Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Cataclysm

Cataclysm

by | 118 Comments

This post is in: , ,

F**k the news.

I have an announcement of great social and political import.

Champ has landed:

Cataclysm 1

Tikka is kind of a one-person cat. He tolerates my wife and son, and has only gradually learned not to perform field surgery on everyone else. Mostly, he’s my boy.

My son, meanwhile, has longed for a pet and companion of his own. As COVID has kept him home that desire has grown urgent, and we’ve/he’s been trying to adopt a kitten for the last several months.

An aside: as an old who likes his potato on his belt, I’m amazed at how hard it’s become to adopt. I’ve had to fill out multiple multi-page questionnaires that interrogate my morals, beliefs, economic status and sign of the zodiac (not all of those statements are necessarily true).

My kid and I both love the idea of Maine coon cats, but we couldn’t find any cross-bred kittens needing adoption and I will never, ever pay a gazillion bucks for a pedigreed cat.  Just no.

Finally, we started finding kittens at various shelters, filled out a couple of those Moby Dick-length applications, only to find a bunch of kittens that fiercely protective foster parents would not release in prides of less than two. That didn’t work for us. I wasn’t going to hit Tikka with a mass invasion. Just not fair.

This week we were turned down again for a one-kitten-only adoption, and then, yesterday, a friend of ours who works for a vet about an  hour  west of us called and said that she had a very young kitten we could have–today.

Yes, we said.  Yes indeed.

Champ arrived less than an hour ago, brought by our friend.

As for the old guard? So far so good. Tikka sez “Aint no thang:”

Cataclysm 2

Y’all can see that Champ is pretty tiny.  She’s all of six weeks old. The story behind that very young-adoption is that a friend of our friend’s husband is a mechanic, and a while back a cat adopted the repair shop.  To the guys’ surprise “George” gave birth to her litter a little while back.  This week, the kittens grew big enough to escape into the shop.  So they grabbed the wee ones and put up a flare…and here we (or rather, my son and his new overlord) are:

Cataclysm

 

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

118Comments

  2. 2.

    R-Jud

    Oh my GOD, the nuclear-level cuteness of that kitten! The Child here recently acquired the corn snake she’s been dreaming of for two years. I’d have preferred a Champ, myself.

  3. 3.

    CaseyL

    So Champ is a Maine Coon, or part Maine coon? I wondered, because of her huge ears which also look like they have little fur tufts off the ends.

    Your son looks ecstatic to belong to his very own Feline Overlord!

    ETA: I’m of two minds regarding those extensive questionnaires.  On the one hand, they are onerous, and sometimes people who would otherwise make perfectly good petparents fail or give up.  OTOH, and speaking as a former shelter volunteer, shelters do want to make sure their precious foundlings are going to a home where the humans understand how to care for the new family member, and are less likely to abandon/mistreat it.

  7. 7.

    seefleur

    Looks to me like Champ ad Tikka have shared coloring, and dollars to donuts, I bet they end up as comrades in mischief. We had a similar situation, and Mitch aka Top Cat at 5 years of age was less than thrilled to have an interloper/intruder come into the house. But it was less than a month before the two were wreaking havoc. Both kitties were/are similarly coated – big ol’ tabby cats and were often mistaken for litter mates. Mitch has been long gone, but Mayhem carries on his teachings of wild flings around the house at 3AM, rodent massacres with bodies left in the hallway by the bathroom, and then snuggling with freshly killed rodent breath on my side of the bed. Your household is gonna be highly entertaining – I’d bet on it! Enjoy, and get video if you can…

  10. 10.

    Anotherlurker

    Congratulations on your new family member.  May she bring much love and many smiles to your home.

    My dog, Buddy, passed away in January. I have been trying to adopt since Feb. and I have had no success.  I find that a lot of rescue groups out here (Bay Area) are downright rude in their lack of responses to those who have spent 30 minutes + filling out adoption applications.  Out of approximately 12 applications for adoption, I have gotten a total of 2 responses. One response prompted  me to ask a question about meeting the dog. I did not receive a reply to my question and further inquires from me were ignored.  I thought it was an aberration from one group but it appeares that is the way they roll.   Piss poor business sense, if you ask me.

  12. 12.

    Jay C

    OMG!

    That face!

    Those ears!

    The overload of kitten-ness!!!!!

    Just watch out for the murder-mittens…….

  13. 13.

    jonas

    Oh, SQUEEEEE! doesn’t even begin to describe it!

    Congrats on the new kitteh, and my condolences to your couch upholstery…

  14. 14.

    Mary G

    I am squeeing so hard right now. I’ve run into the same situation trying to adopt a dog in these times. So happy for your boy. They are obviously crazy in love. My Chenille – who adopted a foam and fabric store as a tiny, but had to go when upright bolts of expensive upholstery fabrics proved irresistible – has the same colored paws. So frikking cute. Thanks for the smile

    ETA: That title had me quaking in my boots – what’s he done now? Defcon dread level 1. So happy to see Champ.

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    Happy day!  Champ is a perfect name.  What a little tiny slip of a thing!  The expression on your son’s face is priceless.  I bet you would have paid a million bucks for that.

  19. 19.

    zhena gogolia

    Haha, I just had to write a reference letter for a friend trying to adopt a dog from Tennessee. It was the most fun reference letter I ever wrote.

    Tikka and Champ are adorable!

  21. 21.

    Roger Moore

    An aside: as an old who likes his potato on his belt

    Just to prove my nitpicker bona fides, it’s an onion you’re supposed to hang from you belt, at least if you’re keeping up with Grandpa Simpson’s fashion.

  26. 26.

    Gemina13

    I have a mushy spot for black and tuxedo cats.  And Champ is a doll.  Congratulations on bringing her home.

    I know the applications are a PITA, but I have friends who are volunteers/foster-parents for various rescue organizations, and the applications help them to weed out the flakes and monsters.  It’s not 100% effective, but it’s pretty damn good.  Especially when you consider how many abused/abandoned/orphaned animals foster-parents take in, care for, and socialize.  To see their babies, adult or otherwise, returned for bullshit reasons or found injured after all the care they gave them is heartbreaking.

  27. 27.

    Roger Moore

    I will say that a shortage of adoptable kittens is probably a good thing.  It’s definitely better than kittens being euthanized because they can’t find enough homes for them.

  30. 30.

    azlib

    My spouse works as a volunteer for a pet rescue organization here in the Valley of the Sun. She has fostered 276 cats since 2010. Champ is adorable and will be a lot of fun. They are more fun in groups, though.  We had 6 at one time and they ran rings around our 4 grown cats. We once fostered a new mother who had 6 kittens in our bathroom. She was all of 7.5 pounds and after the kittens were 6 weeks old, she literally rolled our 15 pound Maine Coon male, who really looked startled a cat half his size could extert that kind of force. Nothing is more protective of a mother cat with kittens.

  31. 31.

    Sab

    Does Champ qualiy as a tuxedo with that white blaze on his chest? Also, are you sure he is indeed a he? Our youngest two cats we thought were boys but they turned out to be girls. Even the vet got it wrong.

  34. 34.

    satby

    @Anotherlurker: Most rescue groups (not including humane societies in this) are unpaid volunteers, so not a business. Saying that, they should respond to inquiries within a day usually. If they don’t, just move on. Other groups will hopefully be more responsive.

    And though I feel for how hard it’s gotten to adopt and that some groups are bordering on ridiculous in the hoop jumping, rescues also have many, many experiences of animals adopted to what looked like a lovely family who promised good care, but turn out to be negligent assholes who let their animals roam for Animal Control to pick up. Or worse: people who front for dog-fighter rings looking for bait animals. Or are sickos like Bill Frist.

  41. 41.

    CaseyL

    @azlib: My current cats are Jeannie and her son Oscar. When Oscar and his siblings were babies, I saw with my own eyes skinny little Jeannie face up to a racoon and whack it repeatedly upside the head, spitting and hissing the whole time.  Racoon ran off.

    Mama cats are fierce, yo.

  44. 44.

    Gvg

    My last cat was curmudgeon. He pretended to be a grouch tough guy but it was mostly bluff. He only really liked me and the golden retriever he grew up with. It’s a survival trait for ferals, bluff but don’t actually fight that much because you might get injured. Never learned to get along well with my sisters already adult cat. 10 years ago we had one last kitten we couldn’t find a home for, so we gave up and kept her. We expected problems when we let her out but mister tough guy boy cat just put up with her clearly put upon and huffy but evidently instinct told him you don’t hurt babies.  Boy cats don’t always follow that rule. So years later when my nephew begged for his own cat, we knew it had to be a kitten. My sister found him a super unflappable kitten who loves everyone. Mr. grumpy cat put up with it again.

    Nephew loves cats.

  45. 45.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    I’ve had to fill out multiple multi-page questionnaires that interrogate my morals, beliefs, economic status and sign of the zodiac (not all of those statements are necessarily true).

    Good, if you have morals, you’re probably posting on the wrong blog.

  49. 49.

    scribbler

    OMG the cuteness.  It’s off the charts.  And Champ is a terrific name.  You must keep us apprised of all developments between the two kitties.

  55. 55.

    Emma from FL

    That picture! Omygawd. Your son is being programmed, isn’t he? youuuu wiiiill looooove mmmmeeeee…

  58. 58.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @R-Jud:

    The Child here recently acquired the corn snake she’s been dreaming of

    I love that corn snake! So beautiful. I actually saved a couple of your photos to my own album, just so I can gaze upon that lovely snek whenever I want.

  59. 59.

    Eric U.

    We got the best dog ever because the first family that adopted him couldn’t tolerate his separation anxiety.  Which went away after a week with us.  Their loss, and I see why rescue organizations are very picky.

  60. 60.

    catclub

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Sandpaper kisses on cheek and on chin

    that is the way for the day to begin

    Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle, a purr.

    I have an alarm clock that’s covered in fur.

  61. 61.

    kindness

    Very nice.  I know what you mean.  My oldest dog went across the rainbow bridge in May and my other pup was acting so bored and lonely in June I went to the pound to adopt another one.  Not so fast Bucky they said.  You have to have an appointment or they won’t let you in the door.  You have to know exactly which dog you want to adopt or they won’t talk to you at all.  When I picked the one I wanted from a picture they brought him to the other side of a glass door and let me look through the door at him.  After agreeing to take him and paying all the fees, they kept him another 10 days so they could neuter him and what ever.  I didn’t get to actually touch him till I (made an appointment) went to pick him up.  Like after all that I was going to sit in a room that had dog poo & pee all over it and tell them no I don’t want him.  He’s a great add to the family.  I’m glad I did it.

  69. 69.

    Tom Levenson

    @Gemina13: I get it. And that’s so important. (My sister in law is a serious foster kitten mom out in CA and she’s got stories.)

    It is just so different from every prior adoption I’ve done. I got Tikka by showing up at the shelter and playing with kittens for a couple of hours.

    Champ, in the end, came to us old school.  Which I admit makes me happy.

  78. 78.

    WereBear

    So happy for the two little ones finding each other.

    As a rescuer, I longed for the day cats would be rare and hard to get… ironic, as your child had to wait so long as a result.

    Also, two can actually work better. Our pair-bonded kittens play with each other, with chasing and wrestling games our older cats are grateful they are not invited to.

    But then, Champ has a boy of their very own.

  79. 79.

    TomatoQueen

    Champ! Welcome in, little one. And of course as a TOON supporter I aver black and white cats are the best cats. To whoever asked, Champ has classic Tuxedo markings and will grow up Gorgeous. Merlinus Ambrosius sends his best soft Brrp? and bats your nose.

  81. 81.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    I love her look in that top picture. She is totally standing her ground. Not Tikka’s do not fuck with me look, but definitely not timid.

    And though she be but little, she is fierce.

  87. 87.

    MoxieM

    Champ is a darling beyond words! And your household cats are sort of a matching pair (don’t tell Tikka). Ach, new-kitten-ness, with child. How magical. Congratulations on finding joy in your home, and sharing it with us.

  89. 89.

    Anotherlurker

    @satby: I am very supportive of those who do good work for animals in distress.  I send $ to the reputable ones.

    However the very bad experiences I have had dealing with local rescue groups has discouraged me from adopting.    I am looking into doing something that I swore I would never do. I’m looking for a reputable breeder that I can afford to purchase a pup from.

  90. 90.

    Jeffery

    I love cats but they are nuts for the first three years. Your son will have to patience to train him.

  93. 93.

    MoxieM

    @Anotherlurker: That’s awful!  I’ve had similar experiences, even with rescue groups I thought I knew. I will note that I called my vet for Murphy’s annual oil & tune up, and they were booking out till January (!!) Small local vet; good reputation; no specialties… She said it was because of the flood of people adopting animals, and also the new Covid protocols (bringing one animal in at a time).So it is just a rough time to find a doggo.

    Have you tried breed rescue? They sometimes have mixes as well, and if you have experience with, say, mid size hound type dogs, a spaniel rescue, any kind of hound rescue, a beagle or basset rescue (God love you) might be a match. I think, having been a shelter volunteer (long ago), but been engaged with dog rescue for more than, yep 35 years, wow, um, you might have more success with breed rescue. They tend to be smaller, the people all know each other, and –not to diminish the work of larger shelters at all– breed rescues are less like supermarkets on the weekend. (Now, if you want a Newfoundland, I am part of a network… but most folks sensibly, and thankfully, do not.)

    I am so very sorry about the loss of your dog. It’s hard, and it does take awhile to get over.

  96. 96.

    Anotherlurker

    @MoxieM: I have tried breed rescue.  In fact my 3 wonderful dogs were adopted thru L.I. Golden Retriever Rescue ( top notch organization).

    Here in the Bay Area, the breed rescues that deal with Goldens, Labs, etc., the breeds I am most familiar with, have no available dogs. This situation has existed since early March.. The reason for this is when  it became apparent that a COVID shut down was imminent, people panic adopted and cleaned out the breed rescue organizations.

    Look, I’m happy the Pups have found homes but since my boy, Buddy, passed in January, I have a very big hole in my heart.  Buddy was with me thru a natural disaster in NY, a disastrous move to Florida and then a positive move to Ca.  He was my rock. He was not a dog . He was a huge part of my life and I miss him every day and cry for him often.  He was family. I’m still looking for him in his usual hangouts (on the bed, couch and at my feet)

    I hate being without a furry family member.

  97. 97.

    Ruckus

    @Tom Levenson:

    I adopted my last dog at a rescue org event at a pet store. They talked about all the paperwork and time it would take and I hung around and they said ok, I expected to have to come back, they said he’s yours take him home. Wham bam new doggy. Man I’m glad they let me have Bud. Miss that old bastard.

  98. 98.

    sacrablue

    @Anotherlurker: Hang in there. Just wait a couple of weeks.  Sadly, because of the fires, the shelters will be taking in lots of pets belonging to people that have lost their homes and have to give up their precious animals.

  101. 101.

    Anotherlurker

    @sacrablue: Thanks. I am keeping my eyes open and I will open my home to a new pup. I have great sympathy for those who have lost their homes to a natural disaster.

  102. 102.

    WaterGirl

    @Anotherlurker: I have only been without a dog once since was 21, and I lasted a month before I had to get one, even though I always wait much longer than that when I have lost one of mine.

    I just couldn’t take it – I missed my beloved Bailey, but even more than that, it just felt really wrong not to have a dog in the house.  So I may know a little of what you are feeling.

    Have you let your vet know that you’re in the market for a dog?  That’s how my niece has gotten all of theirs.

    Best, WG

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    @Anotherlurker: I know what you mean about your rock.  That’s how I felt about my first cocker spaniel.  She was there for everything.  It was truly the end of an era, and I did not know how to do it without her.  But of course I did.

    There’s another dog in your future, hopefully soon.

  106. 106.

    Elizabelle

    Some wonderful Friday news.  Welcome Champ.

    30 pounds of mischief in a petite package.   Tikka will probably be a lot of help training Champ, whether he realizes that now, or not.

  107. 107.

    Elizabelle

    @Anotherlurker:   Good luck finding the very lucky lurkerpup.

    I would not have thought of checking in with a vet, but it’s a great idea.  Maybe also some boarding kennels; people tend to bring dogs to them.

    Yea, WaterGirl for the vet idea.

    Also:  maybe applying to be a foster parent?  I keep hearing about “foster fails” (ie. the pet stays) and suspect it’s a backdoor way into adopting.

  108. 108.

    satby

    @Anotherlurker: The vet idea is another great way to adopt, vets often know of dogs that people are looking to rehome due to family misfortunes.

    @Elizabelle: Foster fails are a backdoor to adoption, true. And by fostering, you help rescues save more pets, even if ultimately your foster moves on to a more permanent home. Every rescue can always use foster families.

  109. 109.

    MoxieM

    @Anotherlurker: ah, I feel your sorrow. The people who suggested a vet had a great idea.  I wish I knew more orgs out there (I’m on the other coast). I’ll keep thinking on it.  Meanwhile, sending warm & furry best wishes.

  110. 110.

    J R in WV

    @Anotherlurker:

    However the very bad experiences I have had dealing with local rescue groups has discouraged me from adopting. I am looking into doing something that I swore I would never do. I’m looking for a reputable breeder that I can afford to purchase a pup from.

    Two other choices. We have a wonderful white lab mix I picked out at the local Humane Society shelter. They put out the word that they were filling up, and might have to resume putting critters down.

    Alice was sitting in the kennel, all bored and sad. She was still wearing a way too small pink rhinestone collar. I went back to the front desk, told them the number on her cage. I had to take her for a walk, where it was obvious she didn’t know what grass was. I believe she was bought as a little girl’s puppy, but 50 pounds later was obviously not an apartment dog.

    The next day she was ours. Our current dog was delighted to have a new partner, and taught Alice how to catch chipmunks, which was sad for the rodents, but OK, there are millions of chipmunks in our woods.

    The other choice would be to check with vet clinics. Ours runs an underground adoption service, and we have two cats from them, and have had dogs too, now passed over the bridge. There are rescue folks in the area too, but we’ve never had to go that far.

    Last fall I took the founding Vet a box turtle our young puppies had slightly harmed, he was delighted to see a turtle rescued, said his wife’s compost pile in the backyard attracted a small herd, and that mine would fit right in. Such a grin he had when he saw i had brought in a turtle with a small cut on it’s leg.

  113. 113.

    Wolvesvalley

    Late to the thread as usual, but I have to add my SQUEEE over Champ’s adorable cuteness. The photo of her with your son is priceless.

  114. 114.

    Gemina13

    @satby:

    I have a good friend who volunteers as a foster-mom for a rescue organization in TN.  She has taken in orphaned litters, abandoned kittens, strays, ferals, and pregnant mothers, some so badly treated that she wouldn’t post pictures of them.  I’ve watched her cry for joy for all who find happy homes, and grieve for those who come to her for a day, or an hour, and then die.  Her back yard has a patch dedicated to the bodies, her Little Garden of the Lost.  As much as I love cats and would love to foster, I don’t think I have the strength to care for and lose any.  My heart would be permanently broken.

    So I give kudos to all who volunteer for rescue organizations, and double for those who foster.

  116. 116.

    lowtechcyclist

    My son, meanwhile, has longed for a pet and companion of his own.

    We recently went through a bit of that. When we brought our son home from Russia where we’d adopted him (back when Americans could still do that), he was a toddler, and the crew of cats we had then was 9-10 years old. Unsurprisingly, they were way of this unpredictable new creature, and they never did really take to him.

    Last summer, the last of that crew of cats died at the ripe old age of 19, and in October, we adopted two 6-month old kittens from a local shelter. One of them promptly decided that our son belonged to him, which made our son extremely happy. The cats have definitely helped our son get through this difficult year – it hasn’t been easy for him even with them, but his life has been a lot more bearable with them than without them.

  117. 117.

    No One You Know

    @Anotherlurker: I lost my beloved fur person in January. We had three cats, but one of them was more like a counselor than a cat. She was my other self, my anchor.

    It has been hard.

    I’m looking forward to the day that the Universe delivers your heart’s desire. Your love goes out. It will return.

  118. 118.

    Miss Bianca

    SCREAMING CUTENESS.

    Boy, you lose a day around this joint and miss the most amazing things! Little Champ, with her spats and gloves! That picture of her and your son is just too adorable, Tom. And Tikka taking it like…well…a champ, evidently. Congratulations!

Comments are closed.