Introducing Buddy, Our New Kitten

Posted January 4, 2024


He was given to us by a friend of a friend on April 28, just seven weeks old (born March 10). Wendi named him Rainbow at first, because our last cat, Olivia, had died at home last year in May. But I (Charlie) couldn’t seem to connect the name with this rambunctious kitten, so I kept calling him “Buddy.” Finally he stopped responding to the name Rainbow, so we changed it to Buddy on October 6.

From about 2-1/2 months until 6-1/2 months old, Buddy was a terrible biter. We couldn’t get him to stop biting, especially Wendi, who had wounds all over her arms and legs. Often, I wanted to get rid of him, but he settled down over the next few months. He spent much of October just getting into things, especially at night!

I took Buddy to the vet on November 7 and learned that he had seasonal allergies. A course of prednisone helped him recover, and soon he was okay. Surprisingly, he took the pills in “pill pockets” with no problem; our other cats didn’t.

We had him neutered on November 20, but less than a week after surgery, you couldn’t keep him down! He would run and jump all over the place and knock things over. By Christmas, Buddy actually became quite mellow; he now plays hard but rests and sleeps a lot, and he doesn’t bite as often. He likes to cuddle and purr but also meows loudly when he wants attention.

We had to “Buddy-proof” some things so he couldn’t get in and make trouble. I had to wedge a large empty box between the ceiling and the top shelf of a metal shelving unit in the master bedroom on December 3, to keep Buddy from going up there. On December 5, Buddy somehow figured out how to open a door under the sink and get into the garbage, so I installed a magnet on that door two days later.

I had a large cardboard barrier at the foot of the stairs to keep Buddy from going upstairs; no one has been using that room except when someone stays overnight. It was Christmas Eve when Buddy figured out how to move the cardboard just enough to get past it… then he kept doing it, even with large boxes in the way! Finally, on December 26, I removed the barrier entirely, allowing Buddy to go up or down at will. He got into a few things, but I secured those in sealed boxes, and he was okay.