Meet Dexter

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Meet Dexter

As many of you are aware we adopted a companion for Watson this week at the MSPCA. Dexter is a grey tabby cat. His coat has these amazing symmetrical spirals and circles that I’ve never seen before and yes I did name him after Michael C. Hall’s character on the Showtime series Dexter. CK likes to tell people we named him Dexter because of the fact that he has 25 toes and somehow this makes him ambidextrous (get it “Dex”). Yes, Dexter is polydactyl or more affectionately known as a Hemingway Cat. It’s pretty wild to examine his funky feet up close.

Watson Meets Dexter

Dexter is a young cat. Unfortunately, we’re not sure how old exactly. Originally his ad stated that he was only eight months, but the vet tech at the adoption center believes he is probably somewhere between one and two years of age. It doesn’t really matter. Dexter is incredibly easygoing and loves to cuddle. He’s also giving Watson something to focus his almost OCD-like attentions on (instead of CK and I for a change). In fact, since we picked up Dexter on Tuesday CK and I have been able to sleep through the night without being woken up by Watson’s deadly 4:00 AM pounce or his demanding “pay attention to me” cries at 7:00 AM for the first time in four months. It’s a miracle!

Let's Get It On!

The initial meeting between the cats was a bit chaotic. Dexter immediately tried to start grooming cute little Watson because Dexter’s a friendly guy. Watson on the other hand wanted nothing to do with this grey interloper for his mommy and daddy’s attentions and predictably started hissing and batting Dexter in the head. A scuffle ensued and we let them fight it out for a bit before separating the flying masses of fur. It was pretty obviously who had the upper hand in this scenario and it isn’t little 5 pound Mr. Kitty Pants. Not that he didn’t give it the old college try.

Is That You?

The first night we kept Dexter in the spare room and allowed Watson to roam free. Watson entrenched himself in front of the door and stared down Dexter via the small space between the floor and the door frame. Then they would occasionally bat at one another. It was all very tentative.

Making Myself at Home

The next day Dexter started to settle in and we allowed both cats to interact with one another throughout the entire apartment. They spent the majority of the day chasing each other around at top speeds, flying over furniture in hot pursuit of the other, and then falling down panting on the rug at a “safe” distance. By the end of the afternoon they were doing so well with one another that we decided they could stay together during the night. We woke up well rested and without incident. I fully expected to find something broken or torn open but my two little guys behaved themselves admirably.

We Love Each Other!

Today they graduated to the following cuddly behavior. Pretty impressive, right? Currently both cats are sleeping next to me while I type this. Each is curled up on a dining room chair on opposite sides of the table.

While CK and I are really grateful to witness this huge personality change in Watson we both sort of miss the cute guy’s attention a bit. He seems to have completely altered his preoccupation with our lives and is now deeply entrenched in Dexter. Hopefully our baby kitten will manage to get back a bit of balance in his affections soon. In the meantime we truly are enjoying Dexter. It’s nice to see a grown-up cat in action. Whereas raising a kitten is like going to war, having an adult cat is truly a companionable experience more in line with going to a garden party.

Watson Wednesday: Wet & Wild Edition

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I Hate You Erin!

We give Watson a bath and trim his nails approximately every three weeks or so. It’s a necessary evil that he hates with a fiery red hot passion. His claws have to be kept short to cut down on the number of angry hand wounds CK and I can stand. I seriously wonder if people are going to start thinking that I’m a cutter. No worries though! I just own a very playful and sometimes rowdy kitten.

I bathe Watson frequently because of my allergies. I’m actually very allergic to cats. These allergies worsen exponentially as the length of the cat’s fur increases. So my cousin’s short haired tabby “Baby” doesn’t bother me at all, while CK’s Aunt and Uncle’s gorgeous Rag Doll cat “Paris” makes me sneeze my brains out. That doesn’t stop me from picking her up and giving her a big friendly squeeze though. I just always make sure I have a supply of Claritin on hand.

*Hiss* Get Back Evil Doers!

For the most part Watson doesn’t bother my allergies but every few weeks there inevitably comes a day when I start to feel my eyes getting watery and my nose itches and I know that it’s time for Mr. Kitty Pants to have a spa day. This month’s bath was especially traumatic and he glared and hid from CK and I for a good hour after we washed him. A handful of treats eventually brought him around and now I’m happy to report that he’s back to his fluffy and squeaky clean self.

I'm In My Box. Leave Me Alone!

Watson Wednesday: I Sleep Where I Want

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Watson's Peaceful Pink Slumber

Since arriving in our home Watson has claimed my pretty pink throw as his own. I don’t mind. In fact, I just figured he had luxurious tastes.

Watson in the Dirty Clothes Hamper

I now have to revise that conclusion though as Watson’s new favorite place to get a little rest and relaxation is CK’s hamper full of dirty gym clothes. My kitten is obviously a tad bi-polar.

Watson Wednesday: The Mischievous Kitten Edition

It Wasn't Me!

Watson has learned so many “useful” new skills over the last two weeks. The first was developing the ability to scale the drying rack followed by instinctively taking cover under my clothing after he knocked it completely over. As you can see from the photograph he’s also perfected the “it wasn’t me” face.

This is Puuuurrrrfect for Me!

Mr. Kitty Pants also discovered that my sister’s laptop case was the perfect place to curl up and take a nap while still managing to be the center of attention.

What Can I Get Into Now?

He’s also worked out how to leap tall buildings in a single bound or at least he can make it to the top of the kitchen counters now – much to my chagrin. Cooking with Watson around has become quite the contact sport. We had a serious battle of wits last night while I was trying to make risotto for dinner.

What?! You Left It Open. It's Fair game.

And finally, our little kitten has also become enlightened to the fact that neglected dresser drawers (*cough* CK) are an oasis of catnap comfort. Obviously Watson has completely taken over our apartment. No place is safe from a curious kitten.

Watson Wednesday: The Belated Edition

Watson All Curled Up

Watson had his last vaccination visit this week and we found out that he now weighs a whopping 4.6 pounds. He’s such a little piggy. He’s also developing quite the personality and cultivating a healthy love and appreciation of Whole Foods paper grocery bags.

Watson Shops Till He Drops

I’ve also completely given up on trying to keep him off the dining room table. Anyone who loves a ray of sunshine this much deserves to enjoy himself fully. It also helps that he looks so ridiculously cute while reveling in his small rebellion. Far be it for me to take away something that gives Watson such blissful happiness.

Watson's Day in the Sun

I love this picture because he looks like a little sleeping demon. Which, let’s face it, he truly is at least 25% of the time.

Troll? Demon? Kitten!

Watson Wednesday

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Watson: Don't Fall!

Watson is growing up! Every single day it seems as though he’s bigger. CK and I think he grows in his sleep. I swear that you can practically see his tail increasing in size while you watch him play. It’s a little disturbing and a tad sad. I feel a bit nostalgic for the tiny ball of fluff that arrived just a few short weeks ago.

Watson's 2nd Bath

He’s already had his second bath.

Baby Watson
But he still likes to be cuddled. Especially if he’s tucked into CK’s shirt. What a weirdo…

It's OK Buddy.
I’d like to think that this image is illustrating Watson’s sensitive side as he comforts CK after a hard run but in reality it’s Watson attacking him.

Watson in a Box
And this is where I found the Master of Brilliance yesterday. Happily playing inside an empty Propel box. To each his own.

Watson Disappears and Reappears

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Perhaps I should rename my personal blog to XoXo, Watson instead of XoXo, Erin? This site is quickly turning into an ode to all things kitten, but I just can’t help myself. As you may recall over the last few weeks I’ve mentioned having some Watson related frustrations. Well I’ve seriously chilled about Mr. Kitten. Unfortunately the catalyst of my new found calm and serenity was that I thought he was dead.

Last Wednesday was my birthday and I spent the day with my cousin Amanda sitting by her pool and burning my chest into a lovely shade of pink. The central air in our apartment was on the fritz so the maintenance supervisor called a technician to come over and take a look at it while both Chris and I were away.

When I got home that afternoon I couldn’t find Watson anywhere. Usually as soon as we open the door he’s tangled up in our feet purring and tripping us in excitement. I wandered around the house calling his name and still he didn’t appear. I looked under the couch, the beds, in cupboards and closets but Watson was no where to be found. I started to freak out at this point. I was convinced that the technician must have let the kitten out accidentally. I frantically tried to call CK, but it went straight to voicemail. I decided that I had to go find the maintenance man to see if he remembered telling the tech that we had a kitten, and just as I got my shoes back on guess who appeared out of nowhere in the door of our bedroom yawning and stretching?

I was so shocked and relieved that I sat down on the floor and cried. I’m not even kidding. I really did think he was lost, or dead and all I could think about was how much I had complained about him over the last week and how much of a bad person I was and on and on.

After I got myself back together I started to wonder where on earth Watson had been sleeping. I seriously tore the house apart looking for him so where had he been hiding? Well on Saturday the kitten disappeared again. This time CK and I knew he was in the house somewhere so after searching high and low I decided to station CK in one area of the apartment and I stood in the hallway outside our bedroom, then I banged on Watson’s food dish with a fork.

At first nothing happened, but then I saw a rustling on our bed. The comforter rose up and a small form moved underneath the bedding and out popped Watson. Apparently Watson has taken to sleeping not only on our bed but in it too. So now we have to be extra careful not to inadvertently sit on the kitten in case he’s decided to take up residence in his new hiding space again. That’s our kitty…

By the way, the video above is Watson’s reaction to my talking Kipper stuffed toy. I wish I had captured his original encounter with Kipper because he hissed at it, puffed his tail, and ran away, but it’s still cute to see him bat at the English doggy’s nose.

Watson Wednesday

Don't Be Fooled. I'm EVIL.

I’m not going to lie. I haven’t liked Watson very much this week. Maybe it’s the constant attacking of my hands and feet? Maybe it’s the incessant meowing while I’m trying to cook? Maybe it’s because he belly flopped onto a plate of palak paneer that I stepped away from for two seconds on the dining room table and splattered green goo all over the floor, the upholstered seat of the chair, and himself? Either way all of these things combined have me avoiding him today. I’ve shut myself in the bedroom and I’m not letting him in no matter how many times he shoves his paws under the door. I will not spend the afternoon fending off his little claws from my MacBook screen while I attempt to write. I will not allow him to scale the leg of my jeans like it’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Nor will I let him jump on my back and start chewing my hair maniacally until I pry him off. Today is a timeout for Watson day.

I'm Cute: You Have to Love Me

Fortunately for kitten in a few moments I will inevitably get over my anger at him because he will do something ridiculously cute like fall into a dead sleep flat on his back while playing with Sammy the Lambie. Or I’ll find him sprawled out somewhere looking like the above image. Granted this was taken last week when the temp was hovering around 90 degrees and our central air decided to break, but you get the idea.

I've Got My Eye On You

If Watson had his way he would be locked in a room with both CK and I, all of his toys, and a stockpile of food for the rest of his life. When he’s awake and doing his roaming kitten thing he has serious separation anxiety whenever he notices that either of us has left the area. He always has his eye on us. He even waits outside the door while I shower. He’s also super vocal. He really does sit at my feet while I’m cooking, look up at me with big sad eyes and meows: Meow! Meow! Meow! Which I assume means STOP CUTTING THAT CARROT AND PAY ATTENTION TO ME NOW HUMAN. I’ll try to get a video.