My First Year With My Cat, D.W.!

It has been exactly almost a year to the day since I adopted my cat, D.W.! I can’t believe it- time has gone by so fast! She’s been such a source of joy, love, and frankly, some annoyance (let’s be honest here), but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

A few months before I adopted D.W. last year, my cat of 14 years, Harriet, had passed away. Even though my family adopted her as a family pet, Harriet chose me and she was my cat and I was her person, so losing her was just devastating. I honestly didn’t think I would get a cat for a long, long time after her death. So it was incredibly surprising that D.W. came into my life not long after and I have to admit, having a new kitty to care for really helped me process and get through Harriet’s passing.

I initially saw a kitten on Facebook from a person I knew who took in rescue cats and kittens and thought instantly, “That’s my cat!” The kitten was the sweetest looking thing, white with grey and black spots. I just had to meet her. So I arranged to see her over at this lady’s house, where she has a whole KITTEN ROOM. I repeat: SHE HAS A KITTEN ROOM. She opened the door and a flood of kittens rushed out and stampeded down the hall. Trust me, it was the cutest sight you’ve ever seen in your life. It’s what I imagine my version of heaven to look like. Just a bunch of kittens racing towards me. Sigh.

But when I got there, the adorable kitten I wanted to see, was so shy that she avoided me! I got to hold her at one point (she was so tiny!), but other than that, I didn’t see her at all. I figured she might come around eventually, so I decided to check out the other, less shy kittens in the meantime. There was this one kitten who was all white, a lot like Harriet as a kitten, who was being silly and rolling around the floor. I thought it was cute so I snapped a few pictures along with some of the other kittens too.

I tried to play with a few of the other kittens, when I heard a cute little “mew.” I was sitting on the couch and turned to my left where I saw that little white kitten jump on the couch and walk over towards me. She (they confirmed she was a girl) was so curious and sweet, trying to sniff me and kept kitten-mewing at me for attention. She was purring like crazy and did this numerous times and I just couldn’t help it: I completely forgot about the other shy kitten that I initially wanted and I fell in love with this rambunctious white kitten. It was like she chose me and knew that this was meant to be. And it was.

In July, I got to take her home (she was so tiny! You forget how tiny kittens are when you first get them!) and she’s been such a fun and loving part of my family ever since. She’s certainly livened up the house and is so entertaining to watch and play with. I’m so lucky to have her and can’t imagine having any other cat but her. So in honor of this big one year anniversary, I wanted to list some fun facts, trivia, and mini stories about this silly kitten, now cat. Here we go!

• Before she came home, I tried to think of a cute name for her. Names are a big deal for a new pet! Do I go with a Harry Potter name? Luna, for Luna Lovegood? Something more Harry Potter-obscure for the purists like me, like Winky? (That poor house elf that cruelly got left out of the movies. And pretty much just had a cruel life, in general. The injustice of it all!) But then it hit me: my favorite TV show from when I was a kid: Arthur! Not the name Arthur, but the name of his little sister, D.W.! (Which stands for Dora Winifred, by the way) D.W. is just a precocious, sassy, and annoying character of a little girl, that I thought the name was perfect. And boy, was it perfect! Because my D.W. is just as sassy, precocious, and annoying as her namesake!

PBS

• D.W. came home with a crusty nose, an eye infection, and ear mites! Yuck! Do you know how gross ear mites are?? My vet let me look at them under the microscope. I wanted to say “how dare you for living in my kitten’s ears!” I also learned she hates medicine of any kind and going to the vet and will do anything it takes to avoid the thermometer up the butt. I have to say, I don’t blame her...

• She absolutely loves to nurse and knead on her soft blanket but when she was a kitten she tried to nurse on my neck! She ended up giving me a hickey that way! I literally had a hickey on my neck given to me by a tiny baby feline. So weird. And awkward to explain: “No, no, my cat gave me this. Yes, I know that sounds wrong…”

• She loves loves loves her big sister Violet (aka my mom’s cat). D.W. wants to play or cuddle with her all the time. Violet can only stand a little bit of it before she nopes outta there. But it is super cute to see them cuddling together!

• D.W. loves to meet new people and show off. She instantly wants to be friends with everyone and will make a big deal of playing and trying to scratch the furniture or join everyone at the table if we’re eating there.

• Loves to be a typical cat. Knocking things off of my shelves or dresser is her favorite thing. Especially in the middle of the night when I’m trying to sleep. (Good thing she’s cute…)

• Loves to eat but doesn’t like kitty treats (oddly enough). If you leave a glass of anything liquid out, she’ll stick her face in and try to either taste it or drink it. Other things she has tried to drink: Dr. Pepper, V8 juice, and juice with Miralax in it (don’t ask).

• Wants to see the great outdoors aka escape outside. Whether it’s the front yard, backyard, or even the garage, she’s escaped and I’ve spent many minutes frantically scrambling after her, heart racing. Maybe it’s time for a harness and a leash?

• Will jump up on the bed in the morning and cuddle with me, right when I know I need to get up. I think she knows I can’t resist a few kitty cuddles, even if that means I’m going to be late. Adorable, but annoying.

• She will let me rub her tummy. Which is a big deal, because I love all cat bellies and always feel the urge to bury my face in their floofy tummies. Which is usually a death sentence, but not with D.W.

• Is basically just an overgrown kitten. She still loves to play, cuddle, and nap, and just has the sweetest disposition. Sometimes. Usually.

All that being said, I feel like the luckiest human in the world for getting to have this great, sweet, slightly overweight (I call her a hefty honey), stubborn, quirky, loyal, and adorable kitten now cat in my life. She’s brought me so much happiness and love. I can’t wait to see what the next year is like and what adventures we’ll have next!

Thank you for reading this probably overly long post about my cat! I love her to bits, so I just can’t help it! Do you have any pets? What was your first year with them like? Any fun stories? Let me know in the comments!

Stay Weird!