Countdown: 14 days to go!

How it all began...

On July 8th we had been in our basement suite on Alder Street for five weeks. Only a few weeks into our new tenancy, we were given the opportunity to move to the upstairs suite starting in August. Knowing that the upstairs suite would be far more accommodating for a pet, I resumed the search for a cat on Craigslist, which I had started back in the spring. This time, I was delighted to find an ad for a kitten in Courtenay. None of the ads I'd found for cats in the past had really struck me as a good fit until this one. I had actually started to wonder, only days earlier, if perhaps a kitten might be a better way to go. I had convinced myself that a full-grown cat would be much less work, but then it occurred to me that an older cat might have more trouble adjusting. Also, I wanted a young cat who would truly come to know Sig and myself as it's parents from the beginning.

In response to my inquiry, the kitten's owner (Diane) was happy to report that he was still available. She requested permission to verify my identification by emailing my workplace – the sign of a very wise pet owner. After assuring that I was a trustworthy person, she sent photos of the kitten that evening, and I could see that he had matured a lot from the baby photo that accompanied the ad. He was simply breathtaking! Beautiful, soft silver fur with a sign of bold black stripes emerging under all the kitten fluff.

Although Sig didn't grow up around cats like I did, he has been very supportive about the prospect of us adopting this little fella. We had come to the conclusion weeks before that a dog would probably not be the way to go at this stage in our life. A cat is a much more independent pet (thus easier), and will fit our day-to-day lifestyle better. Sig knew I had longed for a pet for years now, and he could see how in love I already was with this little guy. Thus, we arranged a time to go meet him.

The introduction...

A few days later, on July 12th, we drove out to the countryside in Courtenay to meet the kitten, and we were delighted with him! He had all the sweetness, beauty and spunk that a healthy and happy kitten should, and being able to meet both parent cats and his three siblings was a wonderful bonus! We could tell that the owners were taking excellent care of the kitty family, ensuring their every comfort. Right then and there, we knew he was going to be the perfect fit for us!

Kitten's new name...

A couple days later, I studied all the photos we took while we were visiting the kitten, remembering his personality traits. After spending many, many hours researching names throughout internet baby name databases, I narrowed it down to about 30 names. There were Italian names, Spanish, French, Hawaiian, Latin, and more... also there were musical terms, and words used in oceanic and astronomical terminology. Nothing seemed quite right. Then, I suddenly came across an Arabic name, "Kayden", which had a very significant meaning to me – companion or friend. This name was purrrrrrrfect! When I told a friend of mine how much effort I put into choosing a name, she replied with "Heaven help you if you ever have to pick a baby name!". Ha ha...

Kayden has been experiencing such a nice introduction to the world, being surrounded by his cat family for the several weeks of his life, and being given all the freedom a cat would ever crave, I can tell that he is going to make a very nice addition to our family. As the owners' regular email updates indicate, Kayden has been showing affection toward humans, maintaining a great amount of playfulness, and demonstrating a healthy appetite. No problems whatsoever. I just feel to fortunate that we are getting a kitten from such a nice family, brought up with all life's essentials and luxuries, instead of a kitten abandoned at the SPCA without any record of family, origin, etc. And although I do kind of feel like we're missing out on the best parts of Kayden's "kittenhood", the wait will be worth it. By week ten, when he comes home with us, he will be ready to conquer anything that life brings.

On August 1st Sig and I are moving to the upstairs suite in the house we're renting from, and on the 3rd we will finally bring Kayden home! After a brief period of adjustment, I'm sure he will be just fine. I'm gathering all kinds of kitty supplies (toys, scratching posts, food bowls, litter tray, etc.). He's going to be one spoiled puss!