Scooby was standing in his cage looking at me when I came to pick him up. The adoption lady was 15 minutes late arriving, which made me anxious. I filled out the form to adopt him on Thursday and now it was Sunday. Would something go wrong, and I would have to wait longer? No worries.

He cost $80 US to adopt. He had a FIV test, and all his shots, plus a microchip implanted. I got a copy of his records for my vet. He had been spayed earlier in his life. The lady showed me which dry cat food he had been eating. It was “Simply Nourish Source” cat food. Amazingly, that is the food I give my cats, and I have a large supply of bags of it at home! I would not have to be serving two different kinds of food. I was given coupons for many products free or with $ off. I used a free coupon for yet another bag of dry food, but I wanted to get out of there and get him home soon. We put him into my cat carrier. He weighs 14+ pounds and is a big fellow–all muscle!

Riding home in the car he was silent. He was glad to get out of that cramped cage. It has been 6 years since I had any new cats. I knew the routine of introducing them, but I just threw the rulebook out the window. What was the result? Firstly, Scooby is very friendly and nonthreatening. He must have been with other cats as he took no notice of the others. They did take notice of him. Marigold is in a grumpy mood, but much better than the first day. She’ll get over it. Opie is wary of him as he is so big, and he likes to play chase with her, but she does not like it. Zeke and Scooby, after a couple of days, sleep together, wrestle, and play. Zeke needed a playmate. The females were not so keen on playing chase with Zeke for long.  I separate them into groups at different times during the day for stress reduction.  There must be supervision when they are all together.

Food is an issue for Scooby. He must be fed alone, apart from the other three, who eat on their own. He has to check everyone’s plate to see if they got something better than he got. Pushing his head into their plates is not appreciated. He is familiar with cat toys and plays with them. He really likes catnip. He kept following me into the kitchen every time I went in there, with a look like he wanted something, but I didn’t know what it was. As I looked at him sitting in front of the refrigerator, a light bulb illuminated over my head. His eyes got big when I pulled out the milk carton. I gave him a little bit in a bowl. That was what he wanted! Someone had been giving him milk! My cats do not get any, as I know they shouldn’t have it, but for now, Scooby can have a little as a treat.

There were no litter box problems of any kind. That was good!  One bad thing is that he wants to get out the front door when I go out or in. I must be careful.  He does not respond to his name.  In fact, he does not respond to voice at all.  I thought he was deaf at first, but I tested him, and he can hear fine.  He is like a husband who never hears what his wife says.  He is tuned out.  Maybe he doesn’t speak English.  He is bad jumping up on the gas stove.  That is dangerous!

I had a vet visit for Zeke’s annual exam plus shots on the upcoming Tuesday, so I called them, and substituted Scooby. I was glad to get him into the vet so quickly. Nothing wrong was discovered; nevertheless, I will keep a close eye upon him for anything unusual. Online I registered him with the microchip company. I also licensed him online with the county. It is the law.  It cost only $5 because I am old, and I get a tag to put on his collar. I need to buy a collar.

The other cats ie. the girls will get used to him, I believe, once they realize he is harmless.  They let him come quite close to them now, but NO sniffing!  All in all, he is a very congenial companion, and a happy guy.