Eloise and Archie (formerly Woolf and Coleridge)
I’m a lifelong 'dog person’, now 'mom' to my 3rd canine family member. But much to my surprise (and those who knew me!), I became what I call bi-petual in 2015 when a cat I named Benjamin picked me out when he was being fostered in a local store. I adopted him when he was maybe 4 yrs old. He was FLV+ though, so only lived to about 10-11 sadly, but by that time, my love for cats (and still dogs too!) was set.
By that time, I had welcomed Ozzy, a freakishly large whippet (60lbs!), who came from a dog hoarding situation and carries a lot of emotional damage from his former life. But he and Benjamin co-existed just fine, so I assumed he would be ok with another feline…or two. So, a couple months after losing Benjamin, I adopted kittens Archie and Eloise (formerly Coleridge and Woolf).
Not gonna lie, the first several weeks were rough. Kitties were scared and Ozzy was overly eager to meet them (to my surprise). But eventually, everyone started to come around. Eloise first – she’s the more social one, with lots of attitude and built-in goofiness! Archie was a tough customer – it took him months to let me even touch him! But once I had (apparently) proven myself trustworthy, I had a cuddlebug on my hands, who now spends a lot of time in my lap (when he's not chasing milk carton tabs, his favorite activity!). So, it’s been super fun to see their unique personalities emerge over time (even now 2+yrs later).
And what’s been even more surprising is their relationships with Ozzy. As I said, he did not really interact with Benjamin. But Eloise, and later Archie, changed that. They love on him, they tease him, they wait for him to come home from walks, and more. And for Ozzy, that’s been amazing! Because of his past, he really only trusts me and the lovely woman who walks & sits for my pets sometimes, and he’s extremely shy with other people and other dogs. But he plays with the cats! (and yes, steals their treats and toys…) And he is, even by his baby step standards, more interactive with all species when on our walks. Archie and Eloise have been great for him! He is a more well-adjusted and pretty sure, happier guy than he was before!
All in all, adopting these 2 crazy kitties has been an adventure for all of us – a great one!
Love,
Meredith F.