# Hello, I'm new + The story of me and my kitty :3



## kaworu (Nov 2, 2011)

Hey folks - wanted to stop by, post a thread, introduce myself, that sort of thing.

So, let's see! Given that this is a cat-oriented forum, it seems appropriate to start there. I'm 26 years old, and just this past year have wound up with my very first kitty that is, well, *my* kitty.

I've always had cats around growing up, but they were really like "family" cats that weren't particularly bonded to any one person in particular, and at the least their care was never solely in my hands. We had dogs, too, and some birds and snakes and such - a rather animal-oriented family, in a sense, although not to a huge extent.

Anyway, I got my current cat in a... somewhat unconventional manner. My father, his wife, and my half-sister always have at least 2-3 cats at any given point in time. They've had some bad luck lately, and their cat population was recently in flux. Recently, they had 3 of them - 1 female named Jackie who was 4, and 2 younger males, one a kitten and another who was about 2 years old. I'd always been very fond of Jackie, myself, for various reasons, but she hadn't been doing so well since the two males showed up on the scene. Jackie's always been a very mellow, introverted, zen-like cat - whereas the male kitties were much more rowdy, outgoing, playful, and typical with regard to young kitty behavior.

Needless to say, things were NOT working out between Jackie and the other two cats, apparently. They would constantly play-attack her and act aggressive, and she would just put her ears back, lash her tail around, growl, hiss, and act miserable. And this just went on and on, with the younger cats trying to mess with Jackie constantly, all day and night, bullying her in almost every possible way - trying to eat her food, trying to keep her from getting her share of attention and affection for the humans, just being jerks, overall. And Jackie, who had always been happy and gentle in temperament, had become angry, grouchy, and downright mean. She was always on the defensive, and if you tried to so much as pet her, she'd just stiffen up and growl at you, eventually scratching and biting, something that she rarely did before. This upset me greatly, because I loved her when she was a happy and normal kitty, and it was just really sad to see her personality change like this.

So, all these cats were at my dad's house, and I live in my own apartment in the same town, and we decided to try out having Jackie move in with me. Which was tough since the family still liked her, but everyone figured it was in Jackie's best interests to try something new. And it worked out PERFECTLY. Almost immediately Jackie turned back into her old wonderful self. It's been about six months, and I have (in my estimation) the perfect cat ^___^ 

She really is perfect - she's extremely affectionate, always hopping up on my lap and purring, following me around, headbutting my legs/hand/face, chirrupping and trilling at me happily, that sort of thing. Overnight all her antisocial behavior stopped - since she moved in she has not *once* growled at me or anything, not *once* put her ears back for any reason whatsoever, not *once* even come close to scratching or seriously biting me or even raising a paw in anger. Her personality did a total 180, it was wonderful to see.

I was in a rough patch of my own when I took her in too, and having her around really improved my own quality of life, and made a big difference - there's something truly magical about your first cat as an adult. As a result of all this, both me and Jackie, I feel, are *really* strongly bonded to one another. I get along better with her than any animal I've ever known, and vice versa. So it's just been perfect. And her behavior is impeccable - she always uses her litter box properly, never complains unless it's about something reasonable.... she was pretty overweight when I took her in, so I've put her on a diet and she's been very successfully losing weight and, again, has not complained at all about the diet. Just ideal.

She's a very beautiful kitty, too, and fairly unique in her own way. She's a typical tabby, with maybe a *tiny* bit of Maine **** somewhere in there that gives her a very slight "mane" and makes her bigger-boned than most females. She's also extremely polydactyl - she has 7 toes on each of her front paws, and five toes on each of her back paws. LOTS of toes. It's adorable.

Attached are some kitten pics - she's obviously no longer a kitten, but they're nice and the only good ones I really have at my disposal on this particular computer at this particular time. 

Anyway, thanks for reading this, erm, admittedly rather long treatise! Hope I have fun here.


----------



## kaworu (Nov 2, 2011)

Whoops - forgot pics!


----------



## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

Welcome! I'm so glad that you were able to take Jackie in. It sounds like it was the best thing for both of you. Love the pics. Shes adorable. Cant wait to see more!


----------



## SomeRandomChick (Sep 11, 2011)

Welcome to the forum! She's beautiful, and it sounds like she's very grateful to you for giving her a stress free home.


----------



## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

Love those massive mitts.
Years ago I girls at the office where I worked in the woodshop rescued a cat that I named Meme, she didn't get along with the male office cat, he was a bully and never gave her any peace. She escaped into the warehouse and refused to come back into the office, I took over caring for her and she just blossomed.
I eventually took her home even though my apartments didn't allow pets after she got locked out of the warehouse when I wasn't there.
She spent the remaining years of her life with me and we were very happy.
Some cats need a place and a person to call their own.


----------



## kaworu (Nov 2, 2011)

Thanks for the pleasant wishes everyone - and Jackie appreciates the compliments :3

That definitely sounds like a fairly similar situation, cooncatbob. I think some cats really are just too gentle and non-aggressive by nature, and as a result they become the victims of bully-type cats who just give them a hard time and make life miserable. And I don't think Jackie could deal too well with all these other animals around constantly invading her space - like you said, some kitties just need a place/person of their own. Only thing is I don't think I'll be getting any more cats anytime soon while I have Jackie! But that's okay, since we're both quite happy :3

Also, here's a few pics of Adult!Jackie. I took them with my iphone so the quality isn't exactly spectacular, sorry. One of them is a close-up of her MASSIVE freakin' paw - she seriously has the biggest front paws I've ever seen on any cat. The other pic is just of her chillin' in her domain. And yeah, she's definitely a bit overweight, like I said. She weighed 17 pounds when I took her in, and she's gone down to about 13 in the 6 months since. Which is a good rate, but I'm hoping to get her to around 9-10 eventually, with luck.


----------



## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Nice diva pic!!

Beautiful cat.


----------



## Cats&Plants (Aug 20, 2011)

She's gorgeous. She is probably grateful to you for rescuing her from the boys. I agree some cats just like being alone in their space with their people.

Welcome to the group!


----------



## cooncatbob (May 27, 2011)

I wouldn't give up all hope of ever having a 2nd cat, if you find another cat who's kind and respectful and do a proper slow introduction it can be done.
The problem is most people just throw the cats in together and once a introduction is botched it's hard to correct.


----------



## ney2891 (Nov 3, 2011)

Nice pic! she looks so cute! i will put some pics of my kitty up once i figure out how!


----------



## kaworu (Nov 2, 2011)

Aww, you guys are all so sweet, thanks again for the warm welcomes  And Jackie is, I'm sure, very much flattered and satisfied by the compliments regarding her appearance - she's totally a little princess, this one. I like 'diva' as well, that describes her nicely xD She's on my lap right now, purring away, situated between me and the laptop - she tends to get jealous of the laptop, you see, it being the only other thing that she has to share my lap with. 

I've been lurking around these forums, also, and I must say that it gives me some new appreciation for just how well-behaved Jackie is after reading some of the behavioral issues some kitties have. I really have had, like, NO problems with her. She doesn't destroy anything, she's generally quiet and respectful, she's always kind and loving, perfect with her litterbox... I mean, all of that being said I guess there's always something, even if it's almost inconsequential: she' a fairly messy eater, requiring some cleanup.

Also, this past month she has developed a borderline compulsive habit - she likes to lick my hands/fingers. A lot. I don't know, do you guys think it's because they taste good, or is it maybe a grooming thing? I know that it can be a form of affection, the licking, but she gets awfully intense and focused on it once she starts, she's all like "OMG HANDS! I must lick all surfaces three times over as rapidly as possible!" I thought it was cute at first, but it's started to get vaguely annoying, heh.


----------



## Milky's Mammy (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi and welcome to the forum! She is absolutely beautiful! You're so kind to have taken her home and away from the bullying. She looks very happy to be with you!


----------



## MissChainChomp (Nov 3, 2011)

Wow! She is so cute! My friend has a polydactyl too. Again, so cute!


----------

