Excuse Me, Teacher: Atticus

Two weeks ago, Cary called me from work to say that he had found a kitten wandering the PK Yonge campus alone. The kitten was obviously way too young to be away from his mama, and there was a freeze warning that night. I could tell that Cary was already pretty set on bringing him home, and we'd been talking about getting another cat to keep George company now that we have a house, so I said to bring him on home. I met them at the vet after work that day, and fell instantly in love. He was so tiny and helpless. I called him Atticus, after my favorite character in one of my favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird. He was shy and precious. I fed him out of a syringe and off of my finger until he was comfortable enough with canned food to eat by himself.

Two weeks later, the tiny precious kitten has been replaced by a tiny tiger. I am in the unfortunate position of unconditionally loving a little bitty baby who wants to constantly stalk my feet, gnaw on my hands, and claw my face. Atticus is 100% comfortable with Cary and me now, and shows how much he loves us by playing with us the way he would play with other kittens: by biting and scratching us. I'm trying to teach him that this is not appropriate behavior - I put him on the floor and ignore him whenever he bites or scratches - but he is not easily deterred.

I went online to get some advice on how to teach him not to bite and scratch. I got advice like, "Just tap your kitten on the nose when he bites or scratches. This will get his attention and then you can redirect him to something else to play with." I tried that with Atticus, and all it gets him to do is sink his claws into my finger and pull it towards his mouth so he can bite it. I also read, "Gently blow in your kitten's face. This will get his attention and make him stop." So I tried that, and what it does is make Atticus blink a few times, look windblown, and claw at the air. He is a teeny predator who will not be distracted. If he were George's size, he's be absolutely ferocious.

Speaking of George, he is highly offended at the turn of events that has brought him a little brother. Because Atticus was only five weeks old when we found him, he was too little to get vaccinated. Until he's big enough (this Tuesday), we have to keep them separated all the time, which means that when George is in the living room, Atticus is in my bathroom (where he lives most of the time) and when Atticus is in the living room, George is in our bedroom (where he lives most of the time). George is not used to not being out in the house when we're home, and can obviously smell Atticus, even if they haven't interacted yet. Atticus knows George is there, and hangs out around our bedroom door when George is in there, waiting to sprint towards him when one of us opens the door. After Atticus's vaccines on Tuesday, they can officially meet each other, which Atticus seems to be excited about, and George could probably take or leave. I have no idea how this is going to go - I'm kind of hoping that George puts Atticus in his place as far as the scratching and biting goes, but I also want them to get along.

Even with all the hassles (kind of like a small taste of having a baby, I think), I'm glad we have Atticus. He is adorable and he loves us, which I think are the two most important qualities in a pet - an animal that is easy to love and happy to see you. Cats like that are hard to come by. George has been an exception, and so far, it looks like Atticus is too.