It was Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, when I met the kitten for the first time. I was in my office in the afternoon, working on a story and not getting much done when I heard one of the ad gals say something like, "so cute!" and possibly, "kitten." I am a reporter, naturally curious, and so I wandered out to the front to see what was happening.

What I found was a small kitten, covered in mud and motor oil, crouched on the counter of the office being petted and purring mightily even as he looked around curiously.

Unable to resist, I petted him as well, getting motor oil on my hands as I did so. The kitten seemed to be pure black, and was clearly well-fed and well-socialized. The ad gal and two customers filled me in on the kitten's story. The male customer had been about to drive out of our parking lot when he was stopped by the female customer who had spotted the kitten in the wheel well of the man's car. The man reached in and grabbed the kitten, saving him from being run over, then brought him into the office.

Now there was an ongoing discussion about what to do with the kitten. We must have stood there for nearly 20 minutes until I finally agreed to take charge of the kitten and get him to a vet for a check up. We put him in a box and I drove him to the vet, leaving him there to be cleaned and checked before taking him home that night.

That night I brought the kitten home, to Eric's surprise, and popped him into a spare bathroom while I went off to do a story. Eric posted a surprised post on my blog about it, and since then I've been keeping the story up on my blog...

• Inkwell's Amazon.com Wishlist
• January 2012 pictures and links
• February 2012 pictures and links
• March 2012 pictures and links

Tuesday, Febrary 28, 2012
• Exhaustion and Kitten Claws

Wednesday, Febrary 29, 2012
• Inkwell Pictures

Saturday, March 03, 2012
• I have an "itten" on my lap

Sunday, March 04, 2012
• Wizard of Ows

Feb. 18, 2012

The small bathroom is a good place for kitten to curl up in a sink.

Feb. 21, 2012

Inkwell enjoys his new turbo scratcher.

Feb. 22, 2012

The kitten must sleep, and the lap is a good place whenever the computer can be banished.

Feb. 23, 2012

The kitten doesn't only steal the laptop, he is also a typical male who steals the remote.

Feb. 26, 2012

Inkwell sleeps in the sunlight.

Feb. 28, 2012

Inkwell's fascination with the camera focuses mostly on the camera strap, which he is determined to kill.

Mar. 1, 2012

Inkwell is laying on my legs, stretched out to attack.
I put my hands under the blanket and started to massage his shoulders, and he fell asleep.

Mar. 3, 2012

This is Inkwell in post-op relaxation. He got hyper again later.

Mar. 4, 2012

Inkwell enjoys the sunlight.

I'm not really sure what he's doing here, except tasting the computer cord while killing the teaser.

Full name (for the moment (cat's names are very long and tend to be learned as you go)):
Inkwell del motor oil von wheel well, dust bunny killer, foot shadower, ankle towell, ninja kitten, dream guardian, and sun catcher.

Things I never thought I'd say:
"I think my chair just sneezed."
"No, Inky, the refrigerator is not a scratching post."
"Are you a cat, or a muppet?"