Every cottage needs a cat. When my sweet long-time companion Lily passed away last month, I knew I wouldn’t last long without having another cottage cat. Little did I know I wouldn’t even make it a week!
I went along for a few days, but I just couldn’t get used to not having another living creature in the house. I didn’t like come home to a house devoid of life (sorry, houseplants…). A few days after she passed, I found myself wondering… is it too soon? Do I need time to see if maybe I wouldn’t need (or even want) another pet?
Ha!! The fact is, I had already made a few proclamations about my next cat: it was going to be a chubby senior, and its name was going to be Boop. And I couldn’t stay away from the Animal Rescue League website, so it wasn’t long before I spotted this pretty girl:
Her name at the shelter was Belladonna. Eight years old, 13 pounds… a tuxedo cat! They didn’t have much info on her – they said she had come in as a stray. But they had done a complete exam and some labs, and she apparently had no health issues.
Greg drove with me out to meet Belladonna on a Wednesday… adoption papers were signed almost immediately… and within an hour of being at her new home, she was out of hiding and going around to try out a few potential napping spots.
Seriously, this cat owned me AND my house within 24 hours. She immediately became Boop, a.k.a. Boopers, a.k.a. Miss Boop or Miss B.
She is very sweet, prone to long naps, and only occasionally spicy. She also loves to play with her little stuffed ball and catnip fish kick-toy. On her second day, she discovered the work-from-home arrangement. She takes her managerial position in the office very seriously, even if the employee lounge is a little small.
Her ONLY vice… and she is a cat, after all… is that she likes to sharpen her claws on the carpet. I got her a scratching post to no avail. I noticed where she was scratching and put down a little throw rug that she could pick at to her heart’s content… but she changed spots. I have a few other ideas we’ll be trying so hopefully she’ll soon have a favorite spot to scratch that isn’t the carpet.
Meanwhile, she can sleep in her little bed in the office while I’m working, or sleep on the big bed at night with me, or sleep in the rays of sunshine out on the porch. She has tried out several spots throughout the house…
This spot, in the crook of the arm of the couch, is her favorite unless we are working in the office.
Happy to say that Boop has found – and commandeered – her forever home. She is officially the cottage cat of Lynnwood Cottage!
