Crazy cat lady, level up! Yes, you read that correctly, there has been a new addition to the family! Everyone meet Audrey! She was adopted from the Arizona Humane Society. I brought her home on May 4th (which was Audrey Hepburn's birthday) The shelter thinks she is about 10 months old, so she is still kind of a baby. She is super sweet and follows me around wherever I go and loves to be petted.
Audrey (formerly Sylvia) had been at the shelter since March 17th, which also happened to be the same day I started my new job, coincidence right?! Poor sweet girl had been there the longest of any cat available for adoption so I knew I had to give her a new home. Oliver had become a little restless and I could tell he was bored and still a little stressed and was always meowing. Mom had talked to our vet back home and recommended a mate for Ollie since he had always been around other animals. So in my crazy cat lady defense, it was doctors orders ;)
I won't lie, it has been very stressful introducing another cat to the household. Audrey had been at the shelter for so long, that the humane society explained that a very slow introduction to Oliver would be best. Lucky for me I had to garage to make things easier. They told me to start with scent swapping, so they could get used to each other's smell. This meant I would need to put a blanket of Oliver's in her area, and a blanket with her smell on it in Olivers. So we tried this back and forth for several days. I would spend my time with Oliver in the house, and then go sit with Audrey in the garage for a bit. It was hard to not rush the whole process, because I want them to be BFF's and cuddle for cute pictures.
There was a lot of hissing, still is hissing. Slowly I would let Audrey in the house to begin exploring her new home, then back to the garage for the night. Even after a couple days, though Oliver wasn't the happiest about his new friend being around, he had appeared to calm down, and the meowing stopped.
Audrey on the other hand is over the moon about her new digs! She acts like she's been here her whole life! She enjoys napping on the chaise lounge, chasing after Oliver, and sleeping at the end of my bed and lounging by the window watching the hummingbirds.
One of the amazing benefits of adopting from the Humane Society, is they offer you a free vet exam if scheduled in the week after adopting, today was Audrey's first vet exam! While she was at the shelter she was in isolation for a bit (which led to her extended stay since she wasn't available for adoption that whole time) with a kitty cold. The vet gave her a clean bill of health and she already weighs 10 lbs! She is going to be bigger than my wee little Olliebutt, I do hope they become friends soon!
I still keep them apart while I am work, I don't want to come home to a beaten up kitty cat. But while I am home and can separate them should a fight arise, I let them both rule the house.
I think today's trauma of traveling in the car and the vet visit has worn Audrey out, she has been chilling under the couch since we got back (I guess a thermometer in the behind will do that to ya)
It was hard not to want to take all the poor homeless cats at the shelter home, but it seems like they don't have to stay there too long before they go to their forever homes. Audrey was actually found roaming just down the street from where I live, so I think it was meant to be!
She looks pretty happy here to me!
