I’m finding it difficult to write Beau a Happy Birthday post this year. It’s not because I don’t care about him, or because there’s nothing remarkable about him that I don’t want to share, but it’s the fact that I hardly even realized the year go by.
Me meeting Beau was a big game-changer in my life. I was in a fairly new relationship, I was still living with my parents and I already had another cat.
My mom had been fairly hesitant about me bringing Beau in because she didn’t think we could handle two cats. Unfortunately, the first time around I had every intention to be the primary caregiver of our cat, but that week I had been promoted to full-time at my job. But when Beau came around, things were much different.
In the first few weeks, if not the first month, Beau lived in my room and never left it. I didn’t want him and Walker interacting because I wanted him to feel really safe with me and my room so he always had a place to go. Since Beau was still being a bit crazy, by climbing under my bed through a little gap between the headboard and the mattress.
I used to have one of those beds that had a built-in bookshelf and drawers, so cats weren’t able to run under the bed, but somehow Beau still managed.
Beau quickly bonded with me. He spent a lot of his time playing with feather wands, sometimes playing with automatic toys, but most of his time he was cuddled up in my lap purring out of his nose. That’s something I wish I had recordings of. Beau didn’t purr like he does these days. His nose used to squeak and he sounded like a Pokémon or something.
Beau has always been by my side, other than those few times he was frustrated with me. Like when we moved and he decided that he liked my partner better than me. Well, I guess there are also those times where he chooses that he loves my friends more because they’re giving him so much attention. So the truth really is that Beau has a lot of love to share and he will let you know that he cares for you by cuddling with you.
This year I got to witness Beau become a big brother. While I wasn’t too concerned about how he would treat another cat since he was always the friendlier between him and Walker, I am really grateful to see how well he’s been doing when taking care of Kalista.
This year also brought on a number of goofy moments for Beau, like when he laid down on the bed Kalista was sleeping in without realizing she was inside! Beau also acted like a naughty little boy, especially the few times he stole our grease tray.
Although Beau is still quite a cuddly little guy, it seems like this year he’s become a bit more independent. Well, either more independent or generally more interested in Kalista than us.
While Beau is still sleeping with us fairly regularly at night, I will say that he will follow Kalista’s leads on most nights. He still watches over her to make sure she feels at home, though I can’t say that he’s always the best big brother.
Beau has been more feisty this year, especially with Kalista. He’s been playing with her more, which has sometimes lead to fighting. Nothing too big though, and no cuts, scratches or any other wounds. It’s still something that we are making sure to keep an eye on because we certainly don’t want Beau becoming an aggressive Alpha.
Otherwise, Beau is also spending more time sleeping in his beds or the cat tree. I think it’s pretty darn funny that Beau has been spending so much time sleeping in them though because we spent a good amount of time debating whether or not we should spend the money on beds or cat trees. Every time I debated purchasing a bed or a cat tree for the cats my partner would mention how useless they would be since the cats already happily sleep with us. (Well, I guess that is less true of Kalista in comparison to Beau.)
Either way, I’m glad that Beau has special places to go to whenever he’s not cuddling with us. I’m especially happy about that because of how much I’ve been out of the house these days. Watching how excited Beau gets to see me when I come home, or even how excited he is when I come into the room. Actually, Beau is currently sitting on a stepping stool that’s by my legs.
Although Beau doesn’t come to cuddle with us as often during the day, he does still come to sit on the couch with us while we watch TV. He also commonly chooses to sleep on (or in) one of the beds that’s in the room you’re in. So, even though he’s not cuddling, you know that he wants to be around you.
Energy-wise, Beau has been pretty much the same. I’m glad he’s not slowing down or having complications because of his surgery. We’re definitely grateful each day when we see him trotting inside of the apartment, just because we’re still a bit traumatized. I’m very, very glad my cats did so well with my mom a couple of months ago. It makes me feel like we have less to worry about if we ever need to travel again, or if we need a helping hand.
By far my favourite moments that Beau has with us are the ones where he slowly walks towards us trying to figure out what the best way to get to us is. Sometimes it takes him a bit of time before he jumps up onto the couch, but it doesn’t seem to be an “old cat” thing. He just seems to second guess himself a lot, so I’m going to look into that just to see what that behaviour is about.
Oh, of course, and those moments where he can’t choose who he wants to sleep on so he sleeps between my partner and me, like a bridge. Seriously, Beau could not get any cuter!
I’m excited by the memories we’re going to make this year Beau. Can’t wait to see what he’s like as a grandpa kitty! <3
We love you Beau, happy birthday!