![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Babe's ashes came back to us Friday. I bawled my heart out, but - at least she's home and settled next to Basta. I'm not sure if I'll do that with all the cats, or not. We'll have to figure that out. But for these two ... it just felt right.
In any case, before that I'd gone to the Cat Adoption Team. Yes, it's early to find a new cat. At the same time, I've known this was coming a long time, and I've wanted a lovey cat to cuddle and that's not Apple. She's a darling, but she's a flirt. So I figured I'd go over to the shelter and see if I could cope with the cats, needed more time, etc. I wasn't going to commit to anyone unless the cat demanded it and stole my heart, though.
The volunteer who led me through the free roam rooms introduced me to several cats, most of whom utterly failed to make their best impression. Apparently, it was nap time. Gidget, a little tabby (with tortie hints) in one room, was sweet - but she wasn't at all lap-inclined. The long-haired cat with the Siamese markings, Rosie, liked me but she was not lap-inclined, was elderly, and had (as shelter staff put it) bipolar disorder - a tendency to go from calm and happy to 'swipe' in 2 seconds flat (with people and cats). And another cat whose name I've forgotten, a pale tortie (grey/tan tortie) liked me lots, but didn't like other cats at all. Pity, but...no. (That one was in Gidget's room, and got quite annoyed when I said hi to Gidget.) Then we met Sweet Cat, a four-year-old long-hair greyish tabby, who co-opted my lap and snuggled in. She won me over, and I put a hold on her, and took Scott in to meet her today. (With plans to rename her, as that name was just to cutesy for me.)
And we didn't come home with her, because today she was out of sorts, swatting at me, swatting at the other cats.... There'd been a sneezy cat in there yesterday and she had a slight cough and a bit of eye discharge, but if she gets like that whenever she's at all run down, that's bad. (The sneezy cat from yesterday has been removed to a cage area so as to avoid further exposure; I suspect Sweet Cat has that in her future, we told the shelter staff. Poor thing.) I felt bad leaving her there, but no.
Meanwhile, Ray, who had been a big blob of indifferent napping cat yesterday, came over and snuggled into our laps and cuddled with us and wanted to be petted. We debated a bit, but since I've seen him two days and the worst he was was sleepy, we decided to take him home instead. He's only eight months old, and reportedly has very playful moments - Apple will hopefully approve of that. A boy/girl pair is supposed to be easier to integrate anyway. He's another medium-hair, a brown/black tabby, and the family that brought him in to CAT (after finding him stray) reported that he did well in households with kids, as well as other cats, so that's a bonus. And wonder of wonders, his response to a car ride is to ride quietly and calmly, either napping or just peering around. Relatively few cats tolerate a ride that well, so that's kinda nice.
There will be pictures of him later, but for now he is settled in the upstairs hall bath for his week of isolation (and yes, we're going to be watching for any signs of an upper respiratory, given the givens), plus however long the introduction period takes after that. He is about the size Apple was when we brought her home (but she was a year and a few months old), but his paws and tail are larger, so I think we're in for a big kitty when he finishes growing.
If Sweet Cat hadn't gone all un-sweet today, I'm not sure we wouldn't've left with two cats. We don't really need a three-cat household, but Ray was being an utter darling and it would've been hard to leave him (even knowing he'd probably find another home easily - an eight-month kitty with a sweet disposition and pretty, if normal, markings? yeah...). It was hard to leave Sweet Cat, and she clawed me at one point and took swipes at several cats who merely walked nearby. :P
In any case, before that I'd gone to the Cat Adoption Team. Yes, it's early to find a new cat. At the same time, I've known this was coming a long time, and I've wanted a lovey cat to cuddle and that's not Apple. She's a darling, but she's a flirt. So I figured I'd go over to the shelter and see if I could cope with the cats, needed more time, etc. I wasn't going to commit to anyone unless the cat demanded it and stole my heart, though.
The volunteer who led me through the free roam rooms introduced me to several cats, most of whom utterly failed to make their best impression. Apparently, it was nap time. Gidget, a little tabby (with tortie hints) in one room, was sweet - but she wasn't at all lap-inclined. The long-haired cat with the Siamese markings, Rosie, liked me but she was not lap-inclined, was elderly, and had (as shelter staff put it) bipolar disorder - a tendency to go from calm and happy to 'swipe' in 2 seconds flat (with people and cats). And another cat whose name I've forgotten, a pale tortie (grey/tan tortie) liked me lots, but didn't like other cats at all. Pity, but...no. (That one was in Gidget's room, and got quite annoyed when I said hi to Gidget.) Then we met Sweet Cat, a four-year-old long-hair greyish tabby, who co-opted my lap and snuggled in. She won me over, and I put a hold on her, and took Scott in to meet her today. (With plans to rename her, as that name was just to cutesy for me.)
And we didn't come home with her, because today she was out of sorts, swatting at me, swatting at the other cats.... There'd been a sneezy cat in there yesterday and she had a slight cough and a bit of eye discharge, but if she gets like that whenever she's at all run down, that's bad. (The sneezy cat from yesterday has been removed to a cage area so as to avoid further exposure; I suspect Sweet Cat has that in her future, we told the shelter staff. Poor thing.) I felt bad leaving her there, but no.
Meanwhile, Ray, who had been a big blob of indifferent napping cat yesterday, came over and snuggled into our laps and cuddled with us and wanted to be petted. We debated a bit, but since I've seen him two days and the worst he was was sleepy, we decided to take him home instead. He's only eight months old, and reportedly has very playful moments - Apple will hopefully approve of that. A boy/girl pair is supposed to be easier to integrate anyway. He's another medium-hair, a brown/black tabby, and the family that brought him in to CAT (after finding him stray) reported that he did well in households with kids, as well as other cats, so that's a bonus. And wonder of wonders, his response to a car ride is to ride quietly and calmly, either napping or just peering around. Relatively few cats tolerate a ride that well, so that's kinda nice.
There will be pictures of him later, but for now he is settled in the upstairs hall bath for his week of isolation (and yes, we're going to be watching for any signs of an upper respiratory, given the givens), plus however long the introduction period takes after that. He is about the size Apple was when we brought her home (but she was a year and a few months old), but his paws and tail are larger, so I think we're in for a big kitty when he finishes growing.
If Sweet Cat hadn't gone all un-sweet today, I'm not sure we wouldn't've left with two cats. We don't really need a three-cat household, but Ray was being an utter darling and it would've been hard to leave him (even knowing he'd probably find another home easily - an eight-month kitty with a sweet disposition and pretty, if normal, markings? yeah...). It was hard to leave Sweet Cat, and she clawed me at one point and took swipes at several cats who merely walked nearby. :P
no subject
no subject
I love reading about your selection process. And it sounds and looks to me like you and Ray both made the best choice! (Plus I love that name for a cat!)
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Oh no, never too early to save a life!!! Everyone is different, but I think the animals who leave us send others to take their place. I don't know why I think that, but I do.
You guys rock!!! So does Ray!!!
no subject
I'd trade Ray in a heartbeat if I could have Babe back. But I can't, and he's a wonderful kitty, snuggly but not snuggly the same way she was. (I wouldn't've minded that either, but this is easier. He purrs a lot louder and more often; he moves around more; he is less likely to bury his head against my arm; he almost never evokes echoes of her, even as he gives me kitty snuggles.)
And he loves, loves, LOVES having his chin scritched.