random thoughts – Day 1,433 – (Sunday) – hide and seek

 Kitty, reputed to be shy and reclusive, is living up to the description. Last night, she was under the dining table until she slipped off like a ninja and disappeared. Later, I found her under the bed, nestled against the wall.

When I came downstairs to make coffee this morning, she was stretched across a step halfway down the staircase. She bolted when she saw me. She’s quick and crafty, and for the next couple hours, the kitty who has not yet been renamed was nowhere to be found.

After dance class and lunch with my sister and Dad, I checked all the spots she had found yesterday. Little Miss Elusive was nowhere to be found. Of course, the search was hindered by her black coat, which makes it impossible to find her shadowy spaces. 

Several hours later another search was conducted. This time, I moved the storage bags that are under the bed and found her nestled between a couple bags stuffed with summer shirts and shorts. She looked at me and blinked. I’m glad she found a place where she feels comfortable and she’ll probably have a roster of different ones tomorrow, but that’s okay.

The advance preparations for the arrival of the cat included near daily Amazon drops. There were deliveries of a litter box, pellet litter, a raised food bowl set, cat toys, a mat for under the food bowls, and the piece de resistance, a cabinet to house the litter box and provide privacy. That one was a tricky to assemble alone but it was Friday night's accomplishment.

Cat cabinet.
Assembly was required.

The shopping and deliberation over that cabinet was exhausting. It stemmed from the narrow space between the toilet and vanity being about an inch shy of accommodating a litter box of any size. If the box was going to have to be located  elsewhere, there needed to be another solution. 

It turns out there are solutions, and an entire industry devoted to furniture designed for cats and small pets. It also turned out that Wayfair and Amazon carry a lot of the same items, but with different shipping schedules and pricing. Amazon won on both fronts and the cabinet with some assembly required was delivered in two days.

The cabinet that was chosen was initially intended for the living room, but it made the room feel too full of furniture. Now it’s in the never used dining room. Just like the overall kitty integration, it’s going to take a few stages to move the litter box and introduce the cabinet. Meanwhile, I’ll likely continue to amuse myself by shopping for additional cat accoutrements.