Top 5 Reasons I'm Jealous of my Cat

My jealousy for felines first occurred many years ago. I wanted to avoid a test at school and told my Mom I wished I was a cat and never had to leave the house. She then told me I would live a very boring life and I wouldn't be able to go to the movies, amusement parks, any general places of fun. I saw her point, but remained jealous.

Now that I'm a Mom I'm even more jealous of cats. Enter Booyah and my five reasons below.

Iams Home 4 the Holidays

I often say I like animals way better than I like most people. I've been lucky enough to adopt some pretty amazing animals so far in my life, full of personality and love.

Skittles even posed with me for self-photos. What a gal!

It's not easy going to a shelter knowing you can only save one or two animals. The last time I went I was 13. The Toronto Humane Society had a bunch of cats, and I really couldn't decide on one. Thankfully my Mom found Skittles (not her name before we adopted her). Skittles had just given birth to yet another litter, and her owner decided to keep a kitten instead of Skittles. She was two years old at the time, and the Humane Society would only let us have her if we agreed to spay her (which we did). My Mom thought it would be a good idea to adopt an older cat, since many people want kittens. I'm so glad we did.

Skittles was a part of my life for the next 14 years. She was often my "shoulder" to cry on when some stupid boy I liked did something moronic. She hung out with me while I was studying, watching TV and even listening to the Backstreet Boys. As I got older, she was also the sense of reason. Some nights if I stayed too long at the bar, she had this stern look when I finally came home AND would sit on my phone to make it more difficult for me to drunk text. She still cuddled me the whole next day while I was nursing a hangover. She really was such an amazing cat, not to mention a beauty. I may have given Skittles shelter and food, but she gave me so much more in return.

Chris adopted Booyah way before we started dating, and when we moved in together I may or may not have been more excited about living with Boo than I was with Chris...

Booyah with a toy banana.

As you probably have guessed, I am a total cat person. I have nothing against dogs, I just prefer cats. Booyah is a nice hybrid. He meets us meowing at the door, wants attention for a certain amount of time, and then goes about his business. While we were in Hawaii my brother took care of Boo. He couldn't believe how much Boo meows, and how much attention he wants before he'll leave you alone. Booyah definitely makes you feel needed.

So why write a post now about adopting a pet? Because I wanted to tell you about Iams Home 4 the Holidays. I'm sure you've heard about it before, but did you know you can participate without adopting (although that is an option)?

Canadians can participate in the program in more ways than one, including:

• Donating through Bags 4 Bowls – For those who are already pet parents, Iams will donate one bowl of food to a participating Iams Home 4 the Holidays animal organization for every specially marked package of Iams pet food purchased during the campaign.
• Adopting from a local shelter – Every day more and more animals end up in shelters or in rescue care, and more than 25 per cent are pure breeds*. This is important to keep in mind when deciding to bring a pet into your life, the animal you’re looking for is probably in your neighbourhood shelter. To find a participating animal shelter or rescue organization near you, visit iams.ca or facebook.com/iams. 
• Volunteering – Shelters need volunteers to do everything from feeding, caring for and keeping rescue animals company, to assisting at events and fundraisers. If you can’t adopt but would still love to help do so as a volunteer.
• Visiting the Iams Facebook page – Visit the Iams Facebook page and click to “Like” the page or various messages, photos, videos, etc. For each “Like” comment Iams will donate meals to participating animal shelters.   

Last year alone, 1.2 million pets were adopted during the holiday campaign and an estimated 5 million meals were donated to pets in need. In Canada, more than 75,000 animals found forever homes during the campaign.

When Hannah is a little older and ready for a pet, Chris and I will gladly take her to a shelter to find her new best friend. And maybe we'll bring my Mom, just to ensure only one comes home with us (I'm sure Booyah will appreciate that).

If you have a pet, did you adopt them?

Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own. 

© 2012 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.

Interspecies Jealousy

Boo Bear posing. See: Attention, Crying for.

I used to be SO in love with Booyah. He was always the wallpaper on my phone. I set my alarm to go off 5 to 10 minutes earlier just so I could give him some good morning pats. He was worth getting up before the sun rises - at 8 years old he still chases his tail, attacks cat nip toys and is the most vocal cat you've ever met. When I came home from work, he would run to the door and greet me with a squeaky meow, a telltale sign he had just woken up from a nap. We would cuddle or hang out together until Chris got home.

Fast-forward to late January. I enter the hospital with irregular bleeding. We spend the night. I have an emergency c-section. We spend the night. The next day Chris is able to get home for an hour to shower and put out fresh food and water for Booyah. We spend the night at the hospital. The next day, we bring Hannah home. Booyah looks happy to see us. Not so much the little crying human in the car seat.

Those first few weeks were the worst. Poor Booyah got put on the back burner. We always made sure he had food, water and clean litter. But our pats and cuddle sessions seemed to all but disappear. I even went out and bought him some new toys because I felt guilty I didn't have as much time to pay attention to him. I was so happy when Hannah reached his weight because it meant I could pick him up and cuddle him.

Checking out the Baby Einstein

When Chris went back to work and it was just me, Boo Bear and Hannah I used him as a sounding board. "Do you think she's crying because she's hungry?" "Meow." "Or maybe she's tired?" "Meow." "Maybe she just doesn't know what she wants?" At this point, Boo usually got sick of the conversation and left the room.

Booyah loves to hide in the bathtub or beneath the covers of the bed. Being on mat leave, I've realized a cat sleeps so much more than humans assume (and that the term "cat nap" really needs more thought - Booyah naps for HOURS, Hannah naps for minutes...). Of course, as soon as Hannah started to fuss, Booyah would suddenly make an appearance and add his noise to the mix. Try dealing with a crying newborn and a crying cat trying to trip you at your feet. Not fun.

I think Booyah has finally accepted Hannah as a member of the family. The first few times we went out with her and brought her back, he looked at us like "You mean, you didn't return her to wherever you got her?" Now he just greets all of us with his usual squeaky meow. Of course, this could just mean he's now adjusted to the new pecking order of our family.

As for Hannah, she is in love with Booyah. She likes to stare at him while we all sit on the couch. She has grabbed his fur a few times, and I try to use her hand to gently stroke his back. Booyah returns the favour by licking her face. And sometimes he attempts to lay/nap with her. Having Boo in her life will teach Hannah empathy, and new research says living with a cat could even strengthen her immune system.

Hopefully as the years go by, Booyah will realize Hannah is another person who can feed him treats, pet him and throw him a toy to catch. Another human who will love him and take care of him. And one day, I bet he will become the centre of Hannah's attention.

Besides, Booyah loves to knead my post-baby belly. So he's already gotten something positive out of this whole situation.

How did your pet(s) adjust to baby?

© 2012 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.