Secondhand Fur

Had you going with that title for a minute, didn't I?

But no, I hadn't gone mad and decided in this oppressive summer heat that what I really needed was a thrifty fur jacket. I'm referring to my new cat-- my first furred pet ever, actually-- Alice. I got her from Animal Friends, a no-kill shelter, and while things didn't work out with her first family, I'm delighted to give her a home this second-time around.

At the price of a donation, she was a bargain! (And by now you all know how I feel about bargains.)

Alice has been very well-behaved around the various collections I have-- she knows to admire glass and bisque vases but not to touch, which I appreciate. And while we're still working through a few things when it comes to textiles, I feel confident, we'll get it right in the end.

I thought you folks would get a chuckle seeing that, yes, her scratching post has a red ball on it to match my red living room, because yes, I am that sort of person...

It's a sickness, really. But I'm okay with it.

I also got her a red velvety cat bed, which she's finally decided might be of her taste...
This is really so she'll be less interested in my red velvet sofa. It doesn't react well to biting-- which is why I stopped doing it myself after a week or so. (Heh.) So I'm hoping some cat-prevention tape and some anti-scratch spray will make it less tasty for her.

At least she has a comfy view of the neighborhood...

And most of all, I think she's a bit of a thrifty lass herself. I mean, while she does love a good feather-on-a-stick (okay, so maybe that's really for me)...

...Apparently a balled up wad of newspaper, a cardboard paper towel tube, and the plastic ring off the milk bottle are the Best. Toys. Ever.

The best things in life really are free.
Here's hoping your upcoming week will be up to scratch!

16 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I love your Alice. Being a cat mama and a thrifty gal myself I applaud your bringing home a love from a no kill shelter!! Good luck with the no scratching and biting of textiles! It takes time but can be done. If you need some good cat info check out Deb at
JUST CATS http://justcats-deb.blogspot.com/
she is a professional cat sitter and has lot so info to help a new Mom.

Jenn Thorson said...

Linda- Thank you muchly for the advice and the bloggy resource. My new furred pal has oodles of personality, and I think we're going to be great friends. We're just working on a few of those pesky groundrules. :)

Babs-beetle said...

She's so adorable.

Cats are very easy to train when you start at a young age, though there's not much you can do when they have one of their 'mad' moments, and charge around the room at the speed of light.

Joanne Kennedy said...

Awww, I'm so happy for both of you. You will find so much joy in having a cat to come home to every day. She will enjoy having a human to play with and soon, you two hearts will melt into one!

Thank you for saving a life!

Hugs,
Joanne

Marie said...

Alice is oh so lovely and I am so thrilled you rescued her, that's the best kind of friend to take home!
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge
Christmas in July giveaway

Unknown said...

Babs- I was fortunately prepared for the charging around. And it's looking like the Sticky Paws is keeping her from attacking my sofa. Considering she's in a house with a lot of fringed Victorian lamps, I feel like she's doing really well behaving herself.

We just have to work on the No Biting My Legs Through Blankets thing.

Joann- We're getting into a nice routine. Thank you for sharing in my joy. :)

Marie- Definitely! It's fun how excited she is to see me.

JD at I Do Things said...

Congratulations! Alice looks like an Alice, as well as a sweet, obediant, loving kitty. I know you'll be very happy with her.

More photos!

Lili said...

Hey! Congrats on the kitty. Hearth and home are better with purring company.

Unknown said...

Oh my gosh! She looks JUST like my cat, Millie Lou--right down to the black marks on her head and tail!Miss Millie Lou is persnikckity and ladylike, but such a sweetheart. See her pic on my website, HomeStorydesigns.com
__Marti

Jenn Thorson said...

JD- Heh, thank you. Yes, I rather think she does look like an Alice. I had a couple of storybook-character-related names I'd been toying with prior to finding her, and of them, she really seemed like an Alice to me.

Lili- Thanks muchly! Yes, I suspect she's going to encourage me into being less busy-busy all the time. :) Sleeping and purring does that.

Martha- Holy cow (or cat, in this case) she really DOES look like your Millie Lou! The markings on the head are almost the same, too-- Millie could be Alice's older sister!

Melanie said...

Aw, she's a cutie.

But I have to admit to a teeny bit of disappointment that there was only cat fur in this post.

Seriously, congrats on the new "baby".

Jaffer said...

Aww... Alice is beyootiful ! Congratulations mama Jenn ! Looking forward to more Alic pictures in the future !

Jenn Thorson said...

Melanie- Given our recent 95 degree temps, I've hot heat rash just thinking about the idea of a real fur jacket. :)

Jaffer- Thanks! I'm going to try not to overdo it with the pics. I know cats aren't everyone's cup of tea, necessarily, and lord knows there's already a ton of cat-related blogs on the internet. :)

GwendolynKay said...

Awww... Alice is so cute. Nothing like a pet in the home to make it more charming.
Blessings:_)
Gwen

Lois said...

Hi Jenn!
Congrats on your newest addition to the family. And BIG KUDO's for adopting her from where you got her from!
If you don't mind the contrast...another suggestion for keeping kitty off furniture etc....pieces of tin foil....it works great and you just move it when you want to use the furniture and put it back down when you are done.
Good luck with Alice...she's a lucky kitty to have a new home in your wonderland.
Lois

Jenn Thorson said...

Gwendolyn- She has warmed up the place with her presence! :)

Lois- I had read about the tinfoil idea just yesterday and I think it's a great idea-- particularly so guests can actually SIT on that sofa, but it will still be protected when not in use. The sticky tape IS working, but she's still testing its boundaries.

On the whole, though, I'm amazed how good she's been. She gets ornery in spurts, but she's been astoundingly well-behaved around the glassware. And the warm purring attention just can't be beat.