RiverBender Blog: I Adopted a Cat, One Month Later

You may recall that I recently adopted a cat. Named Astronomer, this gray baby is 5 years old. He came from an animal cruelty situation and was so scared and shy and overwhelmed that he didn’t make much of an impact on those who came to visit at the shelter, so he had been there for a few years.

We fell in love with him immediately and took him home, where he proceeded to hide under the couch for two weeks.

But now, one month after Astronomer’s Gotcha Day, I’m pleased to announce he is a completely different cat.

When I could coax him out from under the couch, he let me pet him. He would rub his face against my hand, looking for face scratches. He liked attention, even if he was wary of it.

Wary no longer! He demands attention. He will roll around on the floor and collapse on top of your shoes if you try to step away.

It’s not uncommon for him to jab his face full-force against my hand, which makes me apologize for poking him while he looks at me with indignation, like, “What, are you not going to scratch my face like I wanted?” It’s a little game we play every day.

Astronomer, it turns out, has a voice. In fact, he likes to alert me to his presence at all hours.

Just this morning, I woke up to him on top of my chest, meowing in my face. He wanted cuddles and snuggles, which I was all too happy to provide, except that it was 3:30 a.m. I obliged and he continued to meow even as he purred. He is my furry little alarm clock.

Often, I go about my business in the apartment, providing commentary to Astronomer as he meows back at me. The following exchange is one we have at least twice a day.

Him: Meow.

Me: What?

Him: Meow.

Me: What is it?

Him: Meow.

Me: Use your words.

Him: Meow.

And then we both collapse on the floor to snuggle.

He has also discovered the joy of being on the couch rather than under it. He curls up against me, under the blanket, just like I pictured when I first decided a cat was needed. It is honestly too cute. We’re buddies.

And he likes to explore! I have watched this cat jump and scrabble his way to the shelf at the top of the closet, the entire time with me going, “Oh! No! Wait!” He likes to be tall. I once walked into the kitchen to find him on top of the refrigerator, at which point I said, “Oh! No! Wait!” as he jumped down. As his name suggests, he is curious.

We’ve started calling him “Murr,” from Astronomer, and there are many nicknames that have progressed from there. He also answers to Murr Man and Mr. Murr and Murr Baby.

Any street cred that this cat once had is gone. He is a sweetheart lovey kitten. We have babied him. We’re ruining his reputation as an aloof, “I don’t care” anxious cat, because the truth is that he is actually a cuddly fluffy infant whose anxiety has all but disappeared now that he knows he’s in his safe forever home.

It took him a while to realize it was his forever home, but we got there, and I’m so proud of him.

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