Adopting
Your New Parents
 
Hi!  My name is Hi-Ho Silver, and I chose my new parents in 1992 when they came to visit my temporary foster home!  I heard them telling my foster mom they wanted a companion for my big sister, Ashes.  They had seen another kitty in the paper and wanted to see her, but I made it very clear to them that I was the kitty to share their home!  I have never been happier and I believe every cat should be this happy, so I thought I'd share my tips on how to find and adopt your new parents!
Rule No. 1:  Take Advantage of Your Opportunities
Once you have decided that the person or people who are visiting your temporary home are just right for you (using your built-in, keen kitty senses of course!), the first thing you must do is gain their attention and head off at the pass any attempts your person or people may make to meet or fall in love with any other kitty in your temporary home.  To do this, wind your body in and around your new parents' legs so that they must pay attention to you and cannot leave your side.  I call this the "Introduction."  It also helps if you attempt to be just as lovable and cuddly as possible during the Introduction.  Purring loudly helps immensely.
Rule No. 2:  Your New Mom's Babying Instincts
A good way to tell if your new mommy will suit is to test her "child" rearing instincts.  Go ahead and be cuddly and cute.  And if you like to be picked up, held like a big baby and hugged to no end, then go for it!  You will find mommy likes that just as much as you do. Purring loudly in her ear as I hug her with both paws on either side of her neck melts my mom's heart like nothing else!  My mom and I often bond in this manner.  During the Introduction phase, I also successfully tried this technique with my new dad.  After I had thus introduced myself and made mom and dad aware of my potential, I was a shoo-in to go home with them that day!
Rule No. 3:  Live Happily Ever After
I now happily share my parents with 3 sibling cats, including my big sister, Ashes, and my younger brothers, Spencer and Sassy.  We get along splendidly, as long as everyone else remembers that I am top cat in the house and act accordingly.
Little Known Facts About Me
While of unknown biological parentage, I have overheard my doctor tell my parents that I have a recessive gene that accounts for the "tipping" in my otherwise tabby-looking, luxuriously long fur.  The ends of my hair are usually darker-tipped than the rest of me, and my belly is all white!  Dad thinks I have some Maine Coon in me, but mom says I am too small-boned to be a true Maine Coon, a very large-boned cat.
I eat like a real pig (I admit it is difficult to keep from dropping food on the floor occasionally because I don't have an opposing thumb . . . sorry, mom), but I never gain any weight due to my high level of activity.  My older sister is getting up there in age, so she definitely can't keep up with me.  My younger brothers do to an extent, but they like to lay around on the furniture more than I do.
Read My Big Sister's Story . . .