Introducing: The Knight of Night; Knight Night and Remembering Hope.
Whenever introducing a new pet into a household, there is always a concern whether or not they will all get along. Animals have a large non-verbal vocabulary with which to communicate, and some signals are so subtle they are easy to miss but can be hugely significant. As their human guardians, we do our best to interpret what we see and hope that what they are saying to each other is well received.
After such a great meeting with Blue, I was hopeful that Opal would get along well with our other two cats. They, after all, had a tendency to either get along with, or tolerate, just about everything we threw at them, so I wasn't concerned about how they would receive the new addition. I was more concerned about what Opal would do. Thankfully her introduction to Knight Night was smooth, but she wasn't all that keen on Hope, and Hope didn't return a lot of the sentiment. Their introduction took longer, but eventually, they could coexist in the home without inflicting too much trauma on each other.
As humans, when we learn more about the backgrounds of others, we tend to relate, or even sympathise with their history, especially if it is close to our own. Opal's life had a bit of a rocky start, finding herself lost in the great wild world. She also exhibited some behaviour in the beginning that raised some serious questions in my mind, and I'm not one to believe that all pets who enter rescue or shelter are abused. In fact, a great many pets who find themselves homeless were surrendered for three main reasons; they became sick or injured and their owners were unable to afford their care, or the pet was not what the owner expected and was too much for them to handle. The third reason is often a hard choice a pet owner has had to face and unfortunately surrendering the pet winds up the easiest choice, even though it is still a hard one to make.
I often wonder if animals share these experiences with each other, anthropomorphizing them in a Disney-like way. If they do, I imagine Knight Night and Hope would share with Opal how their lives began, as they too had rocky beginnings.
Knight Night and Hope were part of the package that is my boyfriend. When we met, he had just moved into an apartment from living in a house. Now, I knew he had cats, but do you think I ever saw them? Both Knight and Hope were quite nervous and were only comfortable with my boyfriend in the beginning. Any time I came over, they would ghost to the top of the front closet. Sometimes at night they would come out and get close, but not close enough for me to pet them. I appreciated this, and gave them their space, always hoping I could catch a glimpse, or one day get to pet them.
Had it not been for my boyfriend, both of these wonderful cats would not have had the good life they did. Hope was found as a small kitten in a shed in my boyfriends' back yard. Knight Night was found wandering their neighbourhood with an orange tabby, with an open wound under his chin. Both had a strong attachment to my boyfriend, and Knight still does to this day. It took six months for Knight to decide that I was interesting enough to make friends with, and it took a year before Hope came to the same conclusion. Both cats have very different personalities, and I will always cherish the years I had with Hope. There is something about being chosen to be part of the inner circle of a shy cat, something incredibly special, that can never be forgotten.
Remembering Hope
Hope was this wonderful, spunky little girl with a big attitude. She had this signature meow that could be heard all throughout the house, not because it was loud, but because it was so distinct. She was matronly, and always ensured that her environment was kept safe. She'd get herself all comfortable, and would maybe stay that way for a couple of hours before she felt the need to get up and patrol the perimeter of her home. We had conversations, her and I, about life, the universe, and everything. I miss the sounds she used to make.
You see, when I met my boyfriend, Hope vomited chronically. After a year of being together, she began to lose weight, so we started to investigate why she vomited so much. We learned, after some bloodwork, that Hope's liver was not well. We began treatment, and after a time were able to reduce the severity of her vomiting, as well as help her gain weight. After 2 years of treatment, she developed two further illnesses, at which point we were no longer financially able to treat, which is hard to admit, and on December 15th, 2015 we said goodbye.
It was an incredibly hard decision because Hope was so full of life despite her illnesses. She carried on with her spunky attitude and did not hesitate to tell us what she thought. When we got Opal, she made sure she knew her place, despite her age. Our house has felt a little emptier, without Hope. I will always feel honoured to have had this little kitty in my life, and will always feel a small pang of regret, for not having known her longer. It's been a challenge writing this tribute to her because I can't help but wonder if I could have done more. I think we all do that. I miss you Hope, you were incredible.
After such a great meeting with Blue, I was hopeful that Opal would get along well with our other two cats. They, after all, had a tendency to either get along with, or tolerate, just about everything we threw at them, so I wasn't concerned about how they would receive the new addition. I was more concerned about what Opal would do. Thankfully her introduction to Knight Night was smooth, but she wasn't all that keen on Hope, and Hope didn't return a lot of the sentiment. Their introduction took longer, but eventually, they could coexist in the home without inflicting too much trauma on each other.
As humans, when we learn more about the backgrounds of others, we tend to relate, or even sympathise with their history, especially if it is close to our own. Opal's life had a bit of a rocky start, finding herself lost in the great wild world. She also exhibited some behaviour in the beginning that raised some serious questions in my mind, and I'm not one to believe that all pets who enter rescue or shelter are abused. In fact, a great many pets who find themselves homeless were surrendered for three main reasons; they became sick or injured and their owners were unable to afford their care, or the pet was not what the owner expected and was too much for them to handle. The third reason is often a hard choice a pet owner has had to face and unfortunately surrendering the pet winds up the easiest choice, even though it is still a hard one to make.
I often wonder if animals share these experiences with each other, anthropomorphizing them in a Disney-like way. If they do, I imagine Knight Night and Hope would share with Opal how their lives began, as they too had rocky beginnings.
Knight Night and Hope were part of the package that is my boyfriend. When we met, he had just moved into an apartment from living in a house. Now, I knew he had cats, but do you think I ever saw them? Both Knight and Hope were quite nervous and were only comfortable with my boyfriend in the beginning. Any time I came over, they would ghost to the top of the front closet. Sometimes at night they would come out and get close, but not close enough for me to pet them. I appreciated this, and gave them their space, always hoping I could catch a glimpse, or one day get to pet them.
Had it not been for my boyfriend, both of these wonderful cats would not have had the good life they did. Hope was found as a small kitten in a shed in my boyfriends' back yard. Knight Night was found wandering their neighbourhood with an orange tabby, with an open wound under his chin. Both had a strong attachment to my boyfriend, and Knight still does to this day. It took six months for Knight to decide that I was interesting enough to make friends with, and it took a year before Hope came to the same conclusion. Both cats have very different personalities, and I will always cherish the years I had with Hope. There is something about being chosen to be part of the inner circle of a shy cat, something incredibly special, that can never be forgotten.
Remembering Hope
You see, when I met my boyfriend, Hope vomited chronically. After a year of being together, she began to lose weight, so we started to investigate why she vomited so much. We learned, after some bloodwork, that Hope's liver was not well. We began treatment, and after a time were able to reduce the severity of her vomiting, as well as help her gain weight. After 2 years of treatment, she developed two further illnesses, at which point we were no longer financially able to treat, which is hard to admit, and on December 15th, 2015 we said goodbye.
It was an incredibly hard decision because Hope was so full of life despite her illnesses. She carried on with her spunky attitude and did not hesitate to tell us what she thought. When we got Opal, she made sure she knew her place, despite her age. Our house has felt a little emptier, without Hope. I will always feel honoured to have had this little kitty in my life, and will always feel a small pang of regret, for not having known her longer. It's been a challenge writing this tribute to her because I can't help but wonder if I could have done more. I think we all do that. I miss you Hope, you were incredible.
Knight Night
There was a time, after Hope died, that we were worried that Knight would feel lost. As I talked a bit about in Opal's introductory post, we weren't exactly ready for another cat when she walked into our lives. However, Opal came only 5 months before Hope left us, and it turned out to be for the best. You see, Knight likes other cats. He'd had Hope for most of his life, and stuck to her like glue. I think Opal came at the right time, helping Knight through any grief he may have felt after Hope died.
Knight is a lover and the exact opposite of Opal. Opal likes her attention in fits and bursts, whereas Knight would be cuddled up against you all day if he could. A huge talker, he tells you all sorts of stories and looks you right in the eye at the same time. He's also grown a lot in the time I've known him and is more likely to come out when there are strangers visiting than before. Although in the beginning a few hisses were exchanged between himself and Opal, for the past two years they have been quite close. They are often snuggled together sleeping on the couch and can be found playing and chasing each other when the mood strikes.
Knight is my first black cat, and he is one cool customer. He possesses a strong personality that I have learned is present in many black cats. They are incredible companions, but black cats get a bad rap. Often linked with superstition, Black cats are overlooked at shelters, pet stores, and are at risk of harm during different holidays of the year, especially Hallowe'en. Many believe that black cats are a bad omen, but nothing could be further from the truth. Knight brings me a lot of joy, is incredibly loving, is extremely loyal, especially to my boyfriend, and is calm, cool and collected. He has tolerated the introduction of foster dogs, Blue, my cat Felix, and Opal and has done some in stride. I'm so proud of him.
Knight is my first black cat, and he is one cool customer. He possesses a strong personality that I have learned is present in many black cats. They are incredible companions, but black cats get a bad rap. Often linked with superstition, Black cats are overlooked at shelters, pet stores, and are at risk of harm during different holidays of the year, especially Hallowe'en. Many believe that black cats are a bad omen, but nothing could be further from the truth. Knight brings me a lot of joy, is incredibly loving, is extremely loyal, especially to my boyfriend, and is calm, cool and collected. He has tolerated the introduction of foster dogs, Blue, my cat Felix, and Opal and has done some in stride. I'm so proud of him.
If you're looking for a fun, furry companion, don't pass over the black cat. You won't regret it.
~Knight Night and Hope's Mum
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