Observations on a new cat

Cassie, age 5 according to the SPCA, is a calico. She is white with orange-rust and black markings.

The new cat Chez Dale, Cassie, is an interesting companion. I adopted her from the SPCA a week ago. Her records said she was taken in by the Chesterfield animal shelter in January and then taken in for adoption by the Richmond SPCA. What made her distinct in my mind from the other cats up for adoption were her playfulness and her distinctive markings. I got a discount on the adoption fee under the Seniors for Seniors program, which matches people over 65 with cats who are 5 or older.

After a week, here are 10 random observations:

1: Cassie has an upper respiratory infection. I have never adopted an SPCA cat who didn't come with a URI. The vet gave her a shot of antibiotics in case it was bacterial and suggested we just ride it out. The URI seems to me to be improving.

2: Cats purr funny when they have a URI.

3: Cassie purrs if I so much as look at her.

4: Cassie's meow is silent except on rare occasions. She opens her mouth, seems to be meowing, but is completely silent. (Her hiss, however, is not silent, although I have only heard it once.)

5: Cassie's claws are like needles. All of my previous cats were declawed. Cassie has to learn to keep her claws tucked away when she sits in my lap and kneads my leg. She seems to get it when I say "ouch."

6: Cassie likes quiet time in a warm lap, and she will stay in my lap until I have to get up to do something.

7: Cassie begs for food when I eat. That's not cool, and I'll just have to ignore the reproachful silent meows until she gets over it. She goes through a bowl of dry cat food in about a day, and she'll chase cat treats across the room. That's fun to watch.

8: Cassie is small enough to retrieve a toy by squeezing between the radiator and the wall. Her favorites are a small cloth mouse, a furry stuffed mouse, and crumpled up sticky notes. She's smart enough to pick them up in her mouth and carry them from the rug to the bare floor, where batting them around produces more interesting results.

9: Cassie shows no interest in sleeping in bed with me. She prefers to nap in a small space under the table between the sofa and the wall in the den. This is fine with me.

10: Cassie has mastered the art of appearing and disappearing at will. She is a true stealth cat.