We got a cat and here is what we have learned!

January 30 2020 – We welcomed our very FIRST pet into our home! After 9 years of marriage and a toddler, I finally convinced my husband that we needed a cat in our lives. Growing up in Pakistan, we always had a pet. They ranged from the feral cat who we adopted and fed everyday to chicks we bought at Sunday Bazaar.

I have had tortoises, birds, parrots, and even rabbits as pets. When we got married, I had really wanted a pet but it was just something we couldn’t do then. Last year, when I went to Vancouver, I felt really called to have a pet again. I decided that once I moved back to Toronto, I would have to figure out how to own a pet again. After much convincing, and bartering, my husband finally agreed to be “open to the possibility”.

For weeks, I scoured pet adoption agency websites, Kijiji, Craigs list and asked around. Then I put it out on Instagram that we are thinking of adopting a cat or a kitten, and the universe LISTENED. One of YOU, messaged me on Instagram, that they were looking to rehome their 7-8 month old kitten because of personal reasons. One of the biggest concerns for me is how cats are around little children. Most of them don’t really like to be chased, or touched by kids. This kitten, Simba, had been raised in a house with not one but three kids and was well versed in tiny humans.

So on one wednesday evening, I drove after work to meet Simba – and it was love at first sight!! I came home feeling so happy and giddy and I knew this was it. I know it sounds like a super cheesy bollywood film, and that too with a cat, but if you own a pet – you KNOW what I mean.

Since I have never had a cat before, I was unsure of what I need to get etc to help settle in a new pet. Lucky for me, the family that was rehoming him provided us with everything we needed to bring him home and he came litter trained and also trained to not scratch furniture. However, because our house is a new place he still scratches furniture, and we are gently training him to use his scratch posts more. There are great training guides available online and I am certainly not a cat training expert.

I have put together a FREE checklist of things that you may need if you are thinking of adoption a cat that you can find below!

I will share more of our journey with Simba as we go along, but right now we are still figuring him and his temprament out. He loves to drink water from a tap, and chasing Liyana around the house. He adores me and I am greeted every morning and after work with lots of snuggles and kisses. He loves to launch himself at me playfully as I pray, and is obsessed with my plants. We still don’t know how to trim his nails – we took him to a vet who recommended we let his nail caps fall off (previous owner had put these on and they are harmless). So they have all fallen off, and we have a nail clipper for him – and we are trying to train him to let us trim his nails. I will tell you its a two person job hah along with lots of treats. I have not gotten rid of any (yet) but am hoping I can train him not to get into them. Since this is a work in progress, I will share more in the coming weeks and months.