Colin the cat - A cat and baby introduction

This week started off a bit busier than usual for us, with a new pet to add to our collection. We already have 3 birds and a gecko, but we really wanted something that was a bit more playful, and interactive for Cupar to enjoy. Me and Aeron both grew up around animals, and we thought Cupar could benefit from the same sort of upbringing.

We went backwards and forwards for a few weeks considering rabbits, chinchillas, cats, and dogs, before eventually settling on a fluffy little ginger kitten. Thanks to my Mum and Aeron, he is now called Colin.

Getting settled in

After finally deciding that now was the right time do it, we excitedly picked Colin up. We got him settled into his new home, showing him where his litter tray and food was kept. Everything seemed to be going well until Aeron suddenly started throwing up a couple hours after we’d got back. He promptly took himself to bed wrapped up in a blanket complaining that he was dying, and left me to fend for myself with a 1 year baby and an 8 week old kitten running around.

As I’m not the chef of the household, dinner was a bit of a disaster. We had rubbery chicken, a satay sauce that went in the bin, wedges stuck to the tray and a salad that was drier than the Sahara dessert. All of this was cooked while trying to hold onto a crying baby that insisted on being as close to me as possible. As it was all we had in the house and it was a Sunday, we made do and ate it. To mine, and possibly Cupar’s surprise, it wasn’t actually that bad.

The kitten and the baby

When dinner was out of the way, I started to introduce Cupar and Colin to each other, while also making sure that they didn’t get in each others way too much. Cupar was fascinated with the new family member and kept trying to play cars with him. This understandably freaked the kitten out a little bit. So Cupar played cars on his own, while Colin watched him attentively from the back of the sofa.

Needless to say, I was glad to get to bed that night.

The cat tower

After a disastrous first night, the next few days were a welcome change. Aeron recovered from his sickness bug and decided to put his DIY skills to good use. He built a giant tower with ramps, hiding spots and beds all over it for Colin. He even added some fairy lights to it so that the cat doesn’t have to sleep in the dark! It was built with the idea that if Cupar gets a bit too boistrous, Colin has somewhere to go that is out of his reach. Obviously, Colin thinks that this is a great idea, and loves running up and down the ramps at full speed while Cupar watches in amazement.

Best friends

Cupar has really taken to him, and he seems thrilled to have a new little friend in the house. His favourite thing to do at the moment is to take the balls out of his ball pit, throw them across the room and watch Colin run after them. They even filled up the ‘cat cave’ together with what seemed like hundreds of balls. Cupar put them in there and Colin chased them around inside, much to Cupar’s amusement. I can see that this pair are going to be little partners in crime soon!

We’ve had Colin for a week now and I think a kitten was definitely the right pet for us. I was a bit dubious at first because I wasn’t sure how well they’d get on, but after seeing them together I know that we made the right decision.

I can see that they’re forming a bond already, and with them, both being so young, they can grow and learn together. Seeing Cupar’s little face light up, and hearing him laugh is so lovely. He’s even learnt the word ‘gentle’. After initially trying to pull Colin’s fur all the time, he now strokes him instead.

The only problem we’ve had is Cupar taking a fancy to the dry cat food… I caught him sitting in front of the bowl one afternoon trying to eat them, which he thought was hilarious. The food has since been moved out of reach of tiny little fingers and Cupar has gone back to eating baby food. I can only imagine this tastes a lot better.

I wonder what our next pet will be?