We adopted a new cat, Crackers

Crackers the new cat

This is Crackers. We adopted her from a woman moving to the mainland. Olivia has been nagging for a cat for years, but it really amped up this month after a stray we found and kept for a week whet her cat-appetite. The stray was actually someone’s pet, but had probably run too far from home after some fireworks scared it on New Year’s Eve. We saw flyers up and returned that cat.

Yes, I am a pushover. And yes, I love cats. I love animals. Olivia does too. I like that about her. I just am not quite ready for yet another pet, but *ugh* fine. I gave in.

I heard about this cat from a friend of a friend. I had a very specific list of requirements for any new cat, mostly centered around it being low maintenance. I wanted:

-Indoor/ outdoor
-Not going to kill the guinea pigs
-OK with large dog
-Spayed
-Healthy
-Friendly
-Doesn’t scratch furniture
-Young adult
-Female
-Litter box trained

Olivia’s requirements:
-Draws breath
-Trappable to love and cuddle

I grew up with a lot of cats, dogs, and other small animals, and Olivia has, too. She’s very good with animals.

Olivia and Crackers, the day of adoption

When I finally got connected to Crackers’ owner, Katie, it turns out the cat meets all those requirements and more: she’s somewhat leash trained! Katie has a large dog and two rabbits, and the cat was fine around them. We have a large dog and two guinea pigs.

Here is the weird part, and it concerns the cat’s name. Olivia had wanted to name the previous (short-term) cat Graham Cracker. When we heard about this cat, we were told its name was Crackers. What a weird coincidence! I felt it was meant to be. Of all the cat names in the world, Crackers is not a very common one.

Here’s what is even stranger. The cat’s actual name was Snacks, because Katie thought the calico coloring looks like arare, and the cat loves to eat snacks. But somehow, like in the grade-school game Grapevine, by the time Katie’s cousin’s friend heard about this cat, he was told its name was Crackers. I’m sure it was something like, “Her name is Snacks – you know, like crackers and such?” And thus the miscommunication probably became “Crackers.”


Crackers’ face looks a little crooked in the photos but she looks fine in real life. Either way, we don’t care. She’s nice, and we love her already.

This is Olivia’s cat, and she immediately absconded to her room with Crackers, announcing she would not emerge for the rest of the day. I am happy she’s happy. That’s all that matters to me.

So on this rainy winter day, we welcome Crackers into our little zoo.

Author(s) on this Post

Diane Ako

Peace of mind By Diane Ako I like to reflect on life. Sometimes it’s philosophically. Sometimes it’s humorously. For all its beauty, life is far too difficult a journey to take alone. You need the support and connection with others to help carry you along the way. Writing brings me that connection– within and without. It clarifies my thoughts and feelings. It helps me reach out to others for advice, wisdom, or feedback. Your thoughts become your actions. Your actions become you. A wise yogi- Patanjali- said, “Speak what is true. Speak what is pleasant.” Let’s speak of things pleasant to one another and seek some peace of mind along the way. ABOUT Diane Ako joined Hawaii: In Real Life in October 2016. She likes being part of a community of local bloggers – people who like writing and sharing, like she does. Ako is an anchor/ reporter at Island News (KITV4 – ABC) in Honolulu. She previously anchored and reported at KHON2 (FOX) and KHNL (NBC), and at stations in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She freelance writes for NMG Network's magazines. In between news jobs, in 2017, she launched and ran her own p.r. company, Diane Ako PR. From 2010-2014, she headed the public relations department at Halekulani Corporation, which oversees luxury resort Halekulani and boutique hotel Waikiki Parc. She’s been blogging since 2009 – before Hawaii: IRL, she wrote for The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the state’s largest daily newspaper, where her stories garnered a dozen journalism awards and an Emmy nomination. Ako has a BA in Communications from Menlo College and an MA in Political Science from University of Hawaii at Manoa. She volunteers as a board member of the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation, a Shinto shrine maiden at Daijingyu Temple, a citizen-scientist studying shrimp, and a yoga teacher at a senior center.

Diane Ako has 274 posts and counting. See all posts by Diane Ako

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