Kimiko the Vulcanizer
1 Year a Cat Mum
Kimiko has a lot of nicknames & the most recent one is Vulcanizer. “How so?” you may ask.
Well, it’s because not so long ago it went to hide where the generator is kept and after a couple of hours, it came out with a black face, like a vulcanizer that repairs generators.
People who repair generators are actually called Mechanics….right? But Vulcanizer sounds more befitting & so we’ll twist the meaning for Kimiko
Other names I have for it are Kimiko the Fugitive, Kimiko the Coward, Kimiko the Olodo, & Kimiko the Wakawaka.
The reasons behind each of them are not so hard to decipher.
1 Year a Cat Mum
April 2023 was when Kimiko came into this household. It was as tiny as a button, you could carry it comfortably on one palm.
I was ecstatic! After years of wanting a cat, we finally got one & it was cute!
1 year later… I’m afraid to say, I was sold a lie. Or better yet, I didn’t know the whole truth.
Cats are a piece of work. Especially Kimiko.
I thought it was all roses and sunshine with these guys. Supposed to be cute, ready, and willing to give cuddly hugs, low maintenance, etc.
Kimiko is not low maintenance. Apart from the feeding aspect which is relatively easy, Kimiko gave me hell during potty training.
I didn’t know it took so long for cats to potty train or maybe Kimiko was just a special one because it took its sweet time. It was stressful always trying to clean up after it and I wondered who asked me to get a cat. Thankfully things are better now although sometimes it still acts like Kimiko the Olodo & does nonsense.
You might be wondering why it's also named Kimiko the Fugitive, that’s because it acts like one. Especially when visitors are around.
What I see on the internet is that cats are welcoming to people. Those they know & those they don’t. Kimiko is only welcoming to the immediate family. Whenever anyone from outside comes, it sprints into hiding like it's running from the police.
I find that quite annoying ‘cos it only means I can’t show it off to outsiders. And what purpose are you serving if you can’t show off your beauty to the world? Nothing. That’s why I think it was a fugitive in its previous life.
Kimiko is a Coward because it gets easily scared. Not of people alone but of objects. Big objects the most. You could be on your own, carrying a chair from one end to another and this guy would be looking for where to run for its life like it’s about to be attacked. I really was sold a lie.
Other things I’ve discovered during my 1 year with Kimiko are things I’ve actually learned about online. But they are still quite refreshing to experience.
Like how a cat’s definition of playing is biting and scratching. My parents joke around that I’m going to replace the chairs in the sitting room and it’s because Kimiko has left ‘scratch-prints’ all over them.
And it’s not just chairs, it’s humans. It’s me. Lucky for it, I also find it kind of fun. So we play.
Cats are clingy more than they are independent.
This one is not a discovery but it’s funny. Kimiko’s kind of clingy isn’t the one where you have to carry it about or it holds on to your shirt. It’s the type where it just wants to be in your space.
I call it ‘my kitchen companion’ because it stays put whenever I’m busy there. If I move to another room, it’ll move too. It doesn’t exactly want to touch you but it wants to know that you are there.
The only useful thing that Kimiko does is that it lets you know whenever someone new is close by.
And that’s due to their immaculate sense of hearing.
If Kimiko suddenly jerks up or is looking suspiciously at a particular spot, just know that something is going on there. If I’m not sure when someone is knocking on the gate due to the distance, I simply find Kimiko’s face & it tells me if I’m right or wrong.
I believe with these few points of mine, I’ve managed to convince & not confuse you that you don’t need to get a cat.
If you still decide to get one…well, you have been warned.
Or you know what? maybe you should go ahead.
Maybe Kimiko is the special kind with these bad behaviors & I was just… “lucky” to end up with it.
But then I like this cat (sshhhhh). It’s sweet company more often than not. Cute to know something is waiting for you at home when you get there.
So maybe get a cat? Idk
PS: Kimiko is a “he” by the way. I’m just so used to calling it a “it”
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