2012- The Year I Became A Crazy Cat Lady

I couldn't think of a better title for this post!  Of all the things that happened in 2012, one of the most unexpected (and happiest) things was that we became cat "owners".

When our hamster Olivia died (somewhat prematurely) I never planned on getting a cat or dog.  We had thought about it, but didn't want an indoor pet because of my asthma, allergies and the fact that I like a clean house and didn't need anyone else to clean up after.  For the past 12 years I have had horrible asthma issues and most pets just didn't seem like a possibility.  I have always thought indoor pets were fine for other people, but that it wouldn't happen for us.

And then Rainbow happened.

I need a shirt that says "Let me tell you about my cat".  I LOVE this boy.  I say at least three times a day, "You really are an exceptional cat".  He is well-behaved, loves the girls and just seems so happy here with us.  Of course, he adopted us, so I like to think that he loves the people that he lives with.

The first week of December we started having issues with Rainbow having injuries.  Our boy was getting in fights.  We discussed his place in our family and decided that we would talk about having him "fixed" and we discussed the idea of him living inside.  I admit, I panicked.  I would wake up at night and worry about everything that comes with having an indoor pet and I prayed a lot.

One morning when I went out to feed him, he didn't come.  After a few minutes, I realized he was in his (dog) house and he was hurt.  I saw a few drops of blood and realized that he had a deep gash all the way to the bone in his tail.  It broke my heart.  A couple of days later, he was waiting on me with a bloody ear that had a little rip in it.  Big Daddy and I decided to take him to the vet for his shots and to discuss having him neutered.

So...Rainbow took his shots like a big boy and the vet examined his injuries.  She said that something (another cat or possibly a coyote) had grabbed his tail and that it had been ripped while he was running away.  The doctor cleaned his injured ear and gave him a shot of antibiotics.  She also examined his crooked smile and said that earlier in his life...his jaw had been broken.  I think Big Daddy and I both gasped when she said that he had most likely been hit by a car.  I had thought hoped that his tooth was just one of those sweet things that made him special.  The doctor estimated his age at much older than we had expected.  she said that he was probably so small and had grown so much in the past three months because he was suffering from being malnourished when he came to our house.

Anyway...Rainbow will go to the doctor tomorrow to be neutered.  He has been spending LOTS of time in the house in preparation for his recovery period.  He stays in all day and goes to the door when he wants out to potty or prowl.  He has also used the litter box that I placed in the laundry room.  (HUGE step for me!)  We are planning to let him be an indoor/outdoor cat.  We only let him stay in the house when we are home and we do not let him get on any of the furniture.  He will be sleeping inside at night while he recovers from his surgery and we'll see what  he wants to do we decide after that.

My heart has changed and I do not want to imagine our house without Rainbow around.  He is a nice addition to our family.
I pet him and wash my hands immediately and haven't had anything more than watery eyes for a few minutes- even after holding him on the way to and from the vet.  Several of my friends have told me that he probably won't bother my allergies since I keep the house so clean. We'll see,