Well, this time it isn't a new pet for a family member, it's a new pet for me! One of our friends have had several pets for a number of years. They had a cat and dog when their first child, Katie, was born almost three years ago. Since then the dog, Pearl, has passed on and they also had a second daughter, Allison, come into their lives. Well, Hobbes, the big orange patriarch, did not take well to having toddlers around and over the last couple years became less and less inclined to show himself. Recently he was relegated to the backyard, and I decided to step up and adopt him.
Hobbes is about nine years old and a VERY friendly and talkative cat. He's supremely overweight and will have to be on a diet to get that under control, but that should be straightforward enough (hopefully). Because of his weight he hasn't been able to properly groom himself so he has a lot of deep mats on his back. All that can be taken care of with some effort on my part and a trip to the vet.
Hobbes has already taken to exploring the house, though I have a room set up just for him to ease the transition. He's already met Feo the Fruitbat and Boogs the Calm. That's Booger's new nickname -- Boogs the Calm -- because when the two cats met it was under the bed. There was one or two hisses and that was it. Go figure. I was expecting and all out war. :)
Now, before you ask... no, this isn't in reaction to having to puppysit all day yesterday. I've been thinking about adopting Hobbes for, well, probably the better part of a year. It wasn't until I found out last week that he had been sent outside that I decided now was the time. Hobbes is a great cat, and deserves a warm place to sleep at night. Plus, Boogs has been getting more and more needy lately -- even tried to groom Feo once or twice (baaaaad idea). I hope Boogs and Hobbes can become close buds. :)
So, the Casper Al clan just grew by one (well, maybe I should say the Casper Al and Les clans as Les has been attached to Hobbes for some time before I met him, so I imagine it'll be hard to keep them apart), and I couldn't be happier.
Addendum: My mom just called and opened with, "Is this the Casper Adopt-a-Pet?" :p
4 comments:
This is really Kathy's comment: Lord love a duck--guess I shouldn't say duck or Al will be adopting a duck next.
Can't believe how much Hobbes looks like Pooner, the formidable, and Orange Kitty.
If you ever adopt a feathered friend--spawn of Satan--I'm out of Casper permanently.
Mom/Nonna
He is A BEAUTY! I want to reach through the computer screen and pull him into my lap. Hooray for you and Hobbes.
Well, Calvin, good for you. I'm sure Hobbes will love living with you, Fruitbat, and Boogers. And he'll enjoy visits from Les and Herman, and even an occasional visit, perhaps, to the Ocats.
How does Hobbes' weight compare with Honey at his biggest? I hope he isn't that much out of shape.
No, definitely not that heavy. Honey, I think was 30 lbs., and round. Hobbes is 20, but a massive cat to begin with (his head is a lot bigger than Boogs's, and his paws are HUGE. He can still jump, and he doesn't *look* out of proportion. He will clearly need a diet, but he's not *scary* fat.
He spent an hour on my lap this morning just purring away while I sat on the floor and drank my coffee. Now *that's* how to enjoy a morning. :)
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