The $2200.00 Cat - Part Two: The Cat

Off they go. They know their way around the SPCA since we've been there before. It's been several months since our elderly kitty, Misty, passed away and the kids really miss having a cat around. So it's no surprise that they're gone before I've written the date at the top of the paper. The questions seemed endless: where did I find the chicken; when did I find the chicken; do I know anything about it's history; did I ask around to see if anyone owns it; is it a rooster or a hen; why don't I keep it; how old do I think it is; what breed of chicken is it; jeepers you'd think I was giving them my first born. Hey, whatever, they are doing me a huge favor taking this chicken and finding it a home. And they thanked me for bringing food.

So paperwork done I go to retrieve the kids. Now I know that for the last month or so they have really wanted to get another cat. I also know that everywhere they go they are looking for just the right kitty. I walk into the cat room and The Vet is sitting on the floor holding a cat and The Genius and Baseball Boy are playing with another one. Uh oh, this isn't good. Two friendly playful cats at once. I know what's coming so I decide to head it off at the pass. I walk over to The Genius and try to pick up the cat they are playing with, she squirms all around and jumps down. Cool, I don't want a cat that doesn't like to be picked up, I don't care how playful it is. Strike that one. I turn my attention to The Vet, now she has a special touch when it comes to animals, cats in particular, they just relax with her so having a cat in her arms doesn't mean much when it comes to anyone else trying to hold it. So I scoop the kitty out of her arms as she informs me that her name is Emma and she is really playful. The pesky kitty is unperturbed and makes herself comfortable in my arms. She is purring before I know it, damn. I put her down and The Vet picks up a cat toy and rolls it across the floor. Emma goes right after it and begins playing. All three kids look at me hopefully and I tell them to stay here, I'm going to go get some information. I'm gone awhile and get all the stats about Emma. She's two years old, lived in a house with kids, litter trained, spayed and gets along with other cats. The only thing that is a negative is they don't know how she is around dogs. So I go back and watch the kids playing with the cats some more. The Vet is really gravitating to Emma and she's the one who really loves having a cat. I should call The Engineer and run this past him but I know in the end he isn't going to want to get it but he won't want to be the bad guy and will give in. The kids have already laid out their reasons for getting another one even though their father and I were really hoping to go kitty free. The Vet can be pretty persuasive and she hit all the right points. She was responsible for cleaning Misty's litter box and making sure she had fresh food and water and she did it, most times without being reminded. She made it clear that any new kitty would be her responsibility and that we wouldn't have to worry about it. She's a pretty responsible kid and when she says she's going to do something she usually follows through. I was ready, I had to admit I missed having a kitty around too. But The Engineer wasn't ready. He had all the usual excuses when we wanted to add a new critter to our crew. What if it didn't get along with the other animals? What if it didn't use the litter box? What about the mess? At this rate we'd never get another cat. So I decided to skip the phone call and just make the decision. Besides it was adopt a cat month and the adoption fee was only $35. I walked into the cat room and announced we were adopting Emma. A cheer went up in the room and I went back out to fill out more paperwork. Fifteen minutes later we walked out the door with Emma. I called The Engineer on the drive home and broke the news. By the time we got home Emma had become Daisy and we had a new cat.

The Vet got to work setting up a litter box, food and water in her room along with some new toys they gave us at the SPCA when we adopted her. The plan was to keep Daisy sequestered until she could be properly introduced to the dogs and the rest of the house. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans......