Kitty shopping part 2: it’s a tortie!

When I left you last week, I was describing our shopping trip to the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society and our search for a new kitty. We met a lot of cats that day who were fairly begging for our attention. I felt a tug from many of them. I had a hard time leaving the big old gray cat that had been there way too long. He didn’t stand a chance competing for attention with all the young, frisky fur balls. I was dazzled by young brothers Mikey and Melvin, two orange tiger-striped kitties who were adorable, but were only available as a package deal. The shelter wanted them to stay together, which is the only way I could imagine them. Of course, I kept wandering back to Fallyn…she was just so needy. Despite whatever my ego was trying to tell me, I noticed that it wasn’t just me, she reached out to everyone who walked by her cage. After much deliberation, and one more trip back to the Get To Know Them Room, we decided on a friendly little cat named Carmel. She was just the right mix of friendliness and playfulness. We paid the fee and signed all the paperwork, including a promise to get her spayed within 30 days. It was a good day. The only way it could have been better is if I would have been allowed to bring home two. Unfortunately, as with many disagreements in our home, I lost that vote 1-1. Our new family member is multi-colored—chocolate, cinnamon and cream, which I’m told makes her a tortoiseshell cat, or a “tortie.” Torties, in many cultures, are considered good luck. She was born in December of 2009, making her a little more than a year old, but small compared to my late buddy Joe. I was on a rollercoaster of emotions as we were heading down the interstate on our way home. At long last we had a pet to fill the void left by Joe and I was thrilled, but I was conflicted with feelings, knowing that we were leaving a lot of small cages filled with adorable friends behind, and there was nothing more I could do about it. I couldn’t get the vision of Fallyn out of my head, trying so hard to reach me from her cage; of Mikey and Melvin and their adorable playfulness; of poor Piper, who didn’t realize how close she was to coming home with us. I can’t imagine, now, making a different choice. I love our new roommate. After a few days of struggling over her new name, and lots of suggestions from family and Facebook friends, we stuck with a baseball name. She is now affectionately known as Torii. She has taken to our family very nicely. That nasty visit to the vet to be spayed is behind her and despite her continued fight against a little gingivitis, she is doing great. She has her own set of quirks. She likes to curl up and sleep in a tiny basket in the kitchen; she is obsessed with drinking out of the bathroom faucet; and she lets us know what is on her mind with a strange, low growl/meow that is about three octaves below what we were accustomed to with our old friend Joe. She loves to greet me when I get home from work, first by shouting her impatient growl/meow that she wants a trip to the bathroom sink…NOW! Then she insists on following me to my computer chair, where she climbs me and starts purring, with her front legs hanging over my shoulder and her back legs stretched to my waist. Joe used to wake me every morning between 4:00 and 6:00 AM. Torii lets me sleep and instead attempts to rouse Kathy. Gotta love this cat. As I said earlier, I left the shelter feeling a bit helpless, as if I was deserting lots of deserving pets who needed a home as bad as Torii, but I was wrong. I can work on YOU people to go for a visit. Start with a visit to http://www.sfhumanesociety.com/custAvailablePets.asp. Click the silhouette of the dog or cat to see what is available. A click on the rabbit silhouette will take you to a variety of other kinds of animals that are up for adoption. Check out the pictures and videos. I’m not sure how you could resist the lure of such friendly looking kitties as George or Scooter or Whitey. Check out the picture and video of the cat named Mouse or Herman or Al. Please…take a look at Piper! She is sooooo cute (and a little bit cross-eyed)! Go now and look………………………………………….um, what are you waiting for? Of course making the decision to adopt is only the beginning. If you aren’t interested in investing the time and affection involved, then don’t bother. I guarantee you if you make the commitment however, your affection will be returned tenfold. They grab you by the heart. Fortunately for me, my life is such that I have a few built in protections, but if circumstances were different, I could easily become one of those cat ladies you see on the news from time to time. Go now and check them out. A dog will absolutely turn its life and loyalty over to you and become your best friend. A cat isn’t quite as needy, but don’t require quite the time commitment. They can love you just as much as a doggie, they just don’t go advertising it all the time! If you can’t commit to adopting, there are other areas where you can help, with a donation of money or food for the animals at the shelter. There are shelters in our area also that could use your donations or adoptions. I’ll continue to check on my friends online. Fallyn was finally adopted a couple of weeks ago and she no longer needs to beg for affection through the front of her cage. Mickey and Melvin are sharing a home somewhere…they also were adopted. I won’t be happy, though, until Piper finds a home. Go now! Ask for her by name! Here is her link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytpnkFim1cY&feature=player_embedded. You will not be sorry.