Noki Journey - Part Three

While at my parents, I did get a job. My sibling went off to college and my parents and I were gone from the house for a good chunk of the day. Since Noki had lived with another cat, I didn’t want him to be lonely. November came around and I decided it was time for a new sibling to come into the picture. Plus, this would be a new experience for my parents—my mom was excited.

Initially we wanted to get a grey male cat from the shelter, but he was already taken for. Fortunately, a new litter of kittens was brought in and most of them were called for, except one. Introducing Lika (Finnish for dirt)—formerly Buttercup, a small brown tabby. When she first came home, Noki was not pleased. He hissed, but that was normal. She was a new creature in his territory, so he was initially hostile. Soon after, I would see him following her around wherever she went. We had this tall green basket that was empty in the hallway. Randomly, I saw both of them in there just hanging out; a cute bonding moment. He was acting like a big brother, further implementing our sameness; as I as well, am a big brother who looked after his younger sibling. They would sleep together on the family rocking chair, which I would be taking with me in the future, as the cats have claimed it as their own. He would clean her non-stop. Noki is big on cleaning himself, and with this new sibling, there was another cat he could clean.

As time passed, I decided it was time to move out. I found a new job around where I initially lived before moving back home. Another long drive—but with two cats this time. Like before, Noki wanted to stay on my lap. Sadly, Lika could only sit on the middle console, as Noki would not let her get near him; probably due to being stressed out by the car ride. Thankfully, he was back to normal once we moved in, back to sleeping together and being good siblings. Both of them enjoyed sleeping between my legs when I went to bed. Lika would get there sooner, so Noki just had to one up her. He ended up snuggling under my armpit, a new spot that would continue going forward.

While we enjoyed our time together as a family of three, I was feeling lonely in other regards. I met my current partner, we got together, and when my lease was up—we took a big chance. We found a new placed and moved in together. Now, we didn’t simply grow from three to four—but instead, we grew from three to six. Noki was about to experience having step-siblings.

To be continued…