We see crazy pictures of cats taking down Christmas trees, tangled in holiday decorations, sitting inside gift bags and boxes, tearing open beautifully-wrapped gifts, and even tasting their human’s batch of carefully decorated cookies. Oh my!
Olivia, on the other hand, a kitten still at a year old and a calico as well, is not (so far) impressed at all with Christmas—the tree, the ornaments or even the process of 
wrapping gifts. I’m stunned. She can be a wacky speedster around the house who loves to slam up against walls and attack imaginary enemies while screeching like a banshee. She chases toys up and down a long hallway, sliding into walls and furniture across the slick floors. The way she jumps and twist in the air after a wad of paper would be the envy of any Olympic athlete, and she certainly has curiosity—stubborn curiosity—“I want that (teabag, pen, dollar bill—whatever) and I want it NOW!” But she has no interest in the holiday decorations and packages. Go figure.
Speaking of going, I thought maybe she was just staying away from the tree because we were here all the time watching her. But we went out to run errands the other day and came home four hours later to find Olivia curled up in her favorite chair napping. The tree 
and packages were untouched.
Did Lily, the sweet tabby we lost last year whisper in Olivia’s ear when she sent this sweet and sassy calico to us? “Mommy will love you and take really good care of you all the time, but boy can she get angry if you mess with her decorations.”
How many of you have adopted a cat after losing one that was very dear to you and detect traits and behavior unusually similar to the one you lost? Eerie isn’t it? And lovely. PS The candle pictured with Lily is battery-operated–no flames around cats.
All of my cats have been pretty unique in personality so far. We had one case of overlap with our adopted fur babies, but the other two never met their predecessor. My main worry right now is what I will do when (God forbid), we lose Sylvester as well Marmalade. Do we get another 1 or 2 cats even though we are in our 70’s, and if so would older more settled cat(s) be easier for us to handle?, especially since many older cats have a harder time being adopted. I keep having various health issues, mostly just annoying not really serious, but does that make it risky to get new pets? Wish Incould see into a crystal ball!
That’s a good question, Nettie. That’s why I suggest finding a godparent for our kitties. I was godparent for a neighbor-friend once. She and I both had four indoor cats at the time. Johanna took a trip with her fiance and left me to care for her kitty clan–all lovely rescued cats. She didn’t come home. She was only in her late 50s. She had a stroke and didn’t survive. Johanna had even left a small bank account in my name for use with the cats in case they needed medical care of if my last resort was to turn them over to a shelter–this would be used as a donation to the shelter. Another neighbor and I found homes for all four cats–her brother took one, a co-worker at the hospital where she worked wanted one of them to love, and a friend of mine took one. The last one went to her fiance.
I would not deprive myself of a cat to love even at my age (81) and give a needy cat a loving home. Yes, adopting an older cat is a great idea and there are many who need homes. But also find a relative or friend who would take on the responsibility as god parent–not necessarily to take the cat into their home, but to make sure the cat is cared for in some way once you’re incapacitated.
Patricia