Hello everyone! I've been a member for awhile, mostly just lurking and trouble-shooting, but I thought I'd finally introduce myself here and join the community! Cat-lovers are some of my favorite people. 
I'm a twenty-two-year-old recent university grad, with a degree in philosophy. I'm a mid-Western transplant living in Massachusetts, near the coast, and loving it. I'm a very passionate vegan, and also a queer feminist lady. I love to write and learn new languages, and I also love tattoos and piercings!
I have five kitties, and I figured I'd share their stories with some pictures, so if you like that sort of thing (I know I do), scroll on!
I didn't have any pets growing up, apart from a brief experiment having a dog, because my parents really aren't animal-lovers, and there were allergies in the house. I'm actually mildly allergic myself, but you suffer for what you love. =P
In my senior year of college, back in October, I became very lonely and sad. There were a lot of things changing in my life, and I would later be diagnosed as Bipolar. In fact, it was the impulsiveness and the lack of regard for consequences which led me to adopting Sophie, a sweet little calico of thirteen weeks that I found on Craigslist, for free. I didn't have much money, and wasn't supposed to have a cat at all, but I did it anyway. I ended up getting caught two months later, after winter break, but I petitioned to be allowed an Emotional Support Animal. Sophie, I argued, mitigated the effects of a mental disorder that kept me from getting out of bed, from attending classes, from succeeding in school. She changed my life.
I had been kicked out of my parents' house about a year before, and my boyfriend of two years and I were on the rocks, and split about a month after I got Sophie. I didn't have any friends that lived near me. Sophie and I bonded fast, because it was all us, alone, all the time. She will always have a special place in my heart, because for a long time, she was really all I had.
She kind of grew up to be a spoiled little brat. =P She bites and claws sometimes (I didn't know what I was doing when socializing her), and she takes some time to warm to other people. But through and through, she's MY baby, and always will be.
Around March, about a month before I was set to leave school, I decided to get Sophie a sister, so they could play together. I ended up with Noelle, a tortie, who was being given away because the alpha cat of the home wouldn't tolerate her. I had some suspicions about how hard they had really tried to socialize her before giving up, and my suspicions were confirmed when her sparse vet records confirmed she was five, not two.
I didn't know how hard it was for cats to adjust to one another, whoops. They hated one another, and it brought out Sophie's mean side. Eventually, they learned to tolerate each other, but never became friends, really.
It was tough with Noelle at first, and I even considered giving her back, because she seemed so unhappy. She would hide under my desk, refusing to eat or drink. Then she started urinating on EVERYTHING.
But I worked through it with her. She's still very particular about where she will and will not eliminate, but she LOVES head rubs, and should she see you petting another cat from across the room, she runs over to get in on that action, and she does NOT wait in line.
Soon after, I moved to Canada for a bit, where I adopted a dog, Emma. Emma is a cocker spaniel/poodle mix that LOVES her people more than anything. She'll do anything for attention, and pees in excitement when someone loves on her. At first, she couldn't decide whether to play with the cats, or be afraid of them. Now she guards my food against them.
Around this time, I noticed Sophie was getting really mean and aggressive, for no reason. I knew the change must've been tough on her, but she wouldn't let me hold her, or even pet her. She would hiss and snarl, even at me. I felt terrible, because not only did I feel like I was losing my best friend, but I hated to think she was unhappy.
I figured, maybe she wanted someone her own age to play with. Noelle and my roommates' cats weren't kittens anymore, and didn't want to romp like she did. So we found three free kittens, and I took one, and my roommate the other.
Within a few days, though, my roommate admitted she had over-committed to kittens, and offered to rehome her two boys. I had been the one caring for them during their initial isolation, however, and had grown attached, so... that's how I wound up with three kittens. There are two boys - Rorie, the biggest; Aiden, the middle baby with a white stripe down his nose; and there's a girl, Mia, the littlest.
Rorie and Aiden are lap cats, through and through. They love to curl up in your lap, love to cuddle, and will let out little cries when they want attention and feel they aren't getting it! Mia's not one to be held at all, and she's more independent and mischievous, but she will give you an endless bath of kisses to show her affection, and accepts pets in between her adventures around the house.
Sophie took to the kittens right away; who knew, she has a mother's streak! She takes turns being the big sister and romping with them, and then bathes them like they're her babies. When they were particularly young, she would guard them like a mother cat. So cute! It completely turned her personality around, and that socialization has now made her the warm, affectionate, loving fur-butt she used to be!
When I fell on hard times, I had to move back to the U.S., and for a time, foster everyone out. It was really difficult, but I was able to reunite us, and keep our little family together. People think I'm nuts for having five cats, but they're my babies, and I can't imagine life without them!
I'm a twenty-two-year-old recent university grad, with a degree in philosophy. I'm a mid-Western transplant living in Massachusetts, near the coast, and loving it. I'm a very passionate vegan, and also a queer feminist lady.
I love to write and learn new languages, and I also love tattoos and piercings!I have five kitties, and I figured I'd share their stories with some pictures, so if you like that sort of thing (I know I do), scroll on!
I didn't have any pets growing up, apart from a brief experiment having a dog, because my parents really aren't animal-lovers, and there were allergies in the house. I'm actually mildly allergic myself, but you suffer for what you love. =P
In my senior year of college, back in October, I became very lonely and sad. There were a lot of things changing in my life, and I would later be diagnosed as Bipolar. In fact, it was the impulsiveness and the lack of regard for consequences which led me to adopting Sophie, a sweet little calico of thirteen weeks that I found on Craigslist, for free. I didn't have much money, and wasn't supposed to have a cat at all, but I did it anyway. I ended up getting caught two months later, after winter break, but I petitioned to be allowed an Emotional Support Animal. Sophie, I argued, mitigated the effects of a mental disorder that kept me from getting out of bed, from attending classes, from succeeding in school. She changed my life.
I had been kicked out of my parents' house about a year before, and my boyfriend of two years and I were on the rocks, and split about a month after I got Sophie. I didn't have any friends that lived near me. Sophie and I bonded fast, because it was all us, alone, all the time. She will always have a special place in my heart, because for a long time, she was really all I had.
She kind of grew up to be a spoiled little brat. =P She bites and claws sometimes (I didn't know what I was doing when socializing her), and she takes some time to warm to other people. But through and through, she's MY baby, and always will be.
Around March, about a month before I was set to leave school, I decided to get Sophie a sister, so they could play together. I ended up with Noelle, a tortie, who was being given away because the alpha cat of the home wouldn't tolerate her. I had some suspicions about how hard they had really tried to socialize her before giving up, and my suspicions were confirmed when her sparse vet records confirmed she was five, not two.
I didn't know how hard it was for cats to adjust to one another, whoops. They hated one another, and it brought out Sophie's mean side. Eventually, they learned to tolerate each other, but never became friends, really.
It was tough with Noelle at first, and I even considered giving her back, because she seemed so unhappy. She would hide under my desk, refusing to eat or drink. Then she started urinating on EVERYTHING.
But I worked through it with her. She's still very particular about where she will and will not eliminate, but she LOVES head rubs, and should she see you petting another cat from across the room, she runs over to get in on that action, and she does NOT wait in line.
Soon after, I moved to Canada for a bit, where I adopted a dog, Emma. Emma is a cocker spaniel/poodle mix that LOVES her people more than anything. She'll do anything for attention, and pees in excitement when someone loves on her. At first, she couldn't decide whether to play with the cats, or be afraid of them. Now she guards my food against them.
Around this time, I noticed Sophie was getting really mean and aggressive, for no reason. I knew the change must've been tough on her, but she wouldn't let me hold her, or even pet her. She would hiss and snarl, even at me. I felt terrible, because not only did I feel like I was losing my best friend, but I hated to think she was unhappy.
I figured, maybe she wanted someone her own age to play with. Noelle and my roommates' cats weren't kittens anymore, and didn't want to romp like she did. So we found three free kittens, and I took one, and my roommate the other.
Within a few days, though, my roommate admitted she had over-committed to kittens, and offered to rehome her two boys. I had been the one caring for them during their initial isolation, however, and had grown attached, so... that's how I wound up with three kittens. There are two boys - Rorie, the biggest; Aiden, the middle baby with a white stripe down his nose; and there's a girl, Mia, the littlest.
Rorie and Aiden are lap cats, through and through. They love to curl up in your lap, love to cuddle, and will let out little cries when they want attention and feel they aren't getting it! Mia's not one to be held at all, and she's more independent and mischievous, but she will give you an endless bath of kisses to show her affection, and accepts pets in between her adventures around the house.
Sophie took to the kittens right away; who knew, she has a mother's streak! She takes turns being the big sister and romping with them, and then bathes them like they're her babies. When they were particularly young, she would guard them like a mother cat. So cute! It completely turned her personality around, and that socialization has now made her the warm, affectionate, loving fur-butt she used to be!
When I fell on hard times, I had to move back to the U.S., and for a time, foster everyone out. It was really difficult, but I was able to reunite us, and keep our little family together. People think I'm nuts for having five cats, but they're my babies, and I can't imagine life without them!
