Kitty Update

I'm gradually feeling better this week, as I keep in mind that Jaws lived longer than could reasonably have been expected, and had a charmed life in every way and at every stage. She was a wonderful cat when it came to dealing with humans, but she never accepted Ember, the other cat I brought into our little family on August 11, 1999. I've been curious these past couple of days to observe how Ember handles the changed dynamic in our home.

Ember, who is in the photo, was around 11 weeks old at the time I acquired her. A guy standing in front of the supermarket was holding her, looking for someone to adopt the kitten. I planned to get Jaws a companion, so she wouldn't be alone when I was away on trips, but I didn't expect to do so for a few more months. However, when I drove into the parking lot and spotted the man holding the kitten, I heard a voice in my head state, "that's your cat!" I tried to argue, but the voice persisted. I chatted with the man holding the kitten, but told him I wasn't ready yet for a second cat. As I began to shop, the feeling that I should take the kitten continued, so I decided that if I thought of a name for the female kitty before I was done shopping, I would indeed take her home with me.

I had lately started collecting the new line of Elfquest comics "Readers Collections," and I almost instantly realized that the character of Ember would be the perfect namesake for a kitten. Ember was a brash, brave tom-boy, who took no nonsense from anyone. That was it, the kitten would be Ember, and I brought her home with me!

As soon as we got home, I noticed that 11 week old Ember's tail was already a fair bit larger than 7 year old Jaws' was! Uh oh, I realized, this is going to be one large cat. And indeed, she grew to be huge, with a very long body, and a weight of over 20 pounds as an adult. She is the size of a Maine Coone, but has no other obvious signs of being that breed. I think she is a mongrel who just happened to inherit the genes to be very large. She also inherited incredible smarts. I came to realize that Ember is a genius among cats. She observes her surroundings, takes mental notes, and sometimes I can almost hear the gears cranking in her head. Like her namesake, Ember the cat is also very bold, and from the get-go, she refused to show Jaws any sign of respect. Jaws, therefore, never liked her, and up to a week before her death, still gave Ember the occasional hiss.

Ember has never been a good listener, unlike Jaws, who loved attention so much that I could speak to her for hours. But Monday night, Ember sat still and listened as I explained to her that she was now Senior Cat in the household, and would have priority rights to food (and my lap, and similar things) if and when I get another cat. Ember has never been a noisy purrer, but since Monday night she's been giving me the loudest purrs of her life. I think she is delighted to no longer have Jaws around, and to be receiving my full attention.

Ember was high strung, even for a cat, when she was younger, but she's mellowed a lot in middle age. I think she and Jaws were the proverbial oil and water, and that Ember would have gotten along better with most other cats. I expect the 10 year old Ember will get along fine with any kitten I bring home in the future. Ember never tried to take advantage of a sick and weak Jaws this past week, so I believe she'll be considerate of a small and fragile kitten when the time comes. In the meantime, I'm glad that Ember and I seem to be getting along better than ever, and I hope that won't change.