Emo Cat Love

In The Beginning…

Little Richie, AKA my son (if I were crazy!), came into my life on April 15th, 2010.

After listening to my partner in crime, Cheryl, go on for years about adopting a cat I finally gave in. On April 15th, for what seemed like the 100th time, I told her that she could go down to the Toronto Animal Services or the Toronto Humane Society (I was trying the whole reverse psychology thing on Cheryl hoping she’d never take me up on the offer). Well, with the Humane Society holding a massive fire sale on cats and dogs, she finally picked up the keys and drove herself to the the Toronto Humane Society.

That afternoon I got a text saying that all the cats and dogs had been adopted by the time she got to the Humane Society. I secretly fist pumped the air. Little did I know that Cheryl was a woman on a mission. Her next stop would in fact be the central location for Toronto Animal Services.

About an hour after I got this photo sent to me:

Yes, this was the first image of our little Richard to be (at the time he went by the name of “Check out this cute little guy.”). Cheryl liked him because he wasn’t scared of her and stuck his paw out to say what’s up. He was even comfortable enough to rub up against her legs. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be taken home on the Sunday. We had to wait until Tuesday as he was scheduled to have one of his incisors taken out because it was cracked. At the time we had no idea that Richard loved to bite. After having him for a little over 6 months there’s nothing that he loves more than a good biting session.

Operation Name: Richard Dunn(e)

Well, on Tim & Eric Show, Great Job! there was a sweet old man by the name of Richard Dunn. He was my favourite character on the show playing the role of Tim or Eric’s dad to host of Dunngeon:

There’s also Aston Villa’s captain Richard Dunne.

I like the idea of giving a cat a first and last name. Richard is a character and I think he deserves a name that matches his quirkiness.

What Have I Learned?

Having a cat is amazing. I never thought I’d be so emo over a little fur ball like Richard. After Ben got Bear I started to get more interested in cats, especially after I got Bear’s seal of approval as a rad human. I’ve now started to do slightly crazy thing like saying bye to Richard in the morning. I also laugh every time I open the door and he’s there circling almost saying, “What’s up?” I have also devoted a large amount of hard drive space to photos of Richard. As pathetic as it sounds, I actually miss him and look forward to seeing him when I’m at work or away on a trip.

The best things about cats are that they’re low maintenance. Richard just needs some food, some loving, and his litter changed every couple of days. That’s not much to ask for a little guy who’ll follow you around or love a good pawing/biting session.

I’m surprised that I’ve taken so well to Richard. I’ll routinely do things I’d never thought that I’d be into like picking him up and slinging him over my shoulder or cradling him in my arms. He will usually purr and blink his eyes if he’s digging a good pick up session and that actually makes me happy. I’ve gone totally emo/crazy for cats!!!

The List

And now a short list of my favourite things about Richard:

1. He is by the fastest eater I have ever seen. He even puts me to shame. Maybe it’s the fact that he was once a street kitty that was picked up at Sherbourne and Front St. who had to fight and scrounge for food but the minute his food hits his bowl he’s racing to finish.
2. He’s missing one of his incisors so he gets Elvis lip on the regular
3. Unless it’s the middle of the day, he always comes to the front door when Cheryl or I come home
4. Richard loves a good shoulder cradling session
5. When he’s in a good mood he’ll sit on my lap and fall asleep and stretch out as long as possible
6. He tries to eat anything and everything. I don’t help by slipping him food here and there. I can’t believe how hard he’ll try to sneak licks from our plates when we’re not looking or paw peas from the kitchen sink. I once watched him drink pickle juice and he couldn’t stop licking his face for 5 minutes.
7. He loves to paw the blinds in the morning to wake us up. It’s like he’s drumming. He also likes running his paws on the closet door because of the sound it makes.
8. He’s quite small
9. He loves to lightly bite toes and feet. In fact, I’d say he’s addicted to it.
10. And finally, my absolute favourite Richard personality trait is his “work”

Some Photos