Oops! I'm Doing It Again

February 9th of this year was a sad day. I came home for lunch and found one of my cats dead. I have no idea why Leo died. He just did. I have not gotten used to saying I have 8 cats. In my mind I still had 9. As you can tell, I love cats!

There have been numerous trips to PAWS just to "look". There have been some attractive cats, some I stopped to talk to and to pet. But none of them talked to me, until today.

I am in the process of removing some clutter from my office. Part of that clutter was a box full of printer cartridges. PAWS recycles cartridges. Good reason to pay a visit. Once the cartridges were handed over I decided to take a quick tour of the animal cages, just to say hello, of course. Past the dog cages. There were some cute ones, but easy to resist. On to the cat room. I did not make it to the puppy room.

Past the cages in the cat room. So sad, so many kittens. Tiny faces, barely audible meows and looking so sad. Climbing the cages in an effort to get closer, to get attention and to get a home. Kittens have an easier time finding homes, but some of them may not. Again, so sad. I looked at the adult cats. A beautiful long haired calico, a black and white tuxedo, various shades of tiger striped cats and a very pretty gray were curled up in corners or near the bars. Some moved when I approached their cage, some did not.

Then I heard the unspoken voice, saying "I'm here, look at me". I walked up to the cage and there he was. A large (although a little thin) long haired black cat. Fluffy tail and a shaggy mane; his fur shining like black satin. I look at his card and there is no blue dot. No one has chosen this beauty, until now. My first thought was, "No, I can't, not again!" On second thought, I took the card to the desk and waited in the little room while they went to bring him to me.

We were in the room alone. He curled up comfortably in my lap, butted his head against my hand if I stopped petting him. He let me pull apart the hair on his neck that enabled me to remove a tiny mat. We got on the floor. He played with the LED light from the flashlight on my key chain. He said meow. I said you are mine.

The papers are all filled out. I can pick him up Monday afternoon. I have called the Vet so I can have him tested for feline aids and feline leukemia before I bring him home and introduce him to the sounds and smells of his new home. I have had plenty of practice introducing a new cat to the brood. Smokey, Skyler, Harriet, Trumpkin, Caspian, Libby, Rush and Gustov will have a new housemate if all goes well. The beautiful black cat does not have a name yet, but will likely have one by the time we are home from the Vet. I am thinking he is an "Oliver", but I am not sure yet.

Mikki & Minni will notice that there is a new cat to chase, they will sniff, bark once or twice and then curl up on the couch as usual.

Nine cats and two dogs make a house full of love and fun. I hope the kittens find a loving home. I know one large, long haired black cat has.

Yes, I did it again. Welcome home kitty.