God looking out for us

So, with the passing of Mr Jones last week, my main question was, "How long do you have to wait before getting another cat?"  Not to be cruel to the memory of my previous kitty, but my house was feeling really empty without the pitter-patter of crazy, fluffy feet.  Let me also say that I can't remember the last time I remembered a dream, and in the first three nights of an empty house, I had not one, but TWO anxiety dreams!  Purring and fluff really does help calm the nerves, I guess. 

This is where you learn that God looks out for you when you need him.  While at work the Friday we had to put Harvey down, John encountered a guy he works with who was looking for a home for a kitty.  Apparently, the company had thought that a shop cat would be good for their warehouse, but then thought rationally about what goes on in a warehouse & nixed the idea (fork trucks, larges piles of boxes to hide in, and kitties don't mix well, I guess).  Our contact, Brian, was left caring for the cat who didn't get along too well with his dogs.  John says that one of the reasons was that the dogs probably chewed up all the kitty's toys, and so kitty would get bored (since he had no toys anymore) and harass the dogs.  Brian was not too keen on this and was looking for a good home.  Brian's girlfriend is the vet technician who fostered / adopted the grey kitty that was brought in with mysterious injuries to his eye.  They had to remove his eye, so he was named Sir Winks-a-lot. 

The missing eye really doesn't affect him, as far as I can tell.  He jumps up on things more than Harvey ever did (he's already mastered the windowsill, back of the couch, dining table, and bookshelf!).  The only really noticeable thing is that he has a very stretchy neck - which may or may not be due to the one eye.  Winks' neck is usually normal-looking, but when he sees something interesting, he cranes around and stretches out his neck to get a better view.  It's kind of funny the contortions he goes through looking out the window or watching TV. 

"A bird!! I sees it!"

So we are now four days into our "probationary week" ....that I don't think we'll need, honestly.  Winks spent the first night/ day hiding in his carrier, and was easily scared by the noises coming from everywhere.  However, rubbing and persistence got him out into the basement in small bursts.  Small bursts led to exploring, which led to more  loving and getting to know us.  Pretty soon, Winks was able to to remain calm while one of us went "upstairs" and made noises.  Even now, the fear of the noises from the ceiling is lessening.  He does still occasionally glare at the offending ceiling when one of us is clomping around upstairs, but not so much anymore.  :)

Today was pretty good: he's come into the kitchen several times today and traversed the stairs multiple times as well (the two worst places in the house for him).  We've been trying to increase the comfort Winks feels in the house and so far he seems to be doing really well.  He is such a lover cat and is quite content to sit next to you on the couch all weekend... with spurts of craziness every now and then, of course. 

I do have to admit, I am not used to such a big cat!  Harvey was 7lbs ... on a fat day!  Winks (we're guessing, since he maxed out our accurate scale) is around 13lbs!  Heifer Cat will crush you!  Ha ha!  His belly is fun to snorgle, though he doesn't like it too much.  He does like the games Toes Under the Blanket (you have to have the right safety equipment for that though!), Hair Ties on the Bathroom Counter, and the sequel: Hair Ties on the Bathroom Floor.  We are already having lots of silly kitty adventures as he figures out how everything in our house works, but we seem to be settling in quite nicely.

 "Stinking female! Move over! I am Heifer Cat! I need the whole couch cushion"