Our Little Family Has Moved to a New Apartment

Hi everybody! It’s me again! Max Allen! I hope that you read the first chapter of “My Story.” It’s on the NNAH website, in Cat Chat, like this chapter. Like the first one, we’re telling our Human what to write, in our purrs and words.

First, Bruno and I decided to call our Human by a different name, or even names. I called her Human Mommy in Chapter 1, but Bruno – my cat brother – and I decided that we like Mommy-Human, better, or even “Mommy.” Because she is….she’s our safety, our playmate, and our best friend. She ‘dopted us and we trust her.

Recently, she told us that we were going to move. Bruno and I were confused, but Cody, the old girl, has moved before with Mommy-Human, so she understood. I wish that Cody had given us some cat advice up-front. Bruno and I didn’t know what to expect. The only move that I remember was when Mommy ‘dopted me from NNAH, where I had lived for a year. That was in 2012 and I saw the “apartment” where she lived. It was a pretty big apartment, so the three of us had LOTS of toys. My favorite is still the crinkle tunnel – it’s so much fun to run into and then turn over. It makes funny sounds. Cody likes it, too, and she’s old!

Bruno and Cody and I knew that something was going on when Mommy started to fill boxes with her stuff and took things away to be “donated.” What’s donated? I think that we’ll never see the big china cabinet again. Some people came and carried it away. It took a rolling thing that they put it on to move it. It scared me, so I hid under the bed with Bruno and Cody.

Finally, it seemed like we were almost ready to move, but Mommy told us that we would be safer and more calm if we were “boarded” at NNAH. We wouldn’t have to be there when “movers” (what are they?) came early the next day to take everything out of our home and then move it to the new home. But, NNAH? I’m always so scared to go there, because I was an orphan there for a year. I remembered the cats meowing and the doggies barking. It’s even hard to go for what Mommy and the Doctors call a checkup!

But, Mommy put each of us in our own carrier and took us to NNAH. Amy and Trish were there, and Dr. Boin. I hated being put in a cage in the back. Trish gave me two blankets and I hid under them right away. Bruno was in the cage next to me, and Cody next to him. It was so scary. There was a cat below Cody’s cage and she meowed.

There was a cage with two doggies – a tall one and its small friend – and they barked. I cried a lot and stayed hidden. Bruno meowed and Cody, ‘cuz she’s old, went to sleep and took a nap. I was really afraid that Mommy wouldn’t come back and that I was going to be an orphan again and have to live in a cage. That was in the morning. I cried to myself, but I couldn’t go to sleep.

Later that afternoon, Mommy came to see us! Bruno and Cody got pats. I had moved from under the blankets and was trying to hide behind the small litter pan. Mommy reached into the cage to pat me, but I went back under the blankets. She promised to come get us the next day. I tried to understand how long we would be there. Cody told me to not worry, because it was only a day. Mommy promised that she’d be back the next day and we would go to our new home.

So, we stayed in the cages for a whole day. I didn’t eat anything, because I was so scared. I stayed hidden under the blankets. Every time that Trish came around, Bruno got pats, and from Dr. Henderson, too. And then….I heard Mommy-Human’s voice! She really came for us! I was hungry, because I didn’t eat anything for more than a whole day! I was so glad to see her! I was even glad when they put me in my carrier, and Bruno and Cody in theirs. It meant that WE WERE GOING HOME!

Well, the new “apartment,” or whatever they call it, is a LOT smaller than what we had before. I don’t like that part. Cats like to run around when they play. Now, there’s not as much room to run and hide! Meow! Bad! Mommy let us out of our carriers and put out our three food dishes and water dish. I didn’t eat much that first night and I hid under the bed. Cody slept on the Mommy’s bed and Bruno was in a kitty-bed.

We’re really high up here and we learned that this is what they call a high-rise. I don’t like it, because before we could lie on the window sills and watch people and cars (and birds and squirrels) outside. Now, everything is far away, because we live on the 19th floor. I’ll never like it! We can see city lights and there are lots of noisy sounds. Mommy says that they are sirens from ambulances and police cars, but they scare me. And, there are things called motorcycles that make a LOT of noise. They scare me, too.

Mommy brought all of our toys to this new place. My crinkly tunnel, and squeaky mice and a little cow thing that moos…that makes us feel better. For the first week, I slept under the bed because I was scared of everything! Bruno and Cody went onto the bed, so I figured that maybe I should, too. It was like before, snuggling beside Mommy and going to sleep. She doesn’t like this building or apartment, and I’m afraid that someday, we’ll have to move again. I know that we’ll be “boarded” at NNAH, but I know that Mommy will come get us after a new move.

I have to get brave, like Bruno. He wasn’t as scared as I was, and he got pats, too. And, guess what!! I’m five years old now. My birthday was in September and I got a whole can of sardines for a treat. Those are little fish, but they’re good! Bruno will be five in December. Cody? She’s old and she’ll be seventeen and a half this month. That’ pretty old, so I hope that I do that, too.

Bye! I have to go eat some kibbles that I just heard being put in our bowls. Being ‘dopted is just the best! Go ‘dopt a kitty or a dog, young or old. Make your new fur-baby happy.