It seems important for me to pay tribute to one of the best cats on the planet – at least the best cat after my first cat, Katie, who is no longer with us.
In 2006, Stripes decided to turn in “street living” for a warm and cozy home. Stripes was a stray cat who was scared of people. She was rough and tough around the edges, but showed up at our doorstep one day looking for a home. Every evening I sat outside with her while she ate her dinner and we spent time getting to know each other. Shortly thereafter Stripes decided she wanted to become part of our home.
We tried to make Stripes an indoor cat on several occasions, but this was not an easy transition for Stripes and not one that she was going to fully accept. Stripes enjoys spending her days roaming fields and chasing bugs, birds and field mice. She often brings some of these creatures home with her (dead or alive) so we’ve all had to compromise a little, but we let Stripes set her own schedule. This typically means she spends her days outside, and then she shows up in time for dinner and to curl up on the bed with us for the night. Stripes has become a fair weather cat and on rainy days or days where the temperature falls below her comfort zone we often find her curled up on the bed during the day.
Poor Stripes could not have predicted how her quiet and peaceful world was going to be turned upside down with the arrival of Kariana. How can you really prepare a cat for a new baby? I can’t say that Stripes has accepted Kariana with loving paws but from a distance Stripes is tolerant of Kariana. On the other hand, Kariana is very fond of Stripes and gets overly excited when she sees Stripes. Her arms flap around and she giggles and squeaks. She eagerly tries to crawl after Stripes, but fortunately she doesn’t stand a chance. Stripes is a cat and quite agile. Her street smarts tell her to keep her distance from Kariana.
Although Stripes probably hasn’t received the amount of attention that she used to receive from us, she still curls up with us and sleeps at our toes on the bed each night. We’ve all settled into our new routine and we want Stripes to know we love her just as much as we always have!! Enjoy these pictures of the family together. The first picture is of Stripes before we brought Kariana home from the hospital. The second picture is Tobin, Kariana and Stripes during the first few weeks.
In 2006, Stripes decided to turn in “street living” for a warm and cozy home. Stripes was a stray cat who was scared of people. She was rough and tough around the edges, but showed up at our doorstep one day looking for a home. Every evening I sat outside with her while she ate her dinner and we spent time getting to know each other. Shortly thereafter Stripes decided she wanted to become part of our home.
We tried to make Stripes an indoor cat on several occasions, but this was not an easy transition for Stripes and not one that she was going to fully accept. Stripes enjoys spending her days roaming fields and chasing bugs, birds and field mice. She often brings some of these creatures home with her (dead or alive) so we’ve all had to compromise a little, but we let Stripes set her own schedule. This typically means she spends her days outside, and then she shows up in time for dinner and to curl up on the bed with us for the night. Stripes has become a fair weather cat and on rainy days or days where the temperature falls below her comfort zone we often find her curled up on the bed during the day.
Poor Stripes could not have predicted how her quiet and peaceful world was going to be turned upside down with the arrival of Kariana. How can you really prepare a cat for a new baby? I can’t say that Stripes has accepted Kariana with loving paws but from a distance Stripes is tolerant of Kariana. On the other hand, Kariana is very fond of Stripes and gets overly excited when she sees Stripes. Her arms flap around and she giggles and squeaks. She eagerly tries to crawl after Stripes, but fortunately she doesn’t stand a chance. Stripes is a cat and quite agile. Her street smarts tell her to keep her distance from Kariana.
Although Stripes probably hasn’t received the amount of attention that she used to receive from us, she still curls up with us and sleeps at our toes on the bed each night. We’ve all settled into our new routine and we want Stripes to know we love her just as much as we always have!! Enjoy these pictures of the family together. The first picture is of Stripes before we brought Kariana home from the hospital. The second picture is Tobin, Kariana and Stripes during the first few weeks.
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