doors and windows. It’s the fastest she moves all day.
For not liking baths, she sure likes the clawfoot tub – especially right after the kids have bathed or showered. Similarly, if a glass of water is left within her reach, she gently splashes her front paws in it and gives herself a bath. We can’t leave drinking glasses unattended!
In the evenings, Cheetah is extra cuddly. The less time we spend at home during the day, the more cuddly she is. She accompanies Steve and me as we make the bedtime rounds. She sits quietly in the boys’ room as we tell them goodnight. She waits in the hallway just outside Mabrey’s door for a minute or two after we’ve put her to bed to make sure all is well. The way she looks after them is the sweetest. Then she’ll join Steve and me in the living room while we watch Netflix, read or talk. If she’s really exhausted or hot, she rolls onto her back, belly up, to let the ceiling fans cool her fluff. (see first image above) I laugh every time. Before bed, Steve cradles her like a baby and rubs her belly. He’ll probably kill me for sharing that but it’s true! Then we’re off to bed and she has free rein. I have no idea where she sleeps unless she sleeps behind the crook in my knees.
When we first brought Cheetah home, I worried about her destroying our furniture and/or rugs. I worried she would have accidents. I worried I wouldn’t be able to handle the cat hair. But so far, she hasn’t destroyed anything or had any accidents. The DIY hidden litter box has been awesome. We still have the cardboard lounger and carpet tree found in this post. The latter is beginning to come undone so a tweak is on the horizon. As long as I brush her regularly, Cheetah doesn’t shed too badly and when she does it’s mostly clumps that can be easily picked up or swept up. (I still swear by the vacuums I mentioned here.) She sometimes gets on the countertops which I really don’t like but it’s usually because she’s hungry or thirsty and needs food or water. The kids take turns feeding her. Once you feed her, she’s a friend for life ;)
I don’t really know the point of this post except to say that I never thought rescuing a pet could be so great and maybe more people should try it if they can. And if you think you aren’t a “cat person,” think again. Our vet guesses Cheetah is at least part Maine Coon. I’ve heard from so many Maine Coon owners professing their doglike qualities and kid-friendliness. If a dog-cat sounds like a good fit for your family, maybe give Maine Coon varieties a look.
Have you ever adopted a pet? Were you surprised by how much they improved your family life? Here’s to many more happy cativersaries!
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
family life, kid-friendly