Introducing . . .

a new cat!

I haven't been blogging much during the last few days because I've been preoccupied with an addition to our family. A new cat!

Our cat Jasper passed away unexpectedly March. It was a very hard thing for me to deal with. In fact, I'm still dealing with his loss everyday. My best friend that was with me everyday was suddenly gone and I didn't know why. I didn't post much about it here because I didn't want to be a Debbie Downer. Three weeks after Jasper passed away, my childhood dog Rascal had to be put to sleep. A few weeks after that, we discovered a growth in Kitty's ear. And then a few weeks after that, RDog's childhood cat, Sneakers, passed away. It was a sad few months for these two pet lovers. At one point I vowed that there would be no more animals. I just fall in love with them and then they leave me. But my heart is getting used to the loss. I'm still sad everyday but I am getting used to the sadness. Kitty's growth appears to be benign as it has not increased since we first spotted it. Gradually, the desire to open our home and hearts to more animals has returned.

Last week, RDog suddenly turned to me and said, "If I saw a stray cat on the side of the road, would you be mad if I brought it home?" I said of course not. I have a big soft spot for cats in need. Little did I know that days later a cat in need would enter into our life.

Last Thursday, a teacher friend posted on her Facebook page about an abandoned cat crying in the rain on her doorstep. As she lives with a room mate, she was not able to take the cat in. Apparently, her neighbor had a new girlfriend who moved in with her three cats. She left last week but didn't take the cats with her. He was taking care of two indoor cats but the third was left outside to fend on its own. Even when the owner was there, she wasn't taking care of the outdoor cat.

I went over Friday morning to meet the cat. She is a beautiful, friendly thing. While there, the neighbor came over. The cat growled at him. Not a good sign. I told him that I was thinking about taking the cat as no one was taking care of her. He just shrugged and said, "I don't care, it's not my cat. I've got two more inside. Want them?" That sealed the deal. This cat was coming home with me.

It was a rough weekend. At times I wonder if I was crazy to be doing this. The new cat and Kitty had to be separated until a vet visit could be scheduled in case the new cat had something that Kitty could catch. I was mostly worried about feline leukemia. I called just about every vet in the city looking for an appointment, but they were all booked up, some for weeks! I was finally able to get her this morning in to see a vet. It was in the nick of time because I soon discovered that the new cat has what appears to be a urinary tract infection. She was using the litter box a lot but not much else was coming out. Then she started doing her business in weird places outside the box. Then I noticed that there was blood in her urine. Very scary stuff, especially as Jasper suffered from similar symptoms for months.

But there is good news. The new cat tested negative for feline leukemia. The vet also found a scar on her belly which means she was spayed. She is still at the vet so they can get a urine sample. But I am confident that we can deal with UTI after dealing with a much worse case in Jasper. Urinary problems are more severe in males. In fact with Jasper, as a last resort we had to have basically a sex change done to him.

Tonight, she and Kitty should be able to meet for the first time. They are itching to see each other after smelling and talking through the door for several days. Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight. I was so worried about her after finding blood in her urine late last night, that I was up all night checking on her. We did have a bonding session early this morning. I collapsed on the couch, feeling so tired and worn out from worry. She crawled on me and snuggled in. Our cats have never been snugglers so this was a treat. She got lots of chin scratches. In fact, when I would stop petting her she would gently place her paw on my face as to say, "please don't stop." She's an affectionate little thing.

Now that we are sure that she is staying, we have to decide on a name. In her former neglected life she was known as Pantera. She needs a girlier name. I am leaning towards Lucy. RDog likes Coco. It's not after Chanel, it's from Conan O'Brien. Does anyone have any girly name suggestions?