I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
Sweet Madeline
I’ve been thinking of names for our new cat. I wanted an old-fashioned name such as Millie or Molly. My friend suggested several names, some of which I discarded because they were the names of family or friends, but I really liked her suggestion of Maggie or Nellie. I discarded Nellie because we used to have a cat named Ellie and I thought that was too close. I tried out Millie, Molly, Maggie….Maddie. I finally decided to call her Madeline, which I think is a sweet sounding name. We can shorten it to Maddie if we want, although right now I keep thinking of her as “Sweet Madeline.”
We’ve introduced a number of animals to our home over the years. I’ve learned to let each new animal adjust to its new surroundings and other animals at its own pace. Some cats have boldly explored right from the start. Others have hidden for a while before venturing out. It’s all good, and they all eventually feel at home and accept each other.
Because we were told that Madeline was not cuddly, we expected it to take time for us to win her trust. After we brought her home, I periodically went out to the garage so she could get used to my presence. I would like her to not run from me when she finally is able to go outside. The first few times that I went to the garage yesterday, I couldn’t even find her, but by evening she came out of hiding–although she still kept her distance. This morning she mewed when I called “kitty, kitty” and let me get a few feet from her before she leaped away. I never force it. As soon as she leaped away, I went back into the house and then returned later. It really wasn’t long before she was coming up to me and letting me pet her. Madeline usually jumps under a tall metal stool for lovings. I think she feels safe there. Once we get to petting her, we are able to coax her out into the open. EJ was even able to pick her up tonight.
It’s difficult to take photos/videos of Madeline while I’m giving her lovings, but here is one video I took of her. She is very affectionate:
Annie is hissing a bit at Madeline, but we know that’s all part of the “getting to know you” process. Both cats are shut up in the garage for now. Eventually we will open the pet door so they can go in and out of the garage. The garage is large so they can avoid each other if they want and yet they can gradually get used to each other. By tonight Annie didn’t start hissing until she was quite close to Madeline so we are making progress. Once Madeline and Annie get used to each other, I will introduce Danny to Madeline so he knows she’s part of our family.
It was very hot again today, but it didn’t feel quite as hot as this last weekend. Tonight we are supposed to get storms and then the high temps tomorrow will be only 62, which is a 30 degree drop. It will be a relief! I read that some schools downstate canceled classes today because it was so hot. That’s a first! I’m not sure why they canceled classes when the schools all have air conditioning, but whatever.
I Love To Go A Gardening 
Wonderful and I love that name. I currently have the furnace running. It was 39 degrees F here at the top of South Dakota this morning. Hope this cool air heads your way and something warmer comes to us. Have a great time with your cat.
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You must have sent some of your cooler temperatures to us! The high temp was in the low 60s today. The highs this week will not reach above the 60s and the lows will mostly be in the 40s. It is so much better than the high 80s and 90s!!! We haven’t yet had to turn on our furnace.
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