A Review of My New Cat

When I first picked out Kite from the shelter, she seemed like the perfect cat. Calm, laid back, sweet: a lap cat. I took her out of her little cage and set her on my lap, where she promptly curled up and began to purr.

It has been two months and I am beginning to think I was swindled.

I wanted another cat to be a companion to Mims, my shy little tabby. I wanted this new cat to be equally as laid back, but less shy, a cat that I could pick up and carry around. It would stand to reason, then, that I should not get a kitten.

Of course, I got a kitten. A black-and-white spotted, adorable little thing that seemed happy enough to come home with me. She even purred in her carrier on the way back to my apartment.

I guess I should have taken it as a sign, when right away she meowed constantly if I left my room. I had her locked in there, separated from the other cat until they were ready to meet. But, I shrugged it off as a kitten thing.

When I let her out a week later, she was shy around Mims. She sniffed at her tentatively, and looked oh-so-innocent when Mims hissed and ran away. Mims knew what was up.

The weeks progressed, and Kite began to get used to living in my apartment. That is to say, she began to take it for granted. She was used to Mims by now, and took great pleasure in chasing her around the room, much to Mims' dismay. I found my temper becoming frayed as the sounds of sharp meows, hissing, and racing feet became more commonplace.

Then, the meowing started. Not even gradually, just all of the sudden one day. She decided to sit by the door and meow loudly and constantly. She had already acquired the habit of trying to escape every time I came home, but apparently that wasn't enough. She had to alert me to her absolute need to be in the lobby of my apartment building.

This behavior has continued to the present day, and needless to say, my patience is wearing thin. I find myself yelling at her lot, something I have always tried not to do with my cats. She seems to know exactly when I'm trying to work, and launches into her meowing escapades for the hours upon hours that I am sitting at my laptop, fruitlessly trying to concentrate.

She is already a year old, and she still acts like a hyper-active kitten. Do yourself a favor: adopt an older cat.