Home sweet home/healthy cat

First, the big news: After trying a bunch of names on our new cat (thanks again for all the suggestions) , we think Oscar fits him best, so Oscar it is. Now that he has totally settled into his new home, he asked me to tell you how delighted he is to have his own bed, no barking dogs, a constant supply of food, an entire house to wander around in, people who fawn over him all day, and semi-tolerant siblings. (Kibby "noticed" him for the first time today, and said, "Hissss....," but so far, no altercations.)

Second, Oscar is now walking around like a regular cat--not like a 22-year-old cat. My hypothesis is that when you live in a cage for three months or more, you forget how to walk. That--in addition to being weirded out by a new house and the hardwood floors--is why I think he was having so much trouble walking when he first got here.

Third, we went to Dr. Dave (our no-nonsense vet) today, and here is what we learned:

1. In fact, Oscar is not blind; his retinas are intact. Somehow Dr. Dave could tell this by peering into Oscar's eyes with a super bright flashlight. However, he did say Oscar's eyes seem to be cloudy, suggesting that his peripheral vision is probably not great, hence his tendency to bump into things if he's moving too fast. Dr. Dave said we'll know when Oscar's sight is gone, because he'll stop jumping up on things like couches and beds.
2. Poor little Oscar only has four teeth left! Luckily, they are the "most important" teeth, and Dr. Dave was unconcerned about it. He (Oscar) seems to have no trouble eating crunchy cat food, but his toothlessness explains why I never hear crunching when he eats. Apparently he is swallowing his food whole.
3. After looking at his coat/skin, Dr. Dave concluded that Oscar doesn't have ringworm, so we don't have to give him those ridiculous pills. Yay! He says we'll definitely know if Oscar gets ringworm, for his hair will fall out and disgusting leisons will appear on his skin. If that happens, he suggested we bring him in for treatment right away. Good to know.
4. Dr. Dave thinks Oscar may have a hyperactive thyroid, which apparently is common in older cats. This may be why he (Oscar) drinks and eats so much. I am still convinced that Oscar has been eating constantly mainly because he has been stressed for the last three months and is starving. He doesn't strike me as hyperactive at all.
5. Oscar is a gregarious cat, according to our no-nonsense vet. This observation made me unreasonably proud, given that I had nothing to do with his upbringing, but still....

And finally, I wanted to mention that whenever Bob sits on the couch to watch pool or basketball--which is, like, several times a day--Oscar jumps up beside him to purr and sleep, just like Sput did. This leads me to believe that Sput is in heaven directing all things cat-related in our house, just to make life better for us. Oscar is a fantastic addition to our family, but Sput will always be the spiritual cat-leader in our house.