I am now a fur mommy

 

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links within the post, I may receive a commission for your click and purchase. You do not have to make a purchase to enjoy this post, I only highlight products to help with the cost of running the blog, and I only post links to products relevant to the topic in that post and to companies I use and trust.”

One of the things about being a single person with no children is you become a mommy to other species.  Let me explain today’s topic….

About almost 3 years ago, my nephew and his girlfriend came to me at the time and ask me if they could bring home a kitten.  This family, especially me and mom are not fond of cats.  I do not know what is it about cats, but the cats that were around mom when she was a child were outdoors cats, and they roamed where they wanted to roam.  They were not allowed in the house (both mom and dad were raised in a rural area, outside a small town called Moundville, Alabama).  Neither were dogs but they were tolerated for the most part.  The only cats I had been around as a child was a family friend’s cat named Monkey.  I was scared of cats because Monkey scratched me when I was 6.  I never had any cats around me until I laid eyes on Gizmo.

Meet Miss Gizmo Elizabeth

Anyway, up until today, I have always referred to Gizmo as my nephew and his girlfriend’s cat because they were the ones who basically took care of her, until their daughter was born in February 2020.  I knew they had to move to a new place because there was barely enough room for the 5 of us (me, Gizmo, nephew, girlfriend, and Strype, who is a miniature Husky), with the baby would make 6.  The baby is now 5 months old, and every day that she grows, she needs more room.  Eventually, this means her own room.

When she was born, my nephew and his girlfriend moved into my parent’s home with them.  They have more room than I need.  Gizmo stayed here, and I started feeding her, and my nephew came over once a week to change the litter box.  Now they are moving to a new city where his father and step-mom are staying, which is an hour and a half from here.

I got upset when I hear the news.  So, they decided to let me have Gizmo, and I am now officially a cat mommy.  I had hoped to be a human mommy first, with my child begging for a dog, cat, or the occasional hamster or gerbil (sorry future children, mommy does not do snakes, mice, lizards, or spiders), but I will take being a fur baby mommy as well. So, what does it take to be a fur baby mommy?  Well….

1. In the first two years, I learned of her temperament.  Gizmo is a pretty chill cat.  She wants to be cuddled, but she also is in a place that I could be sitting at my desk (like I am now) and she lays at my feet or goes someplace to lay in the sun.  She loves her sun.  She will lay there for hours if I let her.  I will get up on occasion to check on her. This includes what she likes and does not like.  She will scratch or slightly bite me if she does not like it (stroking her head for too long).
2. She loves belly rubs (but not for long).
3. She does not like her cat bed.  It is going back to Ikea.  She has not laid on it.  She will lay around it, but I have never seen her on it, even for a minute.  I gave her two months with it and nothing.  I am going to try a cat tree.  By the way, Ikea has a 365-day return policy.
4. She is not crazy about wet cat food.   I give it too her every once in a while, and I got a can with my grocery order this time.  I am going to try a Chewy.com subscription.  She has never had any cat treats before.  I am not sure how I feel about that.

So, now I have some tips for all you first-time fur baby parents.

1.  Know what type of animal you are getting.  Do you want a dog? A cat? A ferret? Fish?  It does not matter what type of animal you are getting as long as you do the research.  I knew Gizmo since she was 6 months old, but she was my nephew’s cat. I had dogs before…at my parent’s home.  Guess who took care of them.  Yep, my parents.  We were in charge of the feeding and the cleaning up, but it was my parents who took them to the vet, making sure they had the food to eat (the right kind), and where they were going to sleep at, not only at home (the dogs were mostly outdoors, except in really bad weather; Gizmo is an indoor cat) but where will they be boarded when we go out of town.  I have a retreat in January out of town.  Cats can take care of themselves for a week.  I will be gone for 3 days, but to be on the safe side, and since I will have a carrier to take her back and forth, I may take her to my nephew’s house.  If the family goes to Walt Disney World next year, I will have to board somewhere for a week because my nephew, his girlfriend, and baby will be at Walt Disney World too.  I have not seen any rules about boarding cats at Disney, only dogs.
2. Establish a routine with them.  Gizmo has a routine already, but I am changing it up a bit.  What I mean is I am getting rid of the current litterbox for a new one so that I can change it.  I got her a cat bed, but it is not working, so I am getting rid of it for a cat tree.  I will have a chewy subscription, and she will have a regular vet.
3. Speaking of which.  Like you need a regular doctor, so does the animal.  Get a vet that is friendly and board if you need it.  One of the dogs had a vet who also boards them.  Most will clean and groom a pet while you are gone. 
4. Finally, talk to it.  I have mommy and me time with Gizmo.  I will sit and cuddle her, and say something positive to her.  I tell her she is a pretty cat and a good fur daughter.  Not only it helps them, but it also helps you too.  cuddling a pet has been known to lower blood pressure.  This is why doctors and therapists use them in hospitals.  Call it animal affirmations.

Well, that is it for now on the pet end.  I will have more, since your pet is part of the family, and I do have family posts on here.  I will also talk about the adoption of a pet, rescue pets (Strype is a rescue mini Husky), and other pet care areas.

Until then, be well.