Jito's Arrival

“Diva, no!” The brown paws reached out to the mass of orange fur, as the Chesapeake Bay Retriever whined with excitement. “Diva, careful!” She extended her nose to the ground, her nostrils working out the scent. She continued to whine as she met the newest member of her extended family – cousin Jito.

He arrived the week we were rebuilding the fence. It was quite the ordeal in our household of three sisters. My oldest sister, the homeowner, had a nine-year-old cat who did not like sharing his home with anybody but cat lovers (my other sister was not adored by him and vice versa). My other older sister had an eighteen-month old Chesapeake Bay Retriever – the Diva in question.

My cousin and her husband, home renovators themselves, came into the city that weekend to help, bringing the new addition of a kitten with them. My cousin and I had been messaging each other for the last three weeks about a batch of kittens their farm cat had just delivered. I told her my preference was for a lively kitten. She recommended the orange tabby since it was the only one attacking the mother while the other two tried to nurse. This trait haunts me now that Jito is an adult cat who likes to fight, but it came in handy when he lived with Diva. Their early stages of friendship required Jito to defend himself quite a lot.

I’ve always been an animal lover. Growing up, there was always a cat in the barn and a dog under foot. During university, though, I was unable to afford both an animal and an apartment that would allow pets. So, moving into my sister’s house, I embraced my new-found freedom to have a pet once again. The only hurdle was choosing what to have.

There was a time last winter when I looked at getting a pot-bellied pig. Sadly, there is a by-law in Edmonton against living with feral livestock. Who knew?!? Also, there was the issue of the pig being a prey to the existing predators in the house. According to my research, grown pigs will squeal when chased by a predator, such as a cat or dog. I was pretty sure that if claws would not stop Diva from chasing a cat, scared squeals would only annoy the two-legged creatures of the house.

So, next I thought about a ferret. As long as my other sister was a roommate, though, I was pretty sure her prejudice against their stench would drive a wrench in our relationship that would never be repaired.

After years of dog training in high school, I contemplated a dog right away, but knew that I could not yet afford to have a large pet to support just yet. But, I knew that one day, I would have a dog under foot. That’s the life I look to lead.

My kitten came free from my cousin, which was the best option I could ever hope for. Most cats from farms are free to a good home, and I have nothing against farm cats. Especially when they are free. The current living conditions were also fantastic because I knew that one day I would want a dog as well. So, living with Diva, who only wanted to be the cat’s friend, I hoped my cat would grow up to be a dog’s best friend.

We were never concerned about Diva’s aggression in regards to Jito. The other four-legged creature in the house prior to Jito’s arrival was a white furball of stress: Cosmo. Cosmo's adjustment to living with a dog had involved many bloody puppy noses. And then, of course, there were the occasional pile of surprise that Cosmo left to remind us that he did not appreciate sharing his house with a dog, thank you very much!

Diva’s first home was an even larger zoo than our present one. At two months old, she moved into a household of three cats, three ferrets and another dog. Diva became used to cats that were used to dogs, and being her playmates. I hoped this sense of play would come in handy with the introduction of Jito into the house. As a younger cat, we were hoping he might be able to entertain Diva enough to avoid the cat-dog fights that were currently taking place.

The fence came with perfect timing, especially as we all knew that the 18-month-old Retriever currently living in the house would be too excited to stay in the house when the new kitten was on the loose. For the three to four months, I would let her outside to enjoy the warmer weather of summer before I went to my bedroom to let out the small kitten that needed to adjust to the house under human supervision.

As Jito grew bigger, he resembled less and less of a fluffy ball, and Diva no longer wanted him thrown across the room in a game of fetch. In fact, their early play involved much more of Jito's investigating Diva than the other way around. When he became brave enough (although bravery was rarely a problem in Jito's kittendom), Jito would venture onto the arm of the couch, right above Diva's head in order to smell her. Diva's eyes would cross and her chest would begin to shake in anticipation. She listened to our warnings, though, and wouldn't dare to offend the little orange fluffball. Even as Jito stepped out onto her forehead, Diva stayed calm and let the kitten get to know her.

Sometimes I think this made Diva meeker, but overall I think it helped both of them out. Sadly, my plan of introducing Jito into my life when there was already a dog in an attempt to make him compatible with dogs has failed. The next dog he met made his hair stand on end more than anything had ever done before. He hasn't met more animals since then, so who knows what will happen when I get my next pet! All I know is that it will be a dog.

It's been almost a year and a half since Jito entered my life, and he's still friends with Diva. Many things have changed in our lives since his arrival, but one thing still remains - he still tolerates Diva! Currently, Diva is visitting us in our new home - an apartment in central Edmonton - so I thought it only fitting for the beginning of their friendship to be the first post. After her visit I'll expand on the life Jito and I live without her, but i may continue with their adventure for the next few posts...