Welcome Achilles!

In the late days of February 2011, the lack of a cat, specifically a Siamese cat, weighed on Wendy and me enough that Wendy started casting about for a Siamese. Not to take the place of Akhenaten, which can never happen, but to bring their special energy back to our household.

After several emails, Wendy located a breeder who had a champion Siamese that she wanted to get rid of. The picture to the right is the first view of him that we got. The reason was that he’s got a growth plate issue in one (maybe more) of his legs, and therefore cannot show any more. The breeder had him neutered and they were looking for a good home for him. Once she and Wendy chatted, it was just a matter of time before we adopted him.

During one of my weekends home from training, Wendy & I drove up to meet the breeder and the cat, who they called Boolie. Wendy hopped into the breeder’s car and started visiting with the cat and the breeder. She was taken by Boolie’s energy, curiosity, and affection, and quickly decided that he would come home with us. We crammed him into the cat carrier we’d brought, and headed south. He meowed – that strange, infant-like cry that Siamese do, most of the way home until I finally allowed him to come out of the carrier and be held (by me). Even though he didn’t know me, he accepted the comfort and quieted down a bit.

When we got him home, we sequestered him in one of the spare rooms to allow him to adjust to the sounds and smells of his new home, and to allow the other cats to get used to the idea of a new presence. For the first few days, Boolie (we hadn’t found his “forever name” yet) stayed precisely the center of the mattress, underneath the bed. Wendy was beginning to get worried that he may never show initiative and come out from hiding. She started leaving the door to the spare room open, with the baby gate blocking access for dogs.

That didn’t last long… It was as if Boolie (who we had, by now, renamed Achilles because of his bad leg(s)), decided that he was going to explore, and within a couple days of the door being open, he was merrily hopping over the gate. He decided that he wasn’t afraid of dogs, and began to interact with them wonderfully.

And then, the house became his oyster. Nothing was safe – NOTHING. He knows no fear (of pots boiling on the stove for example), is a terribly clumsy oaf (which seems to be a trait of Siamese) who loves to jump up on Wendy’s dressing table (and knock stuff over), and frequently expresses his feelings (via long, plaintive meowing) at any time of the day or night. He’s a royal pain (in a good way), but we love him. He used to be disruptive at night until he discovered how lovely it is to be able to sleep in bed with his people (I think he used to be crated at night), and now he is as good as gold. He’s recently started going under the covers as well, which reminds me of Akhenaten.

Achilles’ birthday is April 16, 2008, and we’re going to have a nice celebration (by cat standards) to welcome him to his forever home.