Toad

I never thought I would own a cat. I never thought I was a cat person. Looks like I was wrong on both accounts.

Seth and I discussed the possibility of getting an outdoor cat, but we wanted to wait until the weather was warm enough that it could get adjusted to living at our house before the snow hit. A family in our ward discovered that their cat was pregnant, and so we arranged to pick out one of their kittens. The cats were born in May, and on Saturday, July 8, we were told that we could come pick out our kitten.

There were two to choose from: a boy and a girl. We decided on the boy and named him Toad. At first he lived in our shop full-time, then we would periodically let him outside for longer and longer bits of time so that he could get used to our yard. Then we bought and installed a pet door in the shop, and now he comes and goes as he pleases.

We weren't sure how Peach would feel about having a cat in our yard, so we slowly introduced them to each other. We would put Peach in her kennel in the shop and let Toad walk around and inspect the dog. For the first few attempts, Toad would hiss at Peach every time he got close to her. Finally we felt safe enough to open the kennel door and let them come face-to-face. Toad was still apprehensive at first, but Peach never showed any signs of aggression besides wanting to chase the cat if he started running. But now they are perfectly fine with each other, and we even see them snuggling with each other. In fact, Seth has been putting Peach in the shop to sleep so the two animals have each other for company.

 

Seth snuggling Toad at Freeman Park. We picked up the cat right before I was supposed to meet with some childhood friends for a get together, so we brought the cat along with us. He was a little stressed out, so we ended up taking him home and letting him hang out in the shop by himself.

Toad snuggling in Winnie's lap in the shop while Winnie reads her book.

Toad playing with Andrea's glasses/hair. The collar was short-lived because we found out that they can be dangerous for outdoor cats if they get caught on something.

Peach gnawing on a bone in her kennel while Toad decides whether she is friend or foe.

Our two pets basking on the back porch.