It is time to write about Candy. My second cat baby. Six months in to adopting Nala, Divya started saying that we should get one more cat to give Nala company. I kept pushing back until one day Divya pleaded that we just go see, checkout the cats at the shelter, no need to adopt. She wanted to checkout love bug cats which are supposedly more cuddly. I gave in and took her to the shelter and just walked behind her. We went past one room and there was this cat which was bright orange who immediately seeing us pass ran to glass wall and put up he paws and literally slid side ways with us as we walked. we went around and came back and saw the same thing happen when we passed that room again. I was so curious as I had not seen such an expressive cat in the pas visits. It was almost like a dog, the cat was putting up her paws as she saw us and meowed. We asked to get in to that room to check out the Orange cat. Once in and we sat down the orange cat was literally all over me and Diva, climbed on to my lap put her face to my face, rolled and then went to Divya's lap and back and forth. I fell in love but again I definitely felt that a second cat is too much and so we left the shelter, Oh Boy! I was haunted by the cuddles and lap sitting that the orange cat did I kept thinking about it and by the end of the day started yearning for a pet like that. So the next day it was me who said to Divya that we are going back. All the way while driving I was wishing that no one already adopted the orange cat. I was relieved when I saw the cat still at the Shelter. I told Divya that we are adopting the cat, Divya was not very welcoming as this orange cat was characterized as a side kick, meaning very active and playful, but she wanted a calm cuddle baby. I was like, either this cat or no second cat, she grudgingly agreed and we got her home. Until we brought her home, both Sandhya and Mani were totally unaware of it, they did not even know that me and Divya went to the shelter.
Once in the house, Mani just opened the box and let her out before I can caution him about introducing a second cat in the house when there is another one already. At the shelter , they gave us specific instruction on how to introduce the cat slowly as cats are territorial, seeing another cat suddenly may cause panic to the existing cat and they may not have a good relationship.
And that's what exactly happened, Nala looked at the cat and panicked, she started hissing and ran and hid under the bed. It was a rocky introduction and till date they don't get along very well :(. After about 2 weeks Nala got accustomed that there is another cat , stopped hissing but still she kept her own sleeping places and avoided the new cat.
The cat, originally named Puffin at the shelter, was very friendly and playful, unlike Nala, who is very shy and took a long time to trust us and our home as her place. Initially I planned to name Puffin as mittai as in the orange mittai, but both sandhya and divya gave a stinky eye for that name so I changed it to candy.
candy was so playful, that guests visiting our house wondered if she was a hybrid of cat and dog. Candy was comfortable around small kids , she even ran and tried to fetch a ball, only that she will not bring it back to us :)
Candy likes to go out explore the neighborhood but she always did not go far, and will be running to us when we whistle.
Let me be frank, both Nala and candy are my favorite babies at the moment but Candy a tiny bit more than Nala
This whole outgoing thing changed with Candy when we moved to another home last fall. It was traumatic to the cats. Took a while for them to get used and some thing changed that Candy was scared and refused to go out , even to the back yard. We initially thought it was because of cold weather but saw that she does not want to go, I could feel her heart race when I held her. We left at it and about 6 months in to the move, and as the weather got warmer we kept the backyard door open and slowly Candy started coming out and hang out with us outside but will run in as she saw us going in.
Then one day Mani was working in the backyard and apparently Candy had gone out, Mani unaware that she went out came in and closed the door. Looks like Candy spotted some bird or squirrel and had followed over jumping fence. After a while at night we realized Candy was missing so we went out and whistled but she was no where at sight. WE thought she would come back but as time passed we got worried since this is a new location, what if she is lost and could not fine her way back or sometimes she climbs tree involuntarily when she spots a squirrel but does not know how to get down and will fear to jump, this happened couple of times earlier when Mani had to pull in a ladder to get her down from the tree.
We let the night go hoping she would somehow come back in the morning. I went to work and came back in the evening and came to know that Candy still did not return. I never felt so sad before. Me and Mani were so worried, the girls blamed us of being careless with pets (all time) and went their way. we both walked around the neighboring streets whistling and calling out her name. Mani printed out posters with her picture and started to paste around lampposts around neighborhood
After about an hour roaming around the neighborhood we came back with conclusion that we may not get our Candy back. That feeling of sadness loosing a pet cannot be explained . Just as were talking on the driveway we saw Candy jumping from fence from the opposite house and running towards us. Don't know where she was all along probably hiding somewhere fearing dogs.. Oh the joy of seeing her. She was also so happy to be back I guess, She was rubbing and rubbing against me and Mani, circling our feet and rolling on the floor.
She was back, and again she is very cautious going out, probably she got scared of something and might have been hiding in someones backyard behind some bush. At least I'm relieved that she knows her way back to home. I don't know how I'm going to take when they get old and sick and time to let them go.. sure going to be painful.
Once in the house, Mani just opened the box and let her out before I can caution him about introducing a second cat in the house when there is another one already. At the shelter , they gave us specific instruction on how to introduce the cat slowly as cats are territorial, seeing another cat suddenly may cause panic to the existing cat and they may not have a good relationship.
And that's what exactly happened, Nala looked at the cat and panicked, she started hissing and ran and hid under the bed. It was a rocky introduction and till date they don't get along very well :(. After about 2 weeks Nala got accustomed that there is another cat , stopped hissing but still she kept her own sleeping places and avoided the new cat.
The cat, originally named Puffin at the shelter, was very friendly and playful, unlike Nala, who is very shy and took a long time to trust us and our home as her place. Initially I planned to name Puffin as mittai as in the orange mittai, but both sandhya and divya gave a stinky eye for that name so I changed it to candy.
candy was so playful, that guests visiting our house wondered if she was a hybrid of cat and dog. Candy was comfortable around small kids , she even ran and tried to fetch a ball, only that she will not bring it back to us :)
Candy likes to go out explore the neighborhood but she always did not go far, and will be running to us when we whistle.
Let me be frank, both Nala and candy are my favorite babies at the moment but Candy a tiny bit more than Nala
This whole outgoing thing changed with Candy when we moved to another home last fall. It was traumatic to the cats. Took a while for them to get used and some thing changed that Candy was scared and refused to go out , even to the back yard. We initially thought it was because of cold weather but saw that she does not want to go, I could feel her heart race when I held her. We left at it and about 6 months in to the move, and as the weather got warmer we kept the backyard door open and slowly Candy started coming out and hang out with us outside but will run in as she saw us going in.
Then one day Mani was working in the backyard and apparently Candy had gone out, Mani unaware that she went out came in and closed the door. Looks like Candy spotted some bird or squirrel and had followed over jumping fence. After a while at night we realized Candy was missing so we went out and whistled but she was no where at sight. WE thought she would come back but as time passed we got worried since this is a new location, what if she is lost and could not fine her way back or sometimes she climbs tree involuntarily when she spots a squirrel but does not know how to get down and will fear to jump, this happened couple of times earlier when Mani had to pull in a ladder to get her down from the tree.
We let the night go hoping she would somehow come back in the morning. I went to work and came back in the evening and came to know that Candy still did not return. I never felt so sad before. Me and Mani were so worried, the girls blamed us of being careless with pets (all time) and went their way. we both walked around the neighboring streets whistling and calling out her name. Mani printed out posters with her picture and started to paste around lampposts around neighborhood
After about an hour roaming around the neighborhood we came back with conclusion that we may not get our Candy back. That feeling of sadness loosing a pet cannot be explained . Just as were talking on the driveway we saw Candy jumping from fence from the opposite house and running towards us. Don't know where she was all along probably hiding somewhere fearing dogs.. Oh the joy of seeing her. She was also so happy to be back I guess, She was rubbing and rubbing against me and Mani, circling our feet and rolling on the floor.
She was back, and again she is very cautious going out, probably she got scared of something and might have been hiding in someones backyard behind some bush. At least I'm relieved that she knows her way back to home. I don't know how I'm going to take when they get old and sick and time to let them go.. sure going to be painful.
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