Chilli
I kept the name Chilli since it really suited her spicy nature. She seems to be adjusting pretty well! Within the first few hours of arriving to my apartment, she was wandering around and exploring the place. She’s also been really good about not jumping on counters, knocking things over, or damaging anything that’s not a toy or tree. I’m the only person in my apartment so I’m the only parent she has. However, when I’m out of town, her cat-sitters always enjoy visiting and playing with her. I like to call her everyone’s favorite niece!
There are no other pets, but I do have to admit that there’s an occasional insect problem that comes with the weather. Chilli has been earning her rent well by pointing them all out to me and even trying to swat at flies herself. No fleas/ticks/other pests have been a problem, just regular insects we can handle. She does hear and see our neighbors/pets in the hallway and outside the window and she growls a bit, but she seems to have grown out of that habit after 4.5 months.
No one was safe with her growling at first. I live in the corner unit next to a busy street, so she has a lot of stimulation from what goes on outside. I used to see her stare and growl at parked cars, passing cars, men of all ages, women with their hair covered, and even a stroller. My friends and I like to joke that she’s a girls’ girl.
She’s very playful and easy to engage with toys. However, she’s very particular in that she needs an “emotional support obstacle” to hide behind and swat her paws around. It’s like she needs some extra support to swat her toys against? I’m still trying to learn cat behavior. She also rarely chases after toys now unless there’s a strong bounce. I have a pom-pom gun and she only gets really excited when I shoot straight at her paws.
She’s extremely aggressive with her bunny kicks, and it’s adorable with how round she is. Bunny kicks on the scratching post is also her go-to whenever she gets embarrassed about not catching something.
My cat-sitters have reported that whenever I’m gone, she perks up whenever she hears the building door open and waits by the camera in case she hears me speak.
I also like to joke that Chilli loves everyone except for me. She’s extremely friendly with all of our visitors, but whenever it’s just us she loves randomly swatting or nibbling at me.
Almost anything soft and fluffy is like lava to her. She jumps over blankets and will only walk on the futon cover or bed sheets. I got a fake mink futon cover thinking maybe I can condition her to love soft and fluffy things, and it took a lot of coaxing and treats to get her on there. Now she grooms it like it’s her own fur.
She used to run into the floor-to-ceiling window often whenever she saw birds, insects, or squirrels outside. I think she’s learned that it only invites pain!