Merlin

I adopted Merlin a little over a year ago.  He was just a kitten, sitting in a cage at a shelter, surrounded by many other kittens and cats.  He chose me, and I chose him, and even though I am a "dog person", Merlin has captured my heart like no one else ever has. 



Due to pet restrictions, Merlin is temporarily living at my parents' house.  To make things easier on them, I bought some nail caps for Merlin's front paws.  This would prevent him from scratching up any furniture, without causing him any distress.  I was impressed at how well the nail caps work.  They also make him look quite stylish, don't you think?

I was a bit worried about how Merlin would adjust.  He was used to living with a lot of other animals and only two adult humans.  At my house he'd run and hide from guests.  So then he went to live in a house with no other pets, two adult humans and several young children.  I did what I could to help him adjust - gave him a safe place to hide in an empty bedroom, used Feliway to lower his stress, brought his favorite items from home and purchased several more items that I thought he would like.  It didn't take long before he settled in and then quickly took over.  Now he thinks he owns the house, and probably will hate to come back to a house filled with other dogs and cats and with no children to entertain him. 

That's how he sees it, you know. The kids are there just to play with him. They make the magic laser light appear to give him something to chase. They also run through the house carrying his favorite ribbon, and throw cat toys throughout the house for him to pick up and carry around in his mouth.

He's not going to like coming back home to just me and a bunch of other pets.  Sure, the dogs keep him busy by chasing him now and then, but it's not the same.  I won't be able to live up to Merlin's expectations, and he won't be able to continue to live the lifestyle that he has become accustomed to.  I just hope that he can forgive me someday.