Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Newbie

We’re behind on blogging, but we have a reasonably good excuse: we’re driven to distraction by the newest (and nuttiest) member of our household: a giant orange kitten named Oliver.

We came across Ollie online about a month ago. He’d been dumped next to a construction site and spent a terrified few weeks out in the open before being rescued by a local cattery, where he was under the name of “No-No.” (I admit I don’t understand Chinese names, but surely in a Chinese/English-speaking community this is not the best name for a pet?)

His tufty feet and long fur reminded us of our late, beloved first cat, though he was maybe a tenth the size. Plus, he seemed calm and quiet at the cattery and his age was listed as “mature” – plenty of people love to adopt zany kittens, but we love adult cats and their quieter, more developed personalities.

But once we got our new kitty well fed and well rested, it was clear that he was anything but “mature.” Though we’d guessed already from his bounding jumps and schizophrenic romps up and down the stairs, the vet confirmed it: we had a barely one-year-old kitten on our hands. True, he was already the same size as most adult cats in Singapore, but apparently he has a long way to go before he grows into his outsize feet and massive fluffy tail.

We tried many names (Linus was an early favorite, due to his habit of wrapping his tail around him like a security blanket), but Oliver was the only one he ever answered to. It’s a fittingly Dickensian name, perhaps in tribute to the large, tranquil cat we still miss.

As Chinese New Year came and went, we were reminded that in Singapore, as anywhere, holidays are much better when shared with pets. Ollie, for his part, helped us celebrate Chinese New Year by investigating the decorative pussy-willow branches and making friends with the lion-dance marionette we bought in Chinatown. Sounds auspicious to us.

To find your own fun and fluffy bit of good fortune, take a look at the pets available for adoption at the Singapore SPCA, Cat Welfare Society, or this blog.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

About time! : )

Anonymous said...

We can't wait to meet Ollie in person! He's beautiful and so blessed to have a wonderful home.

Cheryl said...

you guys will be great "parents" to Oliver. so glad u took the plunge to give him a loving home. congratulations!

BB said...

Yay, yay! I'm so happy to hear about Oliver; he looks adorable. I love my boys, but I also miss having baby kitties ... I hope you all are indulging in as much playful rompery as possible.

Belated Happy B-Day, my dear! XO, BB

Pam said...

Congratulations! We also adopted a Singaporean cat...best decision we made, he is a wonderful addition to our home. Enjoy the cat craziness! Welcome Oliver!

Anonymous said...

So glad to see you have a new addition. Welcome young sir. I am sure you will all bring each other many good times and smiles. Enjoy and congratulations. Sarah

Cassy ;3 said...

:OO

I love cats! Say, any idea where's the cattery? I have no idea where the cat shelter is but maybe I should go to SPCA? But where's SPCA even? @_@;

Yayz you adopted a cat! How nice of you! I would like to save all the cats in Singapore but I'm not rich for that... D:

But well congrats on getting a new cat! Remember NOT to abandon it!

From someone you don't know,
Cassy ;3

venitha said...

Good for you! Lucky Oliver! Will you bring him home to the US with you? I'm curious how the quarantine compares.