A new bundle of joy

Posted on April 30, 2016 by jeffcuz

There are plenty of reasons why bringing another cat into our home wasn’t exactly a good idea, and I’ve said all of them to my wife, Paige, over the past few months.

The biggest reason has always been the battle to keep our Canine Companion, Karina, from getting into the cat’s food — as well as the cat’s litter box.

Anyone who has read this blog knows we had two cats who were sisters for about 20 years. Ariel and Belle were gifts that I gave Paige on her birthday just after we were married.

They were great cats and brought us lots of smiles and laughs for many years. Yes, they were furry, but I think we considered them our first kids.

They played, chased each other, leaped to the top of the kitchen cabinets and even played catch with those cardboard-type coasters you get at restaurants.

We got Karina as their lives were winding down, and while the vet wanted us to always keep food available for them, it was difficult to keep the dog out of the food.

The frustrations began.

Once Ariel was gone, I was ready to be done with cats — and especially the litter box.

But the house felt strange without a cat, and Paige constantly said she wanted another one.

Through the miracle of social media, I learned that a former news director at my station, John Harris, had found a cat on his farm.

After numerous Facebook messages and emails, it was decided that the cat would be Paige’s next birthday present, but getting it here proved to be a challenge.

It’s not easy to fly a cat on a plane. It’s a lot more difficult than shipping a package. There are vet certifications, vaccinations, kennel specifications and plenty of paperwork.

Duncan playing — Duncan checks out his hideout.

I deeply thank John for all his assistance to get the cat, which I named Duncan, to Florida.

Duncan is the coolest cat ever and quickly found his way into the hearts of my family.

Even after his plane flight, he wasn’t frazzled. He was chilling in his kennel like it was no big thing.

I took Duncan to the groomer upon arrival. (I really didn’t want him bringing fleas into the house.) The groomer was amazed at how calm he was.

Paige was totally surprised when I took her with me to the groomer to pick up the cat. There’s video of her meeting him.

I also found the highly-rated ModKat litter box on Amazon to help keep Karina from getting to Duncan’s prizes. He also eats his food pretty quickly, so there’s nothing left for Karina to ingest.

Things have really gone well, and I actually look forward to playing with him whenever possible.

When I told J.P. that we were getting another cat, he got a big grin on his face and has enjoyed seeing him and cuddling with him at night.

So what happened? Why did I make the decision to get the cat? I’m sure there are factors I don’t even recognize. Like Paige, I’ve had cats around my whole life. I found ways to keep the frustrations at a minimum, and Duncan looks a lot like Belle.

My sister-in-law says I lost my mind, but at least I have a smile on my face.