Last Friday night the house was still, like a tomb. It was the same Saturday morning. Later that morning Michelle and I left the house, mainly to get away from the stunning silence, to get a pair of new work boots for me and a cat toy to place with Odie's remains. We took Kaiser along. We even took him into several Petsmart's. (He did very well, I might add. The only time he growled was when strange dogs approached us. He's still very gunshy of dogs getting too close after his experience in Dahlgren.)
In one Petsmart, I asked Michelle if she wanted to look at cats. I had to talk her into it, but it was my feeling that the house would feel empty until a cat inhabited it again. Petsmart didn't really sell cats, they provided the local SPCA with a place to showcase their animals for adoption. That was fine with me, and I think Michelle. I'd rather have a mature cat than a kitten running roughshod all over the place.
One orange-haired kitty got our immediate attention. He's the only one that noticed us that morning. He looked at Kaiser and was thoroughly unimpressed. A cat that could put Kaiser in his proper context had to be a good thing.
We got an employee to let us in and pet the orange-haired cat, appropriately named "Pumpkin." Michelle took an immediate shine to Pumpkin. Unfortunately, the SPCA volunteer wasn't in the store, so we had to come back later. A second trip was a no-brainer at that point, even though we had to travel to Virginia Beach to do it.
Later that day, we returned to Petsmart. Michelle filled out the adoption paperwork. I'm not sure what is more extensive mortgage paperwork, the SF-86 form for a security clearance, or the SPCA's paperwork to adopt a cat. Filling any of these out feels like a visit to the proctologist. A proctologist with cold hands and long thick fingers.
While we were there filling out the paperwork for Pumpkin, there was a mother and daughter there looking for a cat. I overheard one of the volunteers tell the daughter about a gray tabby named "Kyla." Kyla had been at the Petsmart since April. Pumpkin, by contrast, had been there less than a week. The volunteer got a laser pointer out to entice some of the cats to play for the mother and daughter. I noticed that Kyla was under a shelf, hiding, but she wanted to play. I could see there was more to her personality than she felt comfortable showing there. She was just scared to. Pumpkin did play a little, but he was irritated by some of the more obnoxious kittens.
Well, to make a long story less long, I told Michelle that when she went to pick up Pumpkin on Monday to go ahead and get Kyla too, if Kyla was still available. Luckily she was.
So Pumpkin came home on Monday. The house definitely started to feel right. Pumpkin appreciates the house's low windows and wide window sills. He's an early riser, a day napper, and a night walker. He looks very striking in his green collar. He likes to play on occasion. He has ambushed Kyla, and likes boxes. He is a bit older. He's four years old, and I get the impression he hasn't quite come to terms that this is his new home. Like I said, it was about a week from his old family until he joined ours. He's definitely a cool customer. He takes everything in stride.
Kyla came home on Tuesday, after a paperwork SNAFU that no one at the SPCA is willing to take responsibility for. They say she's three years old, but I find that hard to believe. She's got the attention span and claw control of a cat of a younger age. I would place her age closer to two years old. She is a bit of a spaz. She isn't impressed with the house's windows. She is impressed with our couches. She likes to sit behind you and read over your shoulder. She likes to play, a lot. She looks very lady-like in her pink collar, until she assumes her normal and decidedly unlady-like posture.
The house feels full again.
NOTE: And Kyla is definitely a 'daddy's girl'. She immediately bonded with Jim and I'm second choice in this situation. -Michelle
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