"Adopting an older cat was the best decision we could have made."

Hi HSNY,

We can't believe it has been one week since we adopted Melody, the beautiful 6 year old cat, from you at the Humane Society of New York! We wanted to update you with her progress in our home -- things seem to be going great so far! First, we decided to change her name to Astrid -- it's a common Scandinavian name in J's heritage, and the cat seemed like this regal, elegant lady. 

When we arrived home, Astrid immediately sought refuge in the hidden spots in our apartment -- the back of the closet, under the bed, etc. But she gradually began to explore and she hasn't retreated to these spaces since her first day home. We have a couple beds for her, but of course she prefers one of our moving boxes over everything! (She also likes sleeping on top of boxes, in paper grocery bags, and in/on/near anything cardboard). As Lowell said, Astrid has been a terrific eater since she arrived, and has had no trouble with the litter box. Astrid also loves the cardboard scratcher and the scratching post we got her -- no trouble with her trying to scratch our sofa or clothes.

One of our family members told us that cats fall into two groups: 'tree' dwellers and 'bush' dwellers. Astrid is definitely a bush cat -- she doesn't really care about jumping up to high surfaces; rather, she loves exploring all the corners and low shelves and nooks and crannies in our apartment. She's an incredibly laid back, independent cat. We both work long hours, and she seems to be calm at home and isn't destructive at all. She greets us at the door when we get home (though she may be more curious about exploring the world beyond the front door!). She is still a little wary of too much contact -- she will allow us to pet her for short periods, but she isn't overly affectionate yet. That being said, she seems to like keeping a watchful eye on us. 

For the most part, she spends her time sleeping, exploring the various cardboard boxes we have in our apartment, defending us from the monster in the vacuum cleaner, and cleaning herself. (She's SO meticulous about grooming -- more than any cat we've ever seen!) However, in the early mornings, she goes into 'rocket cat' mode and dashes across the apartment, kicking and chasing her jingle football toy all around. She doesn't seem to like the cat dancer or the other toys we got her as much, so let us know if you have any toy recommendations!

Finally, we are trying to furminate her every day or so (she has a lot of luscious fur!), but she doesn't tolerate for more than a couple minutes, and she won't let us furminate her chest/belly/legs. She's quite gentle and will first walk away from something she doesn't like before hissing or batting with a paw, but we are worried we aren't getting enough time in. Any suggestions?

But overall, she's been a terrific cat and fits so well into our lifestyle. Adopting an older cat was the best decision we could have made -- we definitely recommend it for other individuals or couples! Astrid is so calm, gentle, and laid-back and already has the basics (eating, litter box, scratching post) down. We are a a little nuts about taking pictures of her, so please enjoy our favorites from her first week!

Thank you again for all of your help! We have recommended you to all of our prospective pet owning friends.