First Pets

As I have mentioned before, my roommate is very good about taming cats. He patiently worked with Alice for months, gaining her trust and eventually bringing her inside to become part of our household. He has done the same with Tinkerbell, though she still only hangs out in his room and seems to think I'm the Devil.

A while back, a new cat arrived on our porch. He was short and orange, so we named him Clementine. Clem was very mistrustful of humans and seems to have some physical issues. He's also not very smart. Despite all of this, he is beautiful and adorable. My roommate, as is his way, has been working on getting Clem to trust him and to perhaps understand his name. It's not easy, due to everything I mentioned.

A few weeks ago, my roommate suggested that I try to see if Clem would respond to me. I went outside and tried to coax him over. It didn't work to well, though he did flounce down on the porch in front of me. He was still out of arms' reach, but it was something. My roommate saw this as a positive response.

Yesterday, I got to pet him for the first time. I'd been walking through the living room and he meowed at me from the porch. I went out and spoke to him, tapping the floor and tisking at him to see if he would come over. It took a while. He had to walk towards me and then back away several times. Eventually, however, he allowed me to pet him.

There are a million glorious things in life, so many small bright spots that make living a joy. One of the main ones for me is petting a kitty and the first time I get to pet a new kitty is always wonderful for me. Clem's fur is short and kind of stiff. Like most outside cats, he's very solid and strong. He has a big head and smallish ears. He loves to push his head against you and rub, letting you know he enjoys the petting and enjoys you.

I stayed out there for as long as I could, happy in this new level of our relationship. I have to thank my roommate for this, because he is the one who civilized Clem enough to know that all humans aren't evil. I'm grateful to him for that and I'm grateful for getting to pet Clem. I'm glad he's in our lives now. Sweet kitty.