i got a cat by Anika H. '26
he is so small
Note: i am working on a high effort long blog but this is too important of an update to not post imminently.
I went back to visit my friends and family over winter break, and found out one of my high school friends was fostering kittens. I went to visit because I could not resist the lure of getting to pet small kitten (you could probably kidnap me if you told me you had kittens in your suspicious white van.) I’m sure you can guess what happened by the name of the title.
This is Bipolar Junction Transistor
His name is Junkie, which is short for Bipolar Junction Transistor. He is a scrungly little 2-month-old brown tabby with a resting worried face. He looks like if you took a wet, lint-covered sock and turned it into a cat. When I first got him a week and a half ago, he was about the size of a large rat or a women’s size 8 shoe. I had to airtag him to not lose him in my room.
He’s just a little baby
When I first got the boy, he was very very shy and quite skittish. I let him out the carrier into my room and left the room to refill his water bowl, and when I came back, I found him hiding in the corner of my closet. As he slowly got more comfortable, I found out that my car has an incredible engine. He purrs like a motorbike when he is comfy, and it seems like he is comfy a lot. I’ve never heard another cat that purrs this much.
His meows usually mean” fix this please” but a third of the time I don’t actually know what the problem is. He has a good variety of different vocalizations, including different “mrrrp” and “mraaaa” and “merrrw” noises. But because he is still small, all of his meows sound more like squeaks. Sometimes he opens his mouth to try and meow and no sound comes out.
Travel shenanigans
Flying him from California to Boston was a nightmare and a half. I gave him the dose of anxiety medication before all of the travel, but between the hour long drive to the airport and the three-hour flight delay, he was conked out at the airport and not actually on the flight. During takeoff, the girl sitting next to me tapped me on the shoulder just as I was getting ready to sleep and said “hey, I think your cat’s in the aisle.” I lean over from my window seat, and sure enough he was scrunched by someone’s bag a few seats in front of my row. Obviously, I freak out and rang the bell for assistance until three flight attendants pincered him from either side and got him back to me. I put him back in his carrier with much effort and he starts trying to escape again.
zonked out on anxiety meds at the airport
Since he was clearly not having it, I turned my jacket backwards and put him in my hood, which seemed to calm him down. The only problem is that every 20 minutes or so, he would doze off, and startle awake from someone moving around or a light turning on somewhere. I pet him until he goes to sleep, and then he wakes up again and starts tweaking. So for the entirety of the 6-hour red eye flight from SFO to BOS, I got maybe a total of 30 minutes of sleep. I rewrapped him three times in the airplane provided blanket and had to stop him from escaping my lap countless more times. By the time we finally landed, I had completely given up on using the carrier, and he seemed to have a much better time riding in my hood where he can pop his head out when he wants to see the scenery and pop back in when he got cold. I have since put him in my hood instead of the carrier whenever we need to go somewhere since it seems to make him more comfortable.
Adjusting
I set Junkie up temporarily in Isa and Vivian’s room because my dorm room wasn’t kitten-proofed, and then proceeded to pass out on a beanbag. When I woke up, I cleaned my room in record time because Isa kept sending pictures of him cuddling with her and curled up in her lap. If I didn’t move him to my room as soon as I did, Isa might have been able to emotionally kidnap my cat for good.
A week ago, I introduced Bipolar Junction Transistor to the concept of a toy, and I found out he really likes teaser toys (the kind with a stick attached to a thing on a string.) He’s gotten really good at pouncing and would make a great mouser if EC ever gets a cockroach or mouse problem.
Junkie has gotten more brave since I got him, and we were able to introduce him to the other cats on Tetazoo. Sunny, the oldest (1 yr) cat on Tetazoo so far, is generally fine with Junkie. They started hanging out in each other’s rooms with the only problem being that Sunny keeps trying to eat Junkie’s food. Kalashinkov (7 mo), who has now been banished to the position of angsty middle child, has been extremely mad about Junkie’s sudden appearance. He’s been growling and hissing at Junkie and sitting in his litter box to assert dominance, and growling and meowing angrily at Sunny and anyone else trying to pet him. I think they’re slowly getting along better with each other now.
junkie chilling with sunny. i couldn’t get a picture of kalashnikov anywhere close to him.
Junkie is about the size of a women’s size 10 shoe now, and he’s much more affectionate with me. Within the last few days, he has learned to meow for attention and for food. He will curl up on my lap and bunt his head into my hand for pets, and I lose all track of time hanging out with him until my eyes start itching and my nose starts running (I am unfortunately allergic to cats but this will not stop me, I am in theory getting prescribed an inhaler soon).
My declaration to the world (strangers on the internet) of my love for my cat because I am dramatic like that
As I have now knowingly accepted this responsibility for the next 15ish years, or however long Bipolar Junction Transistor lives, I will care and provide for him to the best of my ability, regardless of his age, size, health, and behavior. I will be timely with his food and any required medical care, and will give him all the toys, treats, and required stimulation to keep him happy. He will get all the pets he wants, and I will do everything necessary to get my allergies out of the way. The reins of my bank account are at the mercy of his paws and I would not have it any other way. And lastly if anyone intentionally harms him, the perpetrator shall feel all the weight of my wrath and vengeance for as long as I deem fit, which could be the rest of eternity.
I have informed my mother that Junkie is officially her first grandchild.
mom seems pleased
Do ask me questions about Junkie in the comments.