On the Catwalk

I never thought I'd walk a cat on a leash. Not ever. But then Waldo happened.

Outfit: Dress, J. Crew, via Avalon Exchange; scarf, Modcloth (old) (similar); shoes, Marshalls; tights and cat leash, Target.

In case you don't know, he was a stray we brought in from outdoors that's been spooked by a variety of stimuli outside, like speeding cars and rain. He'll cry, howl, hide, or sometimes, have a combination of those reactions to those things. We call it kitty PTSD, probably as a result of his abandonment.

However, he's an extremely friendly, affectionate, people-loving cat otherwise. And he does love looking out the window. And following the sound of birds. We live near a busy road, and don't really have a yard, so Mark and I have been trying to leash train him. I think it's a nice middle ground where he can breathe some outdoor air on occasion while not completely freaking out.

The vet guessed he was about five months old in the fall when we took him in, and I did some reading online about leash training cats. Basically, the younger they are, the more adaptable they will be.

So we occasionally strapped the harness onto him in the winter, rewarding him with an excessive amount of treats for tolerating it. But just within the last few weeks, we began taking him outside with the leash because it's finally freaking warm enough. But I'll tell you now: Cats aren't like walking dogs. I kind of just follow where he wants to go, within reason.

Waldo tends to start slow. He'll bask in the sun for a few minutes, laying around and adapting to the outdoors, and then he'll start walking when he's ready. I've been taking him out about once a week for 20 to 30 minutes. It's just enough time where he can get his paws dirty and explore some fresh scenery.

A friend who walks her cat outside told me it's been a great way to curb door dashing. Her cat associates the leash with the outdoors and he'll purr as she's putting it on. Waldo isn't quite at that point yet.

For this photo shoot we drove to a nearby park, so Wally was a little more nervous than usual about going outside, but I think he did really well. Hopefully we'll make it back over there soon.

In other news, ahh it finally feels like spring. A dress without a sweater was totally doable on this day, with the high temp reaching a fiery 60 degrees! Also, I hope you enjoy the new look. I made some tweaks to the layout, including a new banner and navigation bar. I kept the polka dot background (for now) for some flair. :)

So how have you been? Enjoying the warm weather? Have you ever tried walking a cat? Haha.

Meow Mail

Hey yinz!

It feels good to put the fingers back to the keyboard. While I'm still not totally back in the blogging groove just yet, I'm trying to nail down more of a schedule as a motivating tool. I miss having this space, yet it the same time, its been nice to step away from things for a bit to refocus on what I'd like to accomplish here, but also, focus on things that aren't on the Internet. :)

ANYWHO. Let's talk about important things. Like these ridiculously awesome vintage kitty postcards I found recently. I've been on kind of a postcard binge at the last few flea markets where I've shopped. And I'm not sure which cat I love most in the salon scene, but I think I like the boy cat holding onto the dog. Haha.

I'm not gonna lie: If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've been a bit obsessed with my cat, Waldo, as of late. He's unlike any cat I've ever dealt with before, and he's kind of the best.

Por ejemplo:

Wally wanted to help with laundry, but I'm not sure this is going to work...

A photo posted by Kate (@thriftburgher) on Mar 7, 2015 at 7:45pm PST

Um, I think Wally just discovered his favorite movie. He's been watching intently the whole time, except during this part when I had to stop him from swatting at the screen.

A photo posted by Kate (@thriftburgher) on Jan 27, 2015 at 7:09pm PST

I've become a cat lady. But seriously, aren't cats the best? :D

Smitten with a Kitten

Mark and I have a new member of our little family: He's an adorable five-month-old orange tabby.

This little fur baby, who we've named Waldo, was an unexpected addition at our house. We've quickly taken a liking to this little guy. He's an incredibly sweet, mellow yet playful lap cat.

Mark and I actually discovered him hanging around our neighborhood after we returned from our New England trip. While we were away, a lot of the neighbors began leaving out bowls of food and makeshift beds on porches for him. One neighbor posted signs notifying everyone of his homelessness, and that if he has an owner that he should be claimed. He is extremely people friendly, nudging around ankles, wanting to play, and wanting to let himself into any house he could. Obviously, this cat wasn't feral. He began sitting on my welcome mat every time I came home to greet me, much like a dog would. It was incredibly sweet, but I felt awful shutting him out of the house.

Mark also watched him from inside our apartment, since the kitten would often hang around our porch during the day, playing with leaves and plants by himself for hours.

Last weekend, my landlord came over since new neighbors were moving in. She said she might have to take him to the shelter soon if he wasn't claimed, since he had been nomadic in our neighborhood for the past few weeks. She told me the neighborhood has had it's fair share of pet drop offs over the last few years, including a loving pitbull she had to take to the shelter a few years ago. That's when I knew I couldn't let that happen to him.

I set up a vet appointment at a local clinic to get the kitten checked out. He didn't have a microchip. Once he was all cleared (albeit a few ticks) and got vaccinated, he's been a sweetie in our house ever since.

Mark and I expect more and more that he was abandoned. He hated being alone for the first week or so, but has finally gotten used to sleeping in his bed at night instead of scratching at our bedroom door.

He's incredibly tolerant of playful torture, like the hot dog costume we put on him on Halloween. And he might turn into a Garfield... he loves investigating human food. And he's kind of obsessed with cream cheese. :)