The New Flatmate

A couple of weeks ago, on 15 Dec to be exact, I adopted a new flatmate from the Edinburgh Cat Protection League. When they took him in, he had seen their vet, Batchelor, Davidson and Watson to be chipped, neutered and get his vaccinations. They also determined that he was about a year old.

In talking to my local pet supply store owner, Capital Pets just up the street, I have learned that Edinburgh and Glasgow (and probably many other cities as well) do not have the animal control problems that we have in the US. There are no feral cats or dogs roaming about the city and because of this, all the shelters are no-kill shelters. The animals that they are re-homing are usually either lost or the owners had to get rid of them for some reason. This means that there are rarely kittens available, which was just as well since I don't have the time to devote to a kitten.

Dugal has been a delightful addition to my life, and I think that I have brightened his up as well. When I first brought him home, he was very timid and ran to hide behind the couch whenever he heard a noise, whether it was out on the street or in one of the flats surrounding mine. Now, he doesn't hide at all.

I have, of course, been spoiling him by getting toys whenever I can. His favorites are a ping pong ball (which he chases around the bathtub) and his bowtie (a couple of squares of fabric tied with ribbons). The latter used to be on a string, but he removed it and now he likes to play fetch with it, so I throw it and he brings it back to me and I throw it again, wash, rinse, repeat.

Today he had an appointment for his 2nd round of vaccinations, so I put him into his carrier and walked the half mile to the bus stop where we caught the bus to the veterinarian's. We arrived early and gave his information to the vet. I took him to the same vet that had seen him previously and although I was worried about the distance, it turned out to be an easier trip than I had expected.

The one hitch in the trip is when the doctor scanned him to confirm the identi-chip which had been implanted on his last trip. For some reason, it would not register. After trying two different scanners and scanning his entire body, he decided that the chip must have stopped working and implanted a new chip. This one he scanned and it registered, so hopefully there will be no further problem with it. After that, Dugal was given his booster shots and we were sent on our way.

After this visit, Dugal will not need to see the vet for another year. Right now, he is at my feet in celebratory meditation, or perhaps he is simply asleep.

"Please, no flash photography!"

"So where's the X-Box?"

Spying on the feathered neighbors

"Handsome, no?"

"-To Victory!"

Atop my desk

Nipped out on the new cat tree

"It's full of stars..."

Catching some Z's

"Look, I'm a Bobble-Head!" 

The Most Interesting Cat in the World

Caught that virtual mouse!

Hiding from a noise, behind the couch

Playing with his "bowtie" prior to removing it from the string.
 

Catching more Z's