Ziggy the cat came to his new forever home yesterday afternoon. He is a very large, short haired, all grey male; with attitude. He reminds me of a ballet dancer wearing a body suit and tights; very graceful and controlled in his movements.

I had the spare room (now his room ) all set up for his arrival and he moved right in. There is a bed in there that he can go under to hide, and of course there is the bedding on top for when he prefers that.
A wall unit that has wide 24 inch shelves, is cleared of knick-nacs that he can perch on, or he can also go into the doored cabinet part. I put a pillow, covered with a thick towel in there for him to use as a cozy snuggle place and left one of the doors propped partially open. There’s a little cat-nip surprise in there for him too.

The bed is against a wall that has a large window that gets the afternoon sun, and the beams shine onto the bed. The window has a wide sill that he can sit or curl up on when he wants to look out onto the back yard. A climbing rose bush is right outside the window and its branches partially obscure the pane, but the branches also frame the window’s edge completely, and I think that he’ll like that because he can hide from being seen if he wants to.
Over all, the room is a bright, sun lit and cheery place.

I think that he’s had a few bad experiences in the last 6 months while being moved from another adoptive home and then into foster care because he attacks if you reach over him or move too fast. I’m waiting to hear back from the rescue center to get some insight on this.

I do know that his original owner was an elderly, severely arthritic lady who adopted him as a feral kitten, but that he went to the rescue after she went into a long term care facility 6 months ago. From there, he was adopted but was returned when he let it be known that he doesn't like children or disrespectful dogs.

He managed to scratch my arm when I reached over him to put some cat treats on the bed, shortly after his arrival. Otherwise, he is affectionate and we spent some time getting to know each other. He rubbed his head on my knee as I sat on the floor and he enjoyed being stroked. He has the deepest purr that I’ve ever heard…almost a growl, but it is indeed a purr .

He hasn’t met Willy the dog yet, but he will within the next few days. Before that I want him to explore the house and get familiar with it while Willy is outside. Willy knows that there is a cat in the spare room and he has been told “NO!” a couple of times for sniffing at the door of "Ziggie's room". Willy seems to have gotten the message, reinforced of course with some home made jerky treats .

Ah…its so nice to have the new addition. I always find that caring for others is a great distraction from my own issues and that it makes them less bothersome. The timing couldn’t have been better, as it is getting progressively colder out (-15 Celsius / 8 Fahrenheit this morning), so my usual distraction of gardening is done until next April or May.

With love, Erika