Rocco left Camp Kitty on Wednesday, December 21st, to go to my house for Christmas. It was out of necessity. Since Rocco cannot be trusted to roam freely at night I have to put him in a cabin. Camp Kitty was completely full last week, and is still full, so no room for Rocco.
Taking him to my house was a great opportunity to see how he would do in a home environment and with dogs. I also wanted to see how he would act in the “territory” of another cat (that cat being Birdie). Would he hide? Would he be submissive? Would he enter like he owns the place? Or, would he have common sense and proceed with caution?
On Rocco’s first night he explored the bedroom area becoming familiar with the feeding station and litterboxes. He tried to stay away from the hissing, black cat. After a few hours he bravely entered the living room where he encountered, for the first time in his entire life, dogs. He seemed a bit nervous as they sniffed him, but he didn’t hiss or run. That night he slept in the guestroom.
The next day he continued to explore the house. In the process he learned house rules like not jumping on the counter or the kitchen table. But, he also discovered things like the cat door that leads to the basement:
He even bravely approached Birdie who finally let up on her hissing. He was getting comfortable in his new environment. He no longer had to be locked up in the guestroom at night, which leads me to bedtime with Rocco….
Rocco had never slept in a bed with a human. The first thing he did as soon as I crawled under the covers was pounce on my feet. That feline game never gets old. He did that for a few minutes after I turned out the light and then realized that I had drifted to sleep. I’d wake up in the middle of the night to see him curled up next to my waist or with his head next to my shoulder. Yes, it was as cute as it sounds.
One thing Rocco needs to work on his is internal alarm clock. It goes off at 3:30 am and he seems to think everyone should be up at that time. I don’t care how cute you are I don’t appreciate getting pounced on in the wee hours of the morning. His shenanigans were not tolerated and he was quickly ushered out of the bedroom.
Overall, he and Birdie seem to be getting along. They play chase and wear each other out. Rocco is getting more confident, which is evident in him perching himself at the top of Birdie’s cat tree. But, payback is a b*tch:
Rocco’s first Christmas was a successful one. He got to experience a home and a tree and dogs and snuggling in a bed with humans. He even got to enjoy opening up a gift:
If anyone is thinking about adopting an amazing cat for 2012 Rocco is the one to get. Having him at my house has been lots of fun, but I think Birdie is ready for him to leave. If you want to meet Rocco in person he won’t be back at Camp Kitty until Tuesday, January 3rd.
