Thoughtful Thursday: Adaptable Kitty

Dan and I both love animals, so naturally, we both adore having a pet of our own – especially one that we found in a pet rescue facility in New Orleans. Ruby Azazel, who was featured during the first week of my blog, is our beloved thirteen-month-old kitty cat, a domestic short-haired tabby with adorable leopard spots on her belly. At once affectionate and mischievous, she’s the perfect addition to our little family of two. Even better, it turns out that she also travels well – which is a good thing for two nomads like us.

When we adopted her last November, we quickly discovered that she was a whole lot more rambunctious than our first kitty, Pawws. Despite her need for affection, she was awfully curious about her new surroundings and more than willing to get into trouble. She especially liked to bite things – cardboard boxes, important papers, my arms, my legs, even my backside once or twice – and she had an unbelievable infatuation with doorjambs. Seriously. Without rhyme or reason, she would hurl herself against the wood – it would have been hysterical if it hadn’t been so weird.

Because she was so different from our even-tempered Pawwsy, we were admittedly concerned that she wouldn’t be as adaptable a traveler. But has she ever surprised us! True, Pawws was so well-behaved that she was able to travel around the country from the comfort of her beanbag – while rambunctious Ruby must ride in her carrier – but still, Ruby is remarkably flexible. Although she doesn’t like to be restrained, it never takes her long to settle down on the blanket inside her carrier. In fact, she can pretty much fall asleep anywhere.

Likewise, she never seems dismayed by the change in scenery. Together, the three of us have already journeyed from an apartment in the French Quarter to a hotel in Los Angeles to another apartment in New Orleans to a home in northern Michigan and back again to the Big Easy – and she always seems to embrace her new environs. I attribute such adaptability to her unabashed curiosity and enviable serenity. As long as her mom and dad are around – and she has access to her favorite blanket, a gray fleece that once belonged to me – she seems to roll with the changes. If only I could learn to emulate Ruby’s ability to adapt to new situations, embrace unfamiliar stimuli, and maintain some semblance of tranquility – oh, how happy I would be!

For the pet lovers out there, what characteristics do you love most about your pets? What have you learned from them? And if you don’t have pets, what are you waiting for?