Kitten!

Two weeks ago, I went to our accountant to ask for money. (Since we don't have local bank accounts, the school holds onto our money for us and we can "withdraw" from our accounts... Some of our money goes directly into our home bank accounts, and some stays here.)

He then asked me, "Do you know anybody who'd like a kitten?"

Well, Sophia and I had to leave two cats in the US when we came here, and ever since then we've been dying for a cat. But I've been trying to be practical--I travel so much, how could I find someone to watch a cat every time we leave the country? Plus, my landlords here are so weird and so nitpicky about little things, I'm not so sure they'd agree to a cat.

But I always knew that if I were given a cat, I wouldn't be able to say no.

The accountant is taking driving lessons, and for weeks now he'd been seeing this kitten at the place where he takes lessons. He said it was obvious that the cat didn't have a home, although he suspected that some kind soul might be feeding it. So the other night, he put the cat in his coat and took it home with him. He and his wife recently bought two guinea pigs, so they can't keep the cat.

I asked him about my landlords, since he's the one in charge of dealing with issues and problems with the landlords; he seemed to think it would be okay. I think he was being overly optimistic; being Russian maybe he doesn't understand that Kazakhs just aren't used to house pets. But I also know that he is very good at dealing with landlords, so I figure he can help sort that issue out.

That very night, he and his wife came over to our place with the kitten. It wasn't too tiny, probably between 3 and 6 months old. And it's definitely a boy. I was quite surprised with how well it reacted to being suddenly placed in a new environment; it wasn't scared and seemed to like people.

I made a make-shift litter box out of an old cardboard box; the accountant's wife had bought us some litter and kitten food. The kitten instantly knew how to use the litter box.

Sophia and I debated over the name; she didn't like any of the cute Russian names I suggested (such as Mitya, Sasha, Vanya). I suggested Balthazar and for some reason that stuck. All of my students burst out laughing when I said our cat's name is Balthazar; no one seems to think it's a pet name.

Balthazar adjusted rather quickly to our house, and slowly has grown more comfortable. He's now trying to climb up and onto more things. I've made him perches by two windows, which he seems to enjoy, even though it's rather cold by the windows. He's a kitten, and he loves to play, and meows until we play with him.

The week after we got him, we went to Artyom to look for cat supplies. In my limited Russian, I managed to ask for cat toys, a cat scratcher, and a litter box. The cat toys are fine, the cat scratcher is small and needs to be hung up (no scratching posts) and the only litter boxes they had are tiny. I found one piece of cat furniture, nothing too fancy, and it cost 25000 Tenge (around $168)! We might just buy something in the US and pay for the extra luggage; that'd be cheaper!

Sophia's Kazakh friend spent the night last night, and it was interesting, because she was rather scared of the cat. We had to keep Balthazar away from her! Over the course of the evening and next morning, Sophia managed to help her to feel a bit calmer around him.

We're glad to have him. Here's hoping we'll find a good summer home for him!