Meet Meeko

This can't really be viewed as a garden-related post but as my feline companions have played a role in many of my posts since the inception of this blog, I decided to introduce you to my new cat.  You may recall that I lost my seventeen year old cat, Pipig, in early June.  I haven't been completely cat-less since 2001 so her absence is something I felt daily.  Following my recovery from COVID, I decided it was time to add a new member to our household.  My husband and I visited our local animal shelter a week ago and I fell for an especially friendly six-month old female cat.  I was disappointed to discover that there was a five-day hold on her adoption because she was given up by her prior owner and the shelter gives that person a short reprieve to reconsider that decision.  My husband and I arrived at the shelter when it opened on Wednesday, hoping to to collect her and, after completing the required paperwork, we brought her home.

This was her mug shot

For the first time, I elected to keep the name that was given to her by someone else.  The name "Meeko" has its roots in both the Japanese and native Algonquian languages.  In Japanese, it generally translates as "bud" or "sprout" (a garden analogy!) but can also be construed to refer to a blessing.  In Algonquian, it means "little mischief."  As the pet raccoon in Disney's 1995 animated movie 'Pocahontas' was known by this name, I'm guessing that may have had something to do with the name given my new cat by her prior owners as a kitten.  In any case her behavior generally supports the fitness of the name.

This is a better shot of her than the mug shot

I initially tucked her into the guest bathroom to give her a chance to settle down in her new home.

She purred almost continuously around me but produced the occasional growl when she heard noises on the other side of the door she deemed suspicious.  I can only compare the growl to the sound made by a blocked kitchen disposal. 

She crawled into my lap on several occasions (but I could only handle sitting on the stone floor for so long)

As long as I stayed with her, she was relatively calm.  However, she cried whenever I left her alone so I eventually allowed her access to the front of the house, including my office, directly across the hall from the guest bathroom, which contained her food, water, and litter box.

She was thorough about checking every nook and cranny of my office, including this built-in bookcase

She spent a little time on the extra chair next to my desk chair - and checked out my desk too

She checked the scene outside the glass door and the paper shredder.  As you can see from these photos she's long and very skinny, although the shelter's vets considered her healthy.

Eventually she sought safety under the loveseat in my office, which is where Pipig almost always went whenever she got scared

On that first day, she reappeared when she got hungry in the early evening.  After eating, she started exploring more of the house.  We closed off just the back of the house overnight but gave her free reign of rest of the house with the exception of my husband's office and our laundry room the next morning.  I've also encouraged her to visit the "catio," which is accessible to her via a small door in the living room wall.  She's walked in and out of the space a few times the first day but I got her to spend more time there yesterday.  She experienced sensory overload once again yesterday afternoon and returned to her safe zone under the loveseat in my office.  Although I don't recall slow adjustment periods like this with my other cats, it's been sixteen years since I introduced a new cat and the literature provided by the shelter indicates this is entirely normal.

She won't be a garden cat.  Much as I'd like her to accompany me in the garden, cars and coyotes pose significant threats to her safety here so she'll need to get used to her catio.  (My husband looks forward to having a single litter box located outside in the enclosed catio.)

Gardening has taken a back door to Meeko this week but the weather turned comfortable again on Thursday with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70sF.  It's expected to remain relatively cool through the weekend so I hope to put in at least a few hours in the garden (especially if Meeko continues to spend her afternoons under the loveseat).  For one thing, I received a plant order late yesterday afternoon I need to do something with.

Did I need 18 new Echeverias?  That's questionable, although there are some empty spots in certain areas that could benefit from a few additions.  And Mountain Crest Gardens had a 30% off sale.

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend!  If you missed the Super Blue Moon this week, here's the shot I got:

Shot taken from my backyard on Tuesday around 9pm

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party