Things I've Learned About Cats + Dogs Since Chicken

Since getting a cat, my animal knowledge has expanded rapidly, mostly of the inter-species variety. I had had extremely high hopes for Super given his success with the hamster, another small, light brownish-orange, furry thing, but alas, once again, Super is nothing if not a I-desperately-need-your-guidance-and-love type of dog. Here are three interesting facts of life to ponder:

1. Kittens are tiny creatures who sometimes make darting motions.
2. Dogs view tiny creatures who sometimes make darting motions as prey.
3. Kittens are really tiny, and Super is kind of a giant spaz.

Super initially had his sniffing and nosing around of the new creature, and then left the cat to his own devices, and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and pride at our beautiful and noble dog. What ease this is! All you have to do is bring the cat home! If you live with a few pets or cats, and you find yourself struggling keeping your home clean like I did at the start, you may want to look at keeping your home clean with cats. However, as the kitten became more comfortable, he also became more bold, and he also began leaping off of things which became a little concerning. I'd heard off a friend about affordable pet insurance from Pet Plan, which I will look into in case of any accidents in the future. Vets bills can be extremely high, but when our animals are our best friends, it puts the cost into perspective. Thankfully, with cheap cat insurance, you can get covered for the majority of your vet bill. To add to the confusion, I very wisely selected stainless steel feeding bowls, which coincidentally are also what Super has (oh, those excellent anti-bacterial properties!). So here is Super, snacking away at the cat's food and water, and then slightly baffled that this new tiny creature has the audacity to sniff at the scraps (of course there would be no scraps after Super is eaten). All of a sudden, a whole new world of the internet opened up to us, as we discovered forums through the google results of "will my dog eat my cat" and "my dog is a spaz but I have a new kitten." It turns out that there are a lot of different ideas out there to try - let the dog and cat sniff each other from under a door, let the cat and dog sniff each other in crates, put them on leashes and have them calmly walk around each other (really??). We tried a few of the controlled introductions, mostly me holding the cat and Super sniffing it, and then all of us getting distracted by Caleb peeing on the floor or dinner burning or the phone ringing. I read about stories of dogs and cats needing to be separated for months! Years! I couldn't imagine it. And then one day when we weren't looking, the cat casually sauntered out, right up to Super's nose, and Super's nose sniffed right back, and then they casually continued their individual hunts for table scraps and food bits fallen off the kitchen table.

In the end, I don't think it was anything we did: Super just took his sweet time figuring out that the cat was just a cat.

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In other news, Caleb has learned to walk with his hands in his pockets and it's completely freaking me out. He also has this new thing where he takes off his baseball cap and puts it back on sideways or backwards. I've investigated everyone in regular contact with Caleb, and no one is confessing to having taught him that, so I have no idea where he picked it up. When did he become a little boy?? The Caleb I know still needs helping picking out the sticker he wants after his play gym class and falls asleep in his high chair in the middle of his noodles. With his hands in his pockets, he literally saunters around, walking heels down first, leaning back a bit. In his little tank top with those muscles, he's like this little mini beach boy. I don't even know who this kid is. And - did you hear?? Our latest new line from Japan has finally arrived - it's Classiky! It's already in the shop, and should be heading online over the next few days. Normally we like to get all the pictures together and then get them up online, announce them fully and properly - but I couldn't resist a sneak peek! It's mainly because I've already torn into all of the boxes to find my loot, and settle it all up nicely on my desk. I'm basically going to be sitting here in my new little studio and desk space for the next week - which is of course the perfect inspiration, as I'll be writing about all the dreamy ways to use these beautiful Japanese tools + supplies. (And, most exciting of all: there's washi tape. I've basically reached all of my stationery goals in life. Maybe.)