Free Cat ... Anyone?

Toddler SkippyJon being reprimanded by Pookie

                                                         SkippyJon

A few weeks ago we brought a new baby into the house, who quickly grew into a VERY busy toddler and progressed with the speed of light into a delinquent adolescent!   The one and only SkippyJon Jones Stuart.  A little background history...my daughter called me and said she had found a kitten at an abandoned house.  No other kittens nor mama cat in site; no neighbors claimed him.   The next day I get a text from her.  "Do you know anyone who might take the kitten?"   No - I did not.  All of my friends are up to thier eyeballs in free cats and I would never ask that they take on another one.  A a couple of days passed and she was not having any luck adopting him out.   The writing on the wall said she would be throwing him into the mix at her house with four adult cats and two adult dogs; all  rescues.  I had not seen the kitten at this point but I thought about it and asked Tony what I should do.   Do whatever you want to he said so against my better judgement I called her and said I would take him on a trial basis.   Yeah - right.  Here she comes bringing in this miniscule (maybe 9 oz.) ball of black and white fur.  He immediately made himself right at home and I was immediately smitten. What to name him???  After observing his personality I knew right away that it had to be SkippyJon.  For those of you who are children's book lovers, like Tara and I are, you know exactly who he's named after.  SkippyJon Jones, the siamese kitten who thinks he's a mexican chihuahua who goes on wild imaginary adventures.  I was afraid my three adult cats would not take to him very well since they are ten and eleven years old.  My fear was that my big black male cat, Thunder would pounce on him and hurt him.  I knew Pookie would avoid him and Mary George would establish her boundaries and then ignore him.  Well...within a couple of days Mr. SkippyJon was running the joint.  Poor Thunder is the one he has chosen to harrass because Thunder amazingly just sits there and whines while SkippyJon is hanging on to his neck and wrestling him.  I have even found myself encouraging Thunder to take up for himself!   How can someone who weighs (still) less than two pounds, have a nearly twenty pound cat acting like a wuss I ask you!  On the flip side, he has me looking like an abused woman.  Every step I make he is leaping out from behind doors or furniture and pouncing on me like a psycho maniac jungle cat.  My legs are scratched from ankles to knee caps.  I resorted to trying to scare him with a fly swatter and two swats resulted in two injuries ( to me - not him).   I am resolved to take it one day at a time and put him in time out in the sun room with his favorite stuffed rabbit when I can't take another minute of his shenanigans during the day.   On the upside, he has chosen Tony as his person.   All sweetness and licky licky, purr purr.  That's graitutude from a free cat for you!