Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Cat is Out of The Bag

Well almost....

Tomorrow I'm taking my girl  on a surprise shopping trip because we need to get supplies for the kitten that is joining our household on Friday. She has very little idea although I have been asking her for the past few weeks what she would name a boy cat if she had one. She doesn't know that this little guy is headed home this week though.(This isn't the actual cat but he looks very similar, with a little more white)

The kitten is 8 weeks old and was born at the Museum. He's an indoor cat and is going to stay that way. I've been visiting him on my lunch since he was born. There were 6 in the litter and each one seems very playful and friendly. They live in the building that houses the interpreter staff (those are the people in 19th Century garb) so they have seen a lot of people who routinely pick them up and play with them. The momma is staying in that building and one of the kittens is going to become a pioneer kitten at the Pioneer Homestead.

I've never had a kitten so I've been reading up. Tomorrow we.re getting a kitty bed (I have a carrier already), scratching post, Iams food (that's what they've been eating) some litter & litter box stuff, a brush and some toys. Anything else I need?  I'm up in the air over litter. Clay? Pine? Wheat? Something less smelly preferably. This little guy is going to live in the spare bedroom upstairs for awhile until he's acclimated.  We're going to the vet next week.

Names-We're up in the air about names. My daughter insists that if she DID ever have a boy cat, she would call him Tom. I do not want a cat named Tom. I want something 19th Century or Museum related. Some ideas that have been thrown around:

  • Thomas Jefferson This was suggested as a replacement for Tom but I can't imagine having a cat called Thomas Jefferson.
  • Heathcliff
  • Adam
  • Watson (Sherlock seemed a little pretentious) 
  • Something after one of the museum buildings-Hosmer, Livingston, Foster, McKay, Hamilton, Hyde, Jones.
  • Whele, after John Whele, the museum founder, however 2 other cats from this litter have been named Whele already.
  • We've been trying to think of a 19th century food but calling a cat Johnny Cake or Hardtack doesn't work. There are a ton of Civil War names but we're not reenactors or anything like that.
  • Greives, after the museum's brewery.
We're pretty much at a loss as you can see. I think we're going to just being him home and see what he looks like after a few days.

9 comments:

Krista said...

Awwww! She is going to be so surprised!

Livingston. He looks like a Livingston, so if the real cat looks like him I think it will look like a Livingston, too.

Karley Ziegler Mott said...

Congrats. I'm not a cat person, but I bet your kitty will have a very happy, loving home!

As for the name, I like Livingston or Heathcliff.

Tree Huggin Momma said...

OK - we use Sweat Scoop (wheat litter) and I do like it. 2 Reasons: Its compostable (although I simply bury it in my soon to be flower bed) and its made of wheat. However our cats are stinky and this doesn't really help with odor. You might try Feline Pine or Yesterdays News as well, but I can't tell you about the odor issues as I don't use either.

The Fine Art of Motherhood said...

Congrats -- how fun! I personally like Hamilton -- I don't know why, I just think it's cute. Um, I think if Steph doesn't even have a cat names Thomas Jefferson, then you shouldn't do that either. You could name him Almanzo... What about Charles -- you could call him Charlie. If you are knocking Johnny Cake and Hardtack out of the running, then I guess Pig Bladder is a definite "no". ;)

Prairie Rose said...

He looks like an Almanzo to me! ;)

Jeannine said...

I like Watson!

Jeannine said...

I like Watson!

Meredith said...

Congratulations! A kitty and Laura Days all in the same week - how lucky can a little girl get! And the kitty came from the home of Laura Days - what a small world.
Of course, you must name him Almanzo.
I have had cats for 11 years and I have tried all sorts of litter. I have to say that the best I have found is the generic Berkley and Jensen litter from BJ's. It is cheap and it works. I also sprinkle a little baking soda on the top of the litter after I scoop. Scooping daily really helps with the smell.

Unknown said...

Wow what a big step! I'm very happy for you and especially for Emma she will be thrilled with her new "brother" I like Watson too!