The Wild Cat - Ms. Penelope

My husband and I have always liked animals. We’re not like those 20-cat families. But, we do enjoy our share of 4-legged cuddly furries. My husband in particular is really fond of cats. I like them as well, but the litter box maintenance drives me insane. (I learned this in college.) So, I was pretty certain that we’d never adopt a pet cat. My dear friend Marian, has a sweet and slightly crazy cat named Oswald. I spent several days babysitting Oswald over Thanksgiving break (2009) because she was out of town. I love my dear Marian, so I was happy to do the favor, but I was dreading the litter box smell. The first day to change came and I was greeted so delightfully by Os. He is such a sweet and playful (i.e. crazy) cat that I couldn’t help but play with him for awhile before changing his litter and leaving. When I proceeded to change his box, I noticed that it looked different than any other litter box I’d seen. It also smelled, like… fresh linen. What?!?!? This litter box was a large deep plastic bin with about 10 to 12 lbs of litter in it. The large amount of litter masked the smell of any bodily fluids concealed within. I also noticed that the high walls of the box helped prevent Os from kicking around excess litter on the floor. I was so relieved. Cleaning his box was surprisingly pleasant and so easy! From that moment forward, I pushed myself to think outside the box (lol) about getting a cat.

Days turned into weeks and my husband and I spent more and more time together in front of the TV. We watched a special on Animal Planet on the top breeds of cats. We fell in love with the idea of getting a cat after watching that show. Since I had experienced a change of heart on the litter box issue, we began looking into breeds. Fast forward a month to Friday, January 29, 2010. Our gorgeous Bengal cat, Penelope arrived via Continental Airlines at Reagan National airport.

She is quite the cat. Bengals are known for being very feisty and active. Their ancestors are the Wild African Serval cat and the Asian Leopard. So, I was prepared for a rambunctious pet. My dear husband went out in the snow and ice to grab us BBQ to go yesterday. As I dug into my BBQ chicken salad, my dear Penelope decided she wanted a bite. She walked toward me and of course I pushed her back. She tried again and I pushed her back again. This continued quite a few times. I realized she wasn’t going to let me eat in peace, so I closed the Styrofoam container and went back to reading. Penelope proceeded to chew off the top layer of the Styrofoam container. I was shocked!! I then put the Styrofoam container under my thick winter comforter hoping that’d deter her. She seemed to have let it go for the moment because she began walking to the edge of the bed. She then sunk her teeth into the comforter and began to walk backwards pulling the comforter OFF the bed! Oh my goodness. I was shocked at her strength and persistence. She’s so tiny! As I cracked up at how hilarious this situation was, I also decided the kitchen was a better place for my Styrofoam container. We have a wild cat on our hands! Who’d have thought, she likes BBQ!

She is truly a beautiful cat with a very loving disposition. We’re so excited to have her! Who knows what she’ll show us next!