Thought I'd give a nod to Friends with my title this week. ; ) Recently, I've been reflecting on some of the joys (both big and small) of being able to work from home. There are so many of them, but the biggest one that has come to mind lately (besides having Peter around) has been the time I'm been able to spend with our fur baby, Nymeria.
My very first post about her adoption was a while ago, so just to recap, Peter and I adopted Nymeria from an animal shelter in February 2019. We had originally thought about trying to find a young cat (not a kitten, but not an elderly cat either), and we both surprised ourselves when we naturally gravitated towards Nymeria because she was EIGHT at the time lol. Funny how initial plans change and how great that can be. When we first met her, we were told that she was often bullied by her very outgoing biological sister (who lived with her in the shelter), which is why she was quite shy, but the people at the shelter were convinced she'd come out of her shell if she lived somewhere without her. She was originally called Patches (Patchy was her nickname), but we renamed her Nymeria (the name of a direwolf from Game of Thrones, for those of you unfamiliar with the name - Peter and I are obsessed with the books and are really hoping George R. R. Martin has been using the pandemic to his advantage) because we both thought she deserved a name that was a little more unique and that suggested her potential to be a strong and independent cat. At first, she was the exact opposite. She was still extremely timid when we first took her home. She ran away from any kind of noise, and she was really hesitant around new people (us included). She also refused to be picked up - Peter tried several times and only received scratches in return as she attempted to flee. She spent a lot of time keeping to herself those first few months.
However, now she is a completely different cat from the one she was back then. She's extremely social. When we're talking to other people virtually, she interrupts with meowing and petitions to be petted (this also happened when people came over, you know, back when that was still a thing). She almost always announces herself when she comes downstairs. Apparently she's decided to grow into her name! She's also territorial now. There was once a stray cat that came to our screen door, and we heard hissing. We assumed it was the other cat, but nope, it was ours lol. She still jumps at certain noises sometimes (like when Peter loudly grunts while stretching), and she still doesn't like to be picked up, but she has no problems cuddling up next to us while we're sitting on the couch or taking a nap.
Obviously, being home with Nymeria isn't anything new. I've been working completely from home since the fall of 2018, and we got her in 2019, so I've really been home with her the whole time. However, I've been learning a lot about cats since we got her and how much she spoils me by not being your average cat.
Quick note: I didn't grow up being a cat person. I was a dog person through and through. My parents had a dog before I was born and until I was a toddler, but my dad ended up giving him to a friend shortly after my sister was born because she was petrified of him. We then got a dog when I was in middle school, and he's the dog that was a part of our family until a few days after my wedding. I'm sure many of you met Jazzy while he was still alive. We miss him dearly. As far as cats go, we babysat (I'd have to check with my parents to be sure that this was the case) a cat for a couple of weeks, but let me tell you, this cat was EVIL. He ALWAYS hissed at us. I think he was sick, but my sister and I were still fairly young, so we didn't really understand that. I've had good experiences with other people's cats, thankfully, but I still assumed I'd only have dogs when I became an adult.
So here are some of the things Nymeria has taught me about cats:
1. Some cats are like dogs. I don't think the majority of cats fall into this category, but Nymeria certainly does. When I say, "Nymeria, come here," she obeys. This happens at least EVERY night because I like to say goodnight to her before going to bed, and when I'm ready for bed, she's usually busy exploring the first floor, so I'll call to her, and she'll come running every time (except one time when I had accidentally shut her in our bedroom lol). She also lovesss being petted. The other day, we were chatting with some friends online, and Nymeria kept pacing back and forth next to my chair just to give me an excuse to touch her hehe.
2. Cats are INCREDIBLY cute. This is something I always took for granted. Nymeria is clearly not a kitten at the ripe age of 9, but she does this thing where she lies on the floor and kinda rolls around while looking at you, and it makes me squeal every time. Honestly, seeing her looking at me is enough to melt my heart! I'm always telling her, "Mama loves you!" She has more recently begun to accept kisses from me, and anytime she comes to sit next to me on the couch or on the bed, I have to cuddle that little face and give it a good kiss. And then proceed to remove loose cat hairs from my mouth.
3. The struggle is real when it comes to cats and their hair. For those of you who have cats, I don't know how often this happens to your cats, but Nymeria throws up hair and spit fairly often. I brush her and try to help remove as much of it as I can, so she no longer hacks up legitimate hairballs, but it's still really sad watching her throw up the little bit of hair that she does because it requires convulsing her entire little body to get it out. I assume it means she keeps herself very clean, but it's still sad to see, and we know she's about to throw up because she does this meow that sounds more like a siren than a regular meow, as though she's warning everyone in the vicinity of what's to come. I feel so badly for her whenever it happens (yes, we'll be taking her to the vet as soon as we're able to make sure it's nothing abnormal).
4. Cats are nocturnal. Yes, I already knew this to be true, but it's just so different to experience it! During the day, I can usually guarantee her showing up twice (once in the morning shortly after Peter and I wake up and once in the early afternoon) and then not again until after dinner. At night, though, when Peter and I are ready for bed, that's when she chooses to crawl over us and meow and get her sassy self up in our faces (or armpits - we've recently discovered she likes the smell of Peter's deodorant!). And when we wake up, she is more often than not sitting patiently outside of our bedroom door, waiting to be granted permission to enter (we only let her into our bedroom at night on the weekends because she loves to meow at night, and waking us up during the work week isn't allowed).
That is my baby girl in a nutshell. We're so grateful for her presence in our lives, and I'm really glad we found her!
So Peter, can we get a dog yet??? ; )
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