The newest member of the family

Last year on the day after Thanksgiving, the family cat Dupree, who was 17 years old and fading fast, departed to kitty heaven. It was hard knowing that he had to be put down, but he was no longer able to process his food, he was incontintent and in obvious pain because he was literally starving to death and was skin and bone. It was so hard to say goodbye to such a longtime member of our family and my mom's house has felt incomplete without a cat. But last Thursday a new cat joined our family. As yet nameless, it's because he hasn't told us yet what he wishes to be called. He's quite the frisky little fellow, only about 2-3 months old at most, all black with faint stripes that can be seen, an angular face, long tail and he's very leggy. He also chats a lot, leading us to believe that between his physical attributes and his constant vocalization that he's got to be half Siamese. We've had a lot of those in the past and this kitten has all the markings of cat with at least one Siamese parent. He's very affectionate, purrs easily, loves to knead with his paws but is also extremely playful and absolutely loves to chew on everything he can get his teeth into. A few times this evening I have had to ward him off of chewing on computer cables and such because they dangle from the laptop. Never met a kitten that so loved to chew things like him. Given his age, I expect that these kinds of things will go on for a while and that he will eventually outgrow his kittenish ways and become more sedate, but for now, visiting my mom's house is a bit like having a toddler around. The living room floor is strewn with cat toys, a brown paper bag, a box and tons of shredded newspaper, another thing he is overly fond of doing. It makes for a bit of a mess, but having a cat again at the home in which I grew up is a welcome thing, even if it means having to put up with a bit of a wild beast who is intent on ripping up as much as he can! It's worthwhile entertainment and it means not even having to watch TV to get a lot of good laughs! Little kitty is a breath of fresh air in a house that felt too strange without the usual cat around. I will update this blog as kitty grows into a cat and reveals to us his mysterious and as yet unrevealed name.