Welcome to the Jungle

Gatsby's been mentioned many a time here on Trim, but what you may not be aware of, is by moving in with Katie, Gats and I also moved in with her two cats, Fergie and Louise. Katie and I didn't give much thought ahead of time to combining our pet households. I had been taking Gatsby to see the cats since he was a puppy. The three of them were very used to each other, and since Gatsby has a tendency to resemble a cat more than a dog, we thought the mixed family would not be an issue. We never anticipated what would await us.



A typical working morning

The three thousand square feet of home hardly seems big enough for these three stooges. Most days it feels as though we are pet hoarders and living with 10 animals. Perhaps it's because none of the pets care to spend their time outdoors. All their energy is reserved for chasing each other around the house or following an owner. Whatever the reason, at all times, all three animals are no more than six feet from apart each other. They're like a walking Bermuda Triangle, just waiting to suck you in, never to escape or be heard from again. At 6:00 you can forget about accomplishing anything other than feeding this farm. Their meows and howling barks are enough for you to drop whatever you're doing and cater to their hungry whim.

The constant fur collection is a whole other can of worms. Fergie is a white long haired puff ball. Her fur shedding alone could be collected and spun into enough yarn to clothe a small village in Russia for the winter. Combined with two other long haired pets, and two blonde long haired owners, and not a day goes by that sweeping, dusting, or lint rolling is not an absolute necessity.

As if these fun times were not enough, a couple weeks ago Louise decided to add another adventure to the home. Her petite size was a little misleading, and before we knew it, our little lady "became a woman"... Four days of constant howling, purring, and muttering at all hours of the night was enough to drive us crazy. It wasn't, however, enough for us to learn our lesson. Fast forward two weeks: a couple days ago, I made an off-handed comment to Katie that I was concerned we may be cycling back into her kitty time of the month again. Katie (who will never live this down) reassured me that she was just lonely from the two of us being gone all day and in search for some affection... (oh, was she ever). This time around it seems to be worse. She's awake for more hours, muttering louder, and it seems to be lasting longer. She's acts more desperate for attention than a Real Housewife. Katie and I started having pet dreams every night from the constant meowing, and for two days now, I've seen random alley cats hanging around the yard. This coming of cat age experience is truly a first (ok, well now it's a second) for Katie and I both.
I would have never thought that these three characters would create such an animal house.

To anyone who comes to visit, I apologize in advance and can simply say, "Welcome to the jungle."