Today was another day spent mostly in my chair with my purple blanket. I’m still not feeling well and leaving the house to take photos was out of the question. Aristaeus, our new cat, had fun taking advantage of the situation by sleeping in my lap on and off all day. My phone was handy, so I took pictures of him.
We lost our previous cat, Calliope, to kidney failure in September 2023. The plan was to not get another cat, but I wasn’t able to hold out. I have had a cat most of my life and my mental health goes off the rails without one. So Aristaeus happened.
Aristaeus was adopted through Happy Cat Sactuary Society of Alberta. He was originally named Bandit, but it lacked … panache. We like his new name better and I think so does he. We call him “Ari” for short and he answers to it now. He was a surrender because his previous family had to move and they couldn’t find a rental that would accept a pet. He’s a domestic short hair, a neutered male, and approximately two years old. He was doing a rotation through a Petsmart in Calgary when we adopted him and the poor guy was obviously miserable there. He has really come back to life in our home.
AB, 2023-03-15
AB, 2023-03-15
AB, 2023-03-15
AB, 2023-03-15
Aristaeus is one of the most cheerful cats I have ever had. He loves to play. He loves attention. He loves to sleep on me. He will also sleep in pretty much any position.
Strathmore, AB, 2023-12-15
Strathmore, AB, 2023-12-15
Strathmore, AB, 2023-12-15
AB, 2023-12-15
AB, 2023-12-16
It’s also pretty hard to pet Aristaeus the wrong way. He’ll take any affection any way he can get it. And he will let you know if he thinks he’s not getting enough.
AB, 2024-03-30
AB, 2024-03-30
The adoption file vaguely says that Ari had “a hard start in life,” but no additional information was available. He has signs of frostbite on one year and the other has an old injury like he had been fighting with other cats. I think he may have been abused in the past because he is very sensitive to a raised hand as if he has been struck before – something that never happens in our home.
AB, 2024-03-04
AB, 2024-03-04
Aristaeus is not only friendly with people, he enjoys the company of other cats and tries to play with them. My daughter’s cat, Lady (seen below), is older and more sedate. She is mainly interested in sleeping on my daughter and wishes Ari would leave her alone. She calls him names when the kid is visiting and the cats are together. We’re working on this.
The only complaint with Aristaeus so far is that he can be a bit gassy after a helping of wet food, and picking him up for a cuddle can squeeze a fart out of him. It’s a big stink for a small cat.
Overall, Ari has been a wonderful addition to the family, and he’s especially nice to have around on a day when you’re too sick to go out and make some images. As long as you don’t squeeze him, that is.
These area all mobile phone photos taken over the past four months. Okay? Okay.
