Pet’s Place: Eugene Gets Comfortable in His New Home
Window perches and room to run make the family’s move from apartment to house ideal for a young cat
Brenna Malmberg
May 1, 2017
Moving boxes excited Eugene the cat at first, until he realized what was happening. But he quickly learned that this big transition from apartment to house brought him more room to play and nap.
Photos by Aurore Maxon
Pet at a Glance
Pet: Eugene, a Lynx Point Siamese mix
Age: 2
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
People: Aurore and Casey Maxon
Meet Eugene: This kitten joined Aurore and Casey Maxon two years ago. They adopted him from the PetConnect Rescue in Maryland. As he grew, he came to be known as a sweet, charming cat with a mischievous streak.
Pet at a Glance
Pet: Eugene, a Lynx Point Siamese mix
Age: 2
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
People: Aurore and Casey Maxon
Meet Eugene: This kitten joined Aurore and Casey Maxon two years ago. They adopted him from the PetConnect Rescue in Maryland. As he grew, he came to be known as a sweet, charming cat with a mischievous streak.
The big move: About eight months ago, the Maxons moved out of an apartment and into their own home in Pennsylvania. “He was a little lost when we first let him explore the new house,” Aurore says. “He laid in the bathroom sink the whole time we were unloading — I guess it felt safe in there.”
He quickly started to seem at home once the boxes were unpacked and familiar smells returned to his environment. “After a few days, he was pretty much settled and enjoyed having more room to run around,” Aurore says.
New home, new floors: The new home has hardwood floors, which Eugene had to learn to navigate, as they were a change from the carpeted floors in the apartment. “He would slide all over the place,” Aurore says. “It was quite entertaining to watch!”
He quickly started to seem at home once the boxes were unpacked and familiar smells returned to his environment. “After a few days, he was pretty much settled and enjoyed having more room to run around,” Aurore says.
New home, new floors: The new home has hardwood floors, which Eugene had to learn to navigate, as they were a change from the carpeted floors in the apartment. “He would slide all over the place,” Aurore says. “It was quite entertaining to watch!”
Statement cat perch: The Maxons love to ride motorcycles and own four non-running vintage bikes that are “projects.” In the new house, Casey had space for them again and had his dad bring them from Kansas.
They decided to add this vintage Harley-Davidson to the living room, and Eugene seems to approve. Moving it inside also helped declutter the garage a little, Aurore says. “It works pretty well, as it is the first thing people notice when they walk in,” she says. “Also, I have a slight obsession with the color yellow, so it matches everything else quite nicely.”
They decided to add this vintage Harley-Davidson to the living room, and Eugene seems to approve. Moving it inside also helped declutter the garage a little, Aurore says. “It works pretty well, as it is the first thing people notice when they walk in,” she says. “Also, I have a slight obsession with the color yellow, so it matches everything else quite nicely.”
Window wonders: Eugene looks out of every single window in his new home. He climbs up and peers out to see the squirrels and birds hopping around the birdhouses and feeders the Maxons installed on the property.
Pet-friendly plants: The Maxons pay attention to which plants they have in the house and consult the ASPCA website to figure out which are safe for Eugene and which are not. Any unsafe plants stay in the office, which Eugene can enter only if supervised.
10 Nontoxic, Pet-Safe Houseplants
Next home project: Eugene might soon be getting a custom litter box built by his handy owners. It will either be part of a window seat or at the bottom of a bookshelf.
Readers Share Options Galore for Cat Litter Boxes
Pet-friendly plants: The Maxons pay attention to which plants they have in the house and consult the ASPCA website to figure out which are safe for Eugene and which are not. Any unsafe plants stay in the office, which Eugene can enter only if supervised.
10 Nontoxic, Pet-Safe Houseplants
Next home project: Eugene might soon be getting a custom litter box built by his handy owners. It will either be part of a window seat or at the bottom of a bookshelf.
Readers Share Options Galore for Cat Litter Boxes
Play time: Eugene enjoys playing with hair ties especially, whether they’re on the floor or in Aurore’s hair. The only time the hair-tie fun ends is when the ties are all trapped under the couch.
Cat-conscious furnishings: Eugene can sleep just about anywhere. The Maxons lean toward furniture with lighter-colored fabric so his fur doesn’t show as much.
A scratching post keeps him from damaging the furniture.
A scratching post keeps him from damaging the furniture.
On the job: Aurore works from home as a graphic designer and calls Eugene her “little studio assistant.” He sometimes paws his way into a project, whether that’s following the cursor around the screen, knocking pencils off the desk or plopping down in the middle of a photo shoot. He especially likes photo shoots because they many times include edibles. “He ends up in most of my shots, but Relish Decor, the store I mostly shoot for, enjoys having him in their photos,” she says. You can check out her work and Eugene’s modeling here.
He’s a welcome companion in the studio. “When things get a bit overwhelming, I can pause, pet him and listen to him purr,” Aurore says. “It makes things instantly better.”
He’s a welcome companion in the studio. “When things get a bit overwhelming, I can pause, pet him and listen to him purr,” Aurore says. “It makes things instantly better.”
Home, sweet home: “Eugene is definitely part of the family, and we are always excited to come home and have him greet us at the door by meowing loudly and purring,” Aurore says. “He cuddles us every night and we couldn’t imagine life without him.”
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I love your mug!!!
You guys (and Eugene) rock!
If your cat has claws use caution when letting him sit on your motorcycle seat!!!