A New Addition

The Ellett household gained a new four-footed member of the family last week. We adopted a friendly black tom kitten we have named Prospero.

Prospero came to us from a school friend of Maura’s whose cat had kittens in September. On Tuesday night we went to his home to meet his family and the kittens and to choose one. Prospero chose himself. We had brought along our cat carrier and left it in the middle of the floor. Prospero was more outgoing than his twin brother and explored the cat carrier first. We made our choice by shutting the door.

Prospero wasn’t happy to be carried off but he has adapted very well to his new home and family. For a few days we kept him closed up in the den to give our established cat Houdini a chance to get used to the idea of a kitten in the house and let Prospero establish a small territory of his own. Once we had taken Prospero to see the vet and the kitten had been given a clean bill of help and a flea treatment we let the two of them meet. Houdini wasn’t bothered at all by the new kitten and it didn’t take long for Prospero to begin to warm up to Houdini. Now we’ve seen them playing together, not quite like old friends but without any unwanted aggression.

A very calm and affectionate kitten, Prospero often purrs when he is held and petted. He has even been known to climb into laps without any prompting, which is not something that every cat will do. Because he is a kitten it is no surprise that he likes to play but he doesn’t play rough. Other kittens I have known have trouble learning not to use their claws and teeth when they are playing but Prospero already keeps his claws in when he’s playing with us.

It is good that Prospero fits in here so well. He is likely to be a member of the household for many years, until long after Maura has left home and gone away to college. We’ll do everything we can to make sure he has a long and happy life. Like Houdini he will be an indoor cat and like Houdini he will soon be neutered. While he is unlikely to enjoy the experience we know (and our vet agrees) that it is better for him in the long run. It will help keep him healthy and comfortable in his home and will also keep him from adding to the number of stray and homeless cats. As much as we love our cats, old and new, I’m certain in my opinion that two cats is enough for this house and would not want to feel responsible for more.