So. I have two trains of thought going on this new kitty. One, I do not need a new kitty so if Travis does not want to add a cat to the chaos of our household I can understand this. Two, that kitten is so freakin’ cute I’m not sure how you can turn away from that.
I told Travis last night that it’s okay if he says no to a new kitty. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t believe me and thinks I’m pulling some trick where I say it’s okay if he says no, but if he actually says no I’ll try some sort of emotional manipulation. Or cry. But really, I would understand if he said no. I’d be a little sad, but I wouldn’t fling myself onto the chaise lounge and sob into the pillows how life is so unfair and I don’t know how my life will go on knowing the cat will be loved by some other family. I won’t say I wouldn’t be tempted to pull some emotionally manipulative tricks to get my way, but that wouldn’t be very nice of me, and I really do try to be nice to Travis.
I also spent some nice couch time with the pups the other night and I’m pretty sure if I had a new kitten the dogs would get ignored for a while. Except for Cassie.
Having said that, I brought it up last night and didn’t get a committed answer either way from him, so I’m resolving to keep my mouth shut until we see the kittens when they’re older. It’s not like they’re going anywhere anytime soon. They’ll only be 6 weeks old at the end of the month and I’m pretty sure they’re staying put until they’re fixed, at least. So, there’s some time to try and let the kitten cuteness worm its way into his heart. Plus, there’s the chance that the cute fluffball will grow into a crazy, bitey brat of a kitten and won’t be very appealing anymore.
There are arguments I can foresee that would prevent a cat coming home with us at some point. I feel like I should be prepared to argue debate these points, if necessary. I may need some help coming up with good reasons for adding a cat.
1. There’s already a lot of fur in the house. Adding a cat would mean adding more fur (I don’t think the argument of “what’s a little more fur?” will help).
2. Sadie is a big dog with a big mouth and a big hunting instinct. Small animals that move quickly are to be chased and possibly slobbered on. My sister’s cat kind of got chomped by Sadie when it was a kitten and there was a very large resulting vet bill (it’s find now and totally a spoiled brat). Clair kind of kept Sadie in her place with a few paw-whaps. If the new cat could do that, we’d be fine. If it’s one of those cats whose response is to run away (like poor Dulci kept trying to do), it may not be a good idea.
3. We just got the rooms re-arranged for pleasant entertaining that doesn’t include stealthily hiding a cat litter box AND smell. I’m not really sure what we would do with a new litter box. Put it back in the guest room? Build a better hiding cabinet?
4. Then there’s the concept that we’d be back to having 3 dogs AND a cat again. It’s not really such a big deal, but in reality there’s a plethora of cats at my parents’ house to love when we visit. And they are very loving cats. On the other hand, I like having a loving cat at home.
I can’t explain why cats are different from dogs in terms of petting and companionship, I just know that they are. Maybe it’s because Clair could greet us when we came home but the dogs were always locked up. Maybe it’s because you can hold them and kiss their head without trying to avoid being licked. They certainly get in the way a lot more when you’re trying to read a magazine or newspaper or play on the computer. And it’s not like I ever had a lap cat who would curl up with me on the couch (Lexi actually does this pretty often).
I think this kitten would have a good shot at surviving Sadie. If we didn’t have dogs to consider, I’d probably bring Gilbert the Siamese home. Or the other mama cat – she’s a pretty affectionate lap cat. But really, I just want that kitten.
Three Dog Kitchen 