Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Amiamo nostro gatto

Savvy readers seem to have realized that Atticus has been conspicuously camera-shy the past few days while "adjusting." (Why doesn't Atticus get a pseudonym, you may ask? That is a good question.) This is not because we left him in Munich or because someone ate him (though Swiss Mr. often contemplates the type of scenario in which this could occur). We love our cat too much for that. In truth, we love our cat more than a sizeable amount of money.

Though a resilient kitty, Atticus has been through a lot in his four years: separation from his sister (still feeling guilty about that), emergency surgery, the unexpected loss of his brother, a long journey as cargo on a United flight, integration into German culture, a new home in Switzerland.... As Mom would say, "he's a trooper!"

all of day two was spent under a blanket on our luxurious air mattress

Though he has recently spent most of his days in the most inaccessible place possible, he comes out for dinner with us and is good for a few pets during the night. Like most kitties, I guess, he likes things on his own terms.

trying to enjoy his new home despite scary windows


8 comments:

Grandma G said...

Oh, I feel bad for your poor kitty! Kitties don't like change, not to mention travel. Tell him I think he is VERY brave!

If he's still feeling stressed, maybe you could take him over to My Blog ... my post from this morning might be a good influence on him. ;-)

Cat lover (a.k.a. Jess's mom)

Swiss Ms. said...

Thanks for the comment, Grandma G! I went to tell Atticus this morning, but he was already buried under the blanket again for the day. I'll have to tell him when he gets up in about 10 hours....

We had a hard time deciding whether we should take him along on this journey, given all that he would have to go through. The trip through Germany was actually intended to minimize the stress for him. Hmm.... We decided it was better than giving him up. I hope that's true!

Grandma G said...

Your taking him along just shows how much you love him. I know how hard it is to give one up!

He'll get better, with lots of loving care. He just needs to feel safe for a while. He'll probably be all back to normal... about the time you're ready to move again. ;-)

Anonymous said...

glad to see kitty is with you again. he will make your adjustment into early retirement much easier once he gets his little feline bearings...

Grandma G said...

Just a thought that popped into my head as I was thinking of my cats going down for their afternoon naps an hour "early" because of going off Daylight Savings Time last weekend... maybe Atticus is still adjusting to the (major, in his case!) time change, too, and that's why he likes to be under a blanket, because it's dark like night in there. Maybe? Maybe he's not as stressed as he seems to be... maybe just confused! And maybe he's out roaming around while you're sleeping! ;-)

Swiss Ms. said...

Well, I can happily report that Atticus is doing much better these days. He is hiding himself under the covers less, eating more, and coming around for pets quite frequently. He's still not too sure about the big windows, but he definitely seems more adjusted!

Grandma G said...

That's great! I'm glad to hear it! And soon he'll probably LOVE the windows. :-)

Grandma G

P.S. Just wondering if there's a "john (the wife)".... but that's probably none of my business, so just ignore that I said that. ;-)

Swiss Ms. said...

I think john (the wife) posts with her real name. :)