Katie Cat

On Friday, we got a cat. Katie came to us from a shelter in Muskegon called Heaven Can Wait. She was living with a foster family in Grand Haven Township, so it really wasn't a far drive to pick her up. Katie is 1-2 years old, and is a Russian Blue. If she isn't purebred, she's really close. She's very small...only about 6 1/2 pounds (about half the size of Aria!). And she is the sweetest thing! Her foster family had kids and dogs, so she can tolerate noise and chaos. When she gets tired of the boys, she walks away. I have yet to hear her hiss, see her swat at them, or even show her claws. She's very calm and patient.

She also seems to think she is a dog. She follows Bill and I around and if we call her name, she comes running. She is clearly lacking in cat attitude.

I had said all along that when we got a cat I wanted to name her Friday (because everyone loves Friday!). But her foster family had named her Katie when they got her a month ago, and Sam insisted that was her name. My heart is awfully tender when it comes to Sam, so Nolan and I sided with him. Bill and TJ finally caved in, so Katie it is.

Sam has a bad cold right now, and as usual, it went straight to his chest. He's on steroids and a stronger medication for his nebulizer. I do not think he is allergic to cats (no itchy eyes, no runny nose), but I also think it's smart to keep Katie out of his room, so there isn't any pet hair or dander for him to breathe in. Sam doesn't want Katie in there at night, so this is a good arrangement.

However, Sam isn't necessarily on board with keeping his possessions cat hair free. I came home last night and went in my closet to put my shoes away. Katie was sleeping in her favorite place by my shoes. With her was Sam's nightlight (turned on so that Katie wouldn't be afraid of the dark). She was sleeping on Sam's nice, clean Buddy. Oh brother. He's asleep now...with a different, clean Buddy.

Here's our sweet Katie: