Happy Howard

It's been nearly 3 months since Howard arrived at his new home and I can't believe it's taken me this long to write up his page but it does mean I know his character well now and how well he's settled in! So Here's the story of how he came to live with us and what life is like now he's here.

The Monday before Christmas our Fluffy died in her sleep. We had an inkling she was going as her legs had stopped working the day before :-( we prayed for her and were happy that she died in her sleep and we were saved the dreadful decision of having her put to sleep. She was 16 so a very good age and as we had lost her brother just 4 months earlier we were now cat less.

After we dropped her off at the vets we took her food and litter to our local rescue centre. We couldn't resist ...since we were there we might as well have a look and maybe cuddle some pussy cats! We went in and mostly focussed on the cats that were about the right age for us taking into consideration the 2 dogs and dad's sight. We narrowed it down to 3 pussies and went to get the key to have a cuddle and chat with them.

First we saw Simba who was 1 year old. He was lovely very purry and affectionate but not so sure about being held but we felt he might be a little timid around the dogs. He was a grey tabby and very lovely looking. We enjoyed our visit very much and could feel our spirits lift a little.

Then there was Howard who's 3. He was extremely affectionate and loved cuddles! He was in my arms and put a paw on Mum to draw her into the cuddle too buffeting her with his head! Being mostly white he was a good colour for not being trod on by Dad. We loved him and by now our spirits were much happier! It is very healing to cuddle someones cat when you have just lost yours. I would recommend it.

Next were the 3 month old kittens. Some were timid and some were reserved for new owners but we had 2 to cuddle and one of them was called Lucy. Now I just adored Lucy and if I had been getting a cat for me I would probably had taken her however Dad wanted a boy ( He feels boys are more affectionate based on our experiences) and the pros and cons of Lucy were the same...she'd be into everything! Fun to watch but dreadful to have to clean up after! I would have loved to have seen how Lucy and Bess got on I'd bet on them becoming the best of friends running around together!

Well we were so taken with our visit that we went home and told Dad about the 3 favourites and Dad wanted to see them and so that afternoon back I went with Dad for some more cat cuddling. From our descriptions dad was sure that Simba would be his choice but our lovely Happy Howard stole his heart too (although he hated the name which mum and I loved!) and we went immediately to reserve Howard to bring him home in the new year. We went up a couple more times for a visit and I made Howard a blanket so it would smell of us and help him get used to our scents (more specifically the dogs scents).

On January 2nd we bought Howard home! We let the dogs sniff at him through the cage until he swatted at the cage and swore then we went into the dining room and let him out to explore. we put down food, water and litter trays in both the bathroom and Mum and Dad's bedroom where he would be sleeping. He enjoyed exploring (we new that before we got him home) and soon found his way to food and water. Over the next few days Dad was unwell and so was in bed all the time and so Howard had lots of company and fussing which he loved! He loves us all and would follow me and Dad whenever we went downstairs even during the night. He used his litter trays always and ate whatever we put in front of him. He met Dulcie and because she is calmer he was ok with her. They touched noses but he would get down and go under the bed if it got too much. Meeting Bess wasn't so great though. Well she is very bouncy!! But he could get off the bed and hide ...until she realised she could follow! But in time he would wait to see what she would do before disappearing under the bed and will stick around for a minute or 2 before she gets overpowering! We need to make some changes to doors in our house that the dogs can open and then we'll take down the gate which separates the dogs from the cat and then we hope he will come into the lounge and start sitting on laps and living alongside the dogs but so far he's done great! 


He didn't go outside for 7 or 8 weeks (the rescue centre recommended at least 4 weeks) we just let him decide when he wanted to go out and now he comes and goes regularly and is no longer using his litter tray though we've left it down just in case. We were able to remove the bedroom litter tray very soon into his stay when we were sure he would continue using the one downstairs which he did! We have had not one single accident! Dad was worried he was biting a lot (Coleman exaggeration it was a couple of times in a week!) but even that has diminished over the weeks. He loves to play and his favourite toy is the ball on his scratch pad or a hairband! hehe

So we have been able to conclude that Howard was made for us! He is the perfect cat for us and we are thrilled at how easily he has become part of the family! I have no doubt he is here to stay and won't be wandering off anywhere (he was a stray). We love him and he loves us! It's fun to see him bounding around the house and rolling on his back at the top of the stairs as we come up wanting to have his tummy tickled! He even comes to the loo with us if he can hehe. It made us realise just how slow our other cats had become in the last couple of years!

Well I hope you have enjoyed meeting Howard I hope you'll pop back for his latest antics :-)