It’s been one month and one day since I adopted Eloise, and I thought it would be a great time to do a check-in post on how new cat motherhood is going and how Eloise is adapting to life with me.
The short answer is: Eloise is thriving and we’re totally obsessed with one another.
Her first few days were spent hiding under my bed, although she would venture out to eat (always running back under the bed if I walked by her) or when I was asleep (I could hear her playing and running around the room, ha). Gradually, though, she got braver as the days went on. Since I am a complete and utter sap, at times, it made me teary about how brave she was being at exploring her new home and opening her heart up to me. I don’t know much about her life as a stray; I don’t know how she ended up without a home or what caused her to be in such awful condition when K. rescued her. So it just fills me with such great joy that I get to be her human and make her feel happy and healthy and whole and loved.
It was probably less than two weeks that Ellie became comfortable with me. She started sleeping with me at night, sitting up with me on the couch while I watched TV, letting me pick her up and snuggle her close, and not running away whenever I walked by her. It has surprised me how quickly she has acclimated herself to me and her new home. But maybe that’s because she knows as well as I do that this was always meant to be her home. We were always meant to find each other.
It’s been a wild ride over the last month as I adjust to being a cat mom. I’ve only ever owned dogs so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, which is why it took me a full day to accept that Eloise was coming home with me. When I met her the day before I ended up bringing her home, I fell instantly in love but I was also nervous. Was I ready to really and truly have a cat in my apartment? It was a little overwhelming when I looked at it as bringing a cat home. But when I looked at it as bringing Eloise home, I knew I was really and truly ready.
I’ve been struck by how much easier it is to take care of Eloise than it would be if I had adopted a dog. A dog would require crate training, house training, and constant attention, walks, and playtime. Eloise came to me already litter box trained, which kind of blew my mind. (You mean I don’t have to worry about urine stains all over my carpet?!) And she’s an independent cat who has no problem keeping herself busy. She came to me with a few toys, and those toys tend to be her favorites to bat around the apartment. She’s also happy just looking out the window or prowling around the apartment.
As I was thinking about what I wanted to say about Eloise’s first month with me, I realized nothing has really been challenging about having a cat. Scooping out her litter box is a fairly easy task, especially now that I’m using flushable litter. She’s not scratching on my furniture and has four different types of scratching posts that she uses frequently. She does get a little handsy sometimes when I’m petting her at night, and she’ll bring out her claws to clamp onto my hand so she can give me a love bite. It’s sweet, but damn those claws are sharp.
If I had to name a challenging part of being a cat mom, it’s not really knowing how to play with her. She has a ton of toys – little toys that she can bat around the apartment, some feather teasers, a ball on a track, a tunnel. I also have a laser that I use with her sometimes, but there’s something about watching her chase something that she’ll never get that breaks my heart. (I tend to reward her with treats when we’re finished playing with the laser, haha.) But a lot of the toys she uses on her own, and our time is usually spent petting and snuggling. Tell me: How do you play with your cat?
This past month with Eloise has been perfect in every way. I love coming home to her every day and I love waking up in the middle of the night to find her snuggled right next to me. I love when she just sits on my chest, demanding pets. I love her little meows and when she flops down next to me with her belly exposed. I love the way she plays and watches me and rubs against my legs when I’m washing the dishes. I just love having a little companion in my life again. I missed it so much.
I have zero regrets about bringing her into my life, and now I guess our next adventure will be giving her a brother or sister.
yasssss girl, i knew you would love cat motherhood! it really is wonderful and UGH SHE IS JUST TOO PRECIOUS.
re: playing. i know you feel sort of like a jerk playing laser pointer but honestly, if i have learned anything about cats, it’s that they love shit like that. i think it has something to do with their hunting instincts, which they don’t really get to practice too much living in a house. even our more docile cat gets super hyped when we take out the laser pointer or, the other favourite, the string (as in, a shoestring tied to a plastic stick thing that we drag around so they can chase it). hunting-type games also encourage them to be active, which is especially important for house cats who might not be as active as cats that go outside.
for emphasis: GAH SHE. IS. PRECIOUS. seriously, i love her so much and i am so glad you two found one another!
Congrats on welcoming a new pet into your home and heart. It’s wonderful to see animals find their furr-ever homes. I’m typically not emotional except when it comes to animals, so these photos have me in (happy) tears. She looks like such a sweetheart. I’ve never had cats before so based on your experience, it seems like the transition from dogs wouldn’t be too difficult.
I’m so happy she’s settling in well! A lot of people tend to be surprised that cats DO want to play. They’re not all aloofness and cuddles and naps. One of mine will sometimes play fetch, but only with certain objects. I recently got them a kicker toy for the holidays, and THEY LOVE IT. It’s big enough they can get all their paws on it at once. (Yaweez or something similar makes a banana one on Amazon that is hugely popular with my friends’ cats!) I think the main thing I’d change with my own cats, is getting them used to being picked up, held, and also put in their carrier when they were younger. They’re 10 now and do not like those things at all.
Oh man, I love this post so much! I’m so glad you are loving being a cat mom. It really can be the best thing. I’m glad Eloise acclimated to life with you quickly and well. She looks like she’s posing in many of these photos! I love how much personality cats can have. I think they get undersold versus dogs but they can be very affectionate and a wonderful companion.
We use the laser pointer quite a bit with Oscar. She just loves it. Cat loves the thrill of the hunt so even though they don’t ‘capture’ anything, I think it’s still super fun for them! She used to love playing fetch with this little stuffed mouse but we can not find it! Hopefully when/if we move, we will find it. It was her favorite toy and kind of her “baby” so I am sure she misses it, too. But she’s obviously the one that hid it somewhere!!
I am so happy she’s settled in & comfortable with you & bringing you so much quiet joy. That’s how I feel about my cats – they just make me so happy. And seeing them cuddled together when they can’t be cuddled with me makes me happy, too! Hope 2019 is the year Ellie finds a sibling. 🙂
I just LOVE all these pics of Eloise! Thank heavens you got that fancy phone 😉
Tara’s comment re: playing simulating hunting is spot on. Some toys are even called out that way – that they help your cat work out their hunting instincts (there are also other areas of play too, but of course, I can’t remember them right now)!
Isn’t it great how easy cats are?!
It makes my heart full that she warmed up to you so quickly and already exposes her belly and sleeps next to you and cuddles. I love nothing more than holding my cats like a baby and snorgling their bellies. Sigh. It’s heaven.
What are your plans for her bro or sis? Give it some time?
Such a sweet post!!! So glad you two found each other <3
She is such a regal cat! I am so glad things are going so well! Man, I wish I weren’t allergic. I would love to have a cat SO MUCH! Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you. 🙂
She’s beautiful and I’m glad it’s all going well. Cats love to hunt things, so sometimes patience is what you need. Dragging a piece of string slooooowly under a carpet is very stimulating for them, haha. As is dragging something slowly around a corner or a piece of furniture. In general , string, ribbons, toy mice. They also love to watch toy balls or marbles rolling across a floor (a ball of thread works too) You may find she likes YouTube videos for cats or wildlife documentaries. boxes and paper bags and suitcases can be fascinating to them. Of course she would probably attack your computer leads and shoelaces, your foot dragging under a blanket or your hair if in the right mood. Some cats even chase their own tails. Have fun experimenting with different toys and methods and I’m sure you’ll figure out what she likes best 🙂 just ensure only things she can’t get tangled in are left out at night and everything else is tucked away. also if she is going to be indoors, maybe look into cat grass or some cat safe plants she can munch upon. You could also look into toys which they have to puzzle out to get treats.
It’s so wonderful to hear how quickly Eloise has adapted to her new home and you and how happy you are 🙂
I wish we could have a cat. I discussed it many times with J and when we had a house, we should have gotten on that, but J (and I) were making excuses.
Now that we’re renting again, we can’t have a pet (and of course, now we feel ready… go figure!) So I am living vicariously through you 🙂
Congrats on becoming a cat mum! You will continue to love it. In terms of great toys for you and her, check out “da bird” and “da mouse” they’re basically toys on a wire that mimic birds and mice – she’ll love them!
Loved reading this post, always makes me happy when dog people come around to the marvel that are cats 😁
I have one really awful cat so I can’t offer any good advice on how to play with one because mine thinks toys are ridiculous unless she’s on catnip in which case everything is a great. I’ve had Bitty since she was a tiny little thing and I agree that cats are really easy to have. Dogs need a lot, while cats are pretty self-sufficient and I can leave Bitty at the house by herself for a few days without an issue and that’s pretty great. But she’s evil, so that’s less great.