A little over a year ago, my husband and I became enamored of four adorable tabby kittens (2 girls, 2 boys) that we found in a rescue shelter. At the time, there were just two of us rattling around in the house because our kids are grown and flown, and our previous pets had aged out of the system. It had been a few years with a lot of quiet in our once-bustling, busy household, and we decided we wanted to bring some more life back into the old place. Boy, did we.
Last year at about this time, when we were pretty sure those kittens were going to run the house forever, I wrote an article about it and shared our experience, essentially asking, "What were we thinking?"
Thing is, we were always a dog home, not a cat home. I had cats when I was younger, but for about 15 years, it was strictly dogs. The return to cats after having loyal companions that actually obeyed commands, couldn't climb up on anything higher than the couch (and once, the counter), and came when we called their names arrived with a little bit of a learning curve for all of us. But we've bumbled through, and we're all better off for it (the cats might beg to differ due to their perceived quality of their human employees, but everyone is healthy and happy, so what more could you ask than that, really?).
Here we are, a year later. We've made it through unscathed. All the cats are still alive, and they're no longer the boss of me. Okay — that may be a bit of exaggeration. Sedona, Arabella, Schnebly, and Bryce are still running the show. But we've settled into a kind of rhythm that works for us. And we've made some notable — er, I guess we'll call it progress — along the way.
1. We No Longer Have Vertical Blinds
I actually hated those things — they felt outdated, and we hadn't used them in years anyway, so they really were dust catchers. And also, a super-fun catwalk, according to Schnebly. Schneb is our cat with a job. What's his job, you ask? It appears that it's to inspect every inch of the house with great thoroughness, including walking across the top of the vertical blinds multiple times. Naturally, he got stuck, so I had to climb up on a chair to help him get down.
While we knew one of Schnebly's jobs was as an inspector, what we didn't realize was that he was also an interior decorator. Tired of climbing and pulling him down off the blinds, we took them down after years of ignoring how much I hated them.
2. We Also No Longer Have This Lamp
We were so pleased with Schebly's first redecorating effort that he recruited his sister Bella to help him with his next project. It involved the two of them swinging from this lamp until it was irretrievably broken. So that freed up some floor space, which was nice.
3. Purritos Are Paw-Dorable
Area rugs are, apparently, meant to be rolled up in. This was Bella's favorite trick for every runner and rug in the house until I got some sticky things to attach them to the floor. She hasn't quite forgiven me for that one yet.
4. All Boxes That Come Into the House Are Immediately Sedona's Property
Our cats aren't super fond of stuff that comes in a box. But boy, do they love the box. I brought home a box from Costco the other day, and before I was done emptying it (while it was still sitting on the table), Sedona was sitting in it, atop a pack of hot dogs, peering out from above the rim. Her siblings love boxes too, but none as much as her. It doesn't matter what size or what was in it — what matters is what's in it now, and that's usually Sedona.
5. Crocheting Was Meant to Be a Sport
I like to crochet sometimes to relax. Or at least it used to be relaxing. Now, thanks to Bryce, it's really more of a sport — or at least a test of patience and agility. And honestly, what that tells me is that I just had it too easy before.
6. I Didn't Really Need That Heating Pad Anyway
Y'all. I used to have the best heating pad EVER. It had gentle IR heat, and it was extra-large, so it would cover my whole aching back. What happened to it, you ask? I still technically have it. I just never get to use it because it belongs to them now.
7. Group Photos Are Not a Thing
My dogs used to pose for group photos. But the cats? Nah — nobody has time for that. I can get one, two, or sometimes even three. But the more cats there are, the greater the chances my photos have of motion blur, just the tip of a tail, or an extreme close-up of just one face.
I Wouldn't Change a Thing
So yeah. It's been quite the year around the Frazier household. Okay — so I have to leave the house and go somewhere else if I want to have peace and quiet in the bathroom. And sure, any time I open a cupboard, the dryer, the dishwasher, or pretty much any other door, I immediately have to pull Bella out of the space because she somehow manages to sneak past me. And yes, I might be attempting to type this right now with a cat lying directly across both arms, so all I can do is move my fingers. But the cats have brought life and joy into the house (and plenty of chaos). It has been a good year, and I wouldn't change a thing.
