PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
Six Years Ago Today
August 22, 2008 on 12:13 pm | In Cat Blogging | Six years ago yesterday, I was driving around in the evening getting acquainted with my new town and surrounding areas. I passed by a beautiful, big animal shelter, promptly turned around, pulled into the parking lot and went into the building. It was 5:53 pm and they closed at 6pm. Could I just run in and see the dogs really fast, I asked?
Well, no. The dogs were all quieted for the evening and having a new visitor would just rile them up. Then how about a quick spin through the cat room? Sure, they said. Go right in.
I had just moved back to Massachusetts and thought I was ready to care for a dog, but had trepidation about how much time, energy and money a dog would require. Cats are different. I had had cats for years and loved them. I knew how to be a good Cat Mom.
I walked through the cat room wondering why I had done such a stupid thing, feeling my heart ache at the sight of so many kitties of all colors, shapes, ages and sizes in cages waiting for a new home. I said hello to all of them, pausing to pet many of them through their cages. They snoozed, or purred or gently bit me.
Midway down one row of cages, a striped tabby rushed the cage and threw herself against it as if to get my attention. She made direct and urgent eye contact and her expression spoke a simple and clear message: GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!
I crouched by her cage.
“What’s going on? You hate it here? You do? Worse than any other cat hates it here? I have to get you out?”
She rubbed her entire body against the cage, making contact with every part of my hand she could manage to touch.
“Sweetie, this place closes in two minutes. I can’t make a decision that fast and they wouldn’t let me anyway. I have to go home and leave you here. But I promise, I promise on my life that I’m going to think about you tonight and that no matter what I decide, I’ll visit you tomorrow. Okay? I’ll come visit tomorrow and we’ll see if we get along and we’ll see if you should come live with me. I’m not sure. Okay?”
She rubbed and rubbed her face, her flank against my hand. I looked her full in the face — her huge green eyes were hypnotic — and said “I promise that I will see you tomorrow.”
That was August 21, 2002. I did go back the next day and of course — what do you think? — I brought her home with me.
I’m glad she chose me.
Happy anniversary, Ermengarde Otis Weinstein.
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What a wonderful tale! It reminds me of my friend, Mary. Mary went to the animal shelter and found a white Persian who seemed amiable enough. While she sitting in the holding area with the Persian on her lap a big grey cat who looked like the kitty version of Winston Churchill came up. He pushed the Persian out of lap and sat down on her lap and looked her straight in the face!
He is quite a character. After bad attempted adoptions by three different families with kids, he was determined to get out of the shelter with an adult –and he definitely chose her!
Good choice, Ermengarde!
Comment by Larry Smith — August 22, 2008 #
Congratulations to you both! We like happy anniversaries here.
Comment by ccr in MA — August 22, 2008 #
It’s so true how cats choose their people… My cat, Cleo, chose me in a room full of cats. I had looked at her first, pet her a little, and then moved on to a cat in a neighboring cage (I was trying to get variety!). Well, she made this little sassy “eep” sound that translated in my head as “well, fine!”
Then she proceded to drop herself on this little hammock the shelter had strung up in her cage. She lay on her side on this hammock and licked her front paw, looking at me. I don’t know, it must have been the sass because I decided right then and there to adopt her.
She’s a chubber, too, and always has been. I used to think that if she was a human, her personality would be like Miss Cleo from those late night psychic ads (though, not a scam artist!)
She’s always the sassy one of my two cats. I was taunting my cats one night with this mini remote control car, chasing them around the house with it. Well, the first time I brought it out, my other cat, Nicki, kept running away from it scared. The first time I started towards Cleo with it, she stood her ground, and then wacked it with her paw, causing the remote control car to turn over on its top.
She don’t take no lip from anything smaller than she is.
Comment by Mars Girl — August 22, 2008 #
its funny how cats tend to choose people. thats how my brother landed with his current cat, and despite the fact that he still thinks he’s a dog person, that cat totally owns him.
Comment by Justine Urbikas — August 22, 2008 #
My cat most assuredly chose me. I was over at my soon-to-be-husbands house one morning when I heard a cat meow. He said “was that a baby?”
::sigh::
I went outside and a white cat was on the porch just talking away. I went to pet him and he one-upped me by jumping in my lap!
Ghost became my wedding present shortly afterwards.
Comment by Elizabeth — August 22, 2008 #
Moon Sammy’s “discovery” story was somewhat like that–I was trying to choose between her (big fluffy orange and white) and a perky brown tabby that had some sort of skin condition. I liked the tabby’s personality better at the time (Sam seemed more interested in the bowl of cat food on the floor) but I’d had a cat with a chronic skin condition before and wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having another one. I’d just about made up my mind to take her anyway, though, though, and I picked up Sam to put her back in her cage.
And she started purring.
I looked at her and said, “Oh. Well.”
(About six months later Digory–perky brown tabby–showed up on my doorstep and refused to leave until she was taken indoors a couple weeks later. I’ve often wondered if there was some odd written-in-the-stars link between her and the tabby at the shelter I didn’t take.)
Comment by martinet — August 22, 2008 #
Happy Anniversary, PB and Ermengarde. That certainly is a beautiful photo of a beautiful cat. Looking forward to more cat blogging in the future!
Comment by Kitten — August 22, 2008 #
Oy, such a perpetually gorgeous cat! Great pictures. I just love her face and her paws and her whole beautiful self. Miss Maya Pavlova chose me too, of course, at the local rescue place across the road. I had come in looking for another cat whose photo I had seen online (the pet dating scene is getting electronic, like everything else) but Maya demanded to be taken home, just about a year ago, and here we are. Happy anniversary to you, snazzy girls!
Comment by Jane R — August 22, 2008 #
Better late than never, I suppose. Ermengarde looks so much like my Ernie that they must be cousins!
I had gone to the animal shelter on a Friday and, unable to choose, brought two cats home for a “weekend trial”, which the shelter permitted. The brown and gold tabby promptly began to show symptoms of Feline Upper Respiratory Infection. By evening the gray/black tabby was showing the same symptoms, much more severely.
I went back to the shelter on Saturday, not real pleased about being given sick cats. When I took the gray tabby out of the carrying box he shook off his sickness-induced stupor, YOWLED and sank his claws into my shoulder. The shelter vet said “He’s really sick. He might not pull through. We should take him back.” But this cat was not going back if he had anything to say about it.
What we did was go our own vet every morning 6 days a week for 3 weeks until he finally licked that illness and turned into a happy cat.
11 years later he is still a happy cat. He loves car rides. He will actually walk on a leash (after 5 years as an indoor-outdoor house cat, he was an apartment cat for 3 years who went for walks in the evening.) Now we live in the country and he has a cat door! It only took one hiss to let the dogs across the street know who’s boss. He’s not a lap cat but he will let you know when it’s time for him to be picked up and cuddled.
It goes without saying that he has his daily routine (meals, snacks, going in and out, etc.) and he has me well-trained in keeping that routine smoothly on course.
Comment by Elizabeth Templeton — August 23, 2008 #
Happy Anniversary!
My kitty Tigger “chose” me over 13 years ago. I had just lost a kitten to feline leukemia, and I was at the shelter ready to adopt two cats. My then-husband had requested that one of them be white or black, so I picked out a sweet 6-month-old black cat, then browsed to see which kitty I wanted. And that’s when I saw Tigger: a skinny, sniffly, but GORGEOUS brown tabby, staring at me and rubbing her whole body against the front of her cage. I took her out and she literally wrapped her paws around my neck for a huge hug. That was it–she was mine. And not a moment too soon, as her sniffles were due to a cold that she hadn’t been able to shake, and she was next in line for euthanasia. (It took 3 weeks at home to nurse her back to health, but it was well worth it!)
She was the best cat ever–smart, funny, and completely loyal to me. I lost her last October after a long battle with chronic kidney failure, but I’m so grateful for the 12.5 wonderful years we had together.
I hope the marvelous Ms. Ermengarde stays happy & healthy with you for a good, long time. Congratulations!
Comment by Tara — August 25, 2008 #