Home is Where Your Cat Is — No Stone Left Unturned

One of the first things Travis wanted when he moved out was a cat. The kids were unable to have a cat when they lived at home because of my allergies. Now they both have one. Don’t they want me to come visit?

Travis did not immediately get a cat. Tracy and I lived with Travis for about six weeks. So he had to wait for us to leave. But I also wanted to give it a bit of time. I wanted to see how he did living on his own. And make sure this was the right move for him. It would be hard if he ended up having to move back home. If that happened, I wouldn’t be taking a cat in as well.

I thought that a cat might make a good Christmas present. C’mon parents, you know that you have done the same thing. You know that you’re going to buy a certain thing for your child, regardless. But if you wait for the holidays, it counts as your child’s gift. And a new pet can be expensive!

The timing worked. Travis had lived on his own about five months by then. I was pretty sure his plan was to continue to live on his own. In fact he had even told me that he would rather live on the street than move back home. Ouch.

I took Travis to the Humane Society. They had two kittens in a cage together. They were brother and sister. They put both the kitties in a room with us to meet. The brother was shy and hesitant. The sister was playful, jumping all over Travis.

I told him that it was obvious that she was picking him. Travis wanted them both. He did not want to separate them. I told him that he could not have them both. That if he felt strongly about not separating them we would need to look at other options. But that there was also no guarantee that the next person that met the kitties would take them both.

He chose the sister. Her name at the shelter was Lucy. Travis changed her name to Alsoa. I cannot remember exactly where he originally came up with the name Alsoa, but I remember when he was writing a storyline for a video game he was developing for a class in high school, one of the characters was named Alsoa.

In the story Alsoa was the little sister of the main character. Travis described Alsoa as a cute girl cub that liked to play with her tail, like a kitten.

I signed an adoption contract on December 17th, 2013. Alsoa was three months old at the time.

Travis is such a natural with animals. Alsoa adores him. And he adores her. I have seen him be so gentle with her.

Travis also wants a dog. He tells me that Alsoa only gives him love when she wants love. I told him that is pretty much how all cats behave. Our dogs are always so excited to see Travis.

I want Travis to have a dog. I know that they can be great friends.

But I am torn. Cats can fend for themselves. But dogs need a great deal of attention. Travis does not have a fenced yard. The park does not allow tenants to fence their yards. A dog would need to be walked daily. A few times.

Travis needs a great deal of support taking care of himself. I am unsure if he would be able to meet the needs of a dog. Right now it is a goal that he is working towards.

As anyone that a cat owns knows, cats can be full of personality. Alsoa can be kind and cuddly one moment and a total brat the next. She loves to perch in the window sills. And sometimes when you are walking through the room she will reach out and smack you with her paw when you walk by.

Two big steps in Travis’s life. Moving out on his own with his bird Sonic. And now his cat Alsoa.

I had to end with two quotes this week. Because they are both so fitting for Travis.

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” - Albert Schweitzer

“One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home.” - Pam Brown