The cat

On Saturday we finally managed to pull together and go to the MSPCA to adopt a cat. We were undecided on the key question of whether to get a new kitten, a teenager cat, or a mature one. The basic rationale was that the kitten is the most desirable of cat and that is a pro and a con. In adopting a cat we wanted to get a cat that would benefit from adoption so kittens are likely to get adopted because they are cute and cuddly.

So we arrived at noon on Saturday to a surprising new MSPCA adoption center at the Angel Memorial Animal Hospital. The sign on the door as we walked in informed us that they look for donations and in particular this week they were looking for bleach. The waiting area you first reach when you arrive gives you the impression that you should wait to be escorted into the cat observation area. But things are very busy and actually nobody comes to greet you until after waiting for about 10 minutes you realize that you should just walk into the area with all of the cats, go through the door leading to the dogs, or take a look at some critters like bunny rabbits, mice, or ferrets.

The cat area was chock full of cats. We went first through the hall of tall cages where mainly adult cats were living on their own. I figured these ones were less tolerant of other cats because on either side of the hall the adoption center had large monkey house style rooms facing out the window. The monkey houses were filled with ten cats each all living in a communal lifestyle complete with high walks, windows, and cubbies to nestle into. But just before we entered the first big room we were stunned by the kittens. Two pens on the side had kittens in them. One had a single kitten and it’s mother, both white with calico markings on the top. The kitten was feeding from the mother’s chest. The sign on the pen suggested that they were a packaged deal and that these cats were already pending adoption.

Next to this pen another pen held four or five kittens. Sarah and I held a couple of them and were very interested in these tiny fun creatures. Madeline, who was sitting with us in her stroller, also wanted to say hello to the cats. To avoid the charms of the littlest ones we moved into one of the big open rooms filled with cats. I found one cat that reminded me of Thumper. She was a black cat, somewhat fat but mainly muscular, that looked like she could chase mice. I told Sarah that I was impressed with this cat and we interacted with it for a while. When we asked more information about this cat, nee Fluffy, we were informed that she was a de-clawed cat. Now I don’t think it is right to de-claw a cat but I also don’t think a de-clawed cat would be effective at scaring mice. The woman giving us cat backgrounds also introduced us to a Mane Coon cat that was very interesting looking and seemed quite friendly. Again she let us know that this was a de-clawed cat. The woman asked what I felt was wrong with a de-clawed cat as Sarah looked on at me and I was forced to admit that one of my reasons for wanting a cat was to catch and kill our local mouse population. The adoption center volunteer changed from looking at me as a good potential paternal figure for her beloved cats to how someone might look at a slave owner that beat his slaves mercilessly. She then explained that cats can’t kill mice unless their mother teaches them how and that they kill mice with their teeth and not their claws.

Regardless of her attempt to enlighten me, Sarah and I moved on to searching for a cat in an unassisted fashion to avoid the judging eyes of this adoption volunteer.

We did see a cat that looked thin, young, and strong in a three story cage. She looked much like Cloey, Jeremy’s cat, with a brown speckled body but with a very bushy Coon style tail. I chatted with a helper about this cat and found that she was found abandoned in an apartment when someone had left her there alone after moving out. She was given the name Pigeon at the shelter but was still very thin. The woman helping us this time was very excited to see me, Sarah, and Madeline. She could see that we would be a good home for this cat and told us that she really wanted Pigeon to go home with us.

The adoption process included an hour and a half wait to get to the front of the line to go through the process with the forms. The forms included questions like whether we had pets before and if we no longer had them what had occurred. I put down a brief sentence about Bijoux but the adoption person never asked a question about it. Soon we were home with a cat.

Later in the afternoon Nick and Christina came over and they helped us to cut Pigeon’s nails. I was hoping for a better name and someone called her Annabelle which is now her official Housman family name.

Annabelle is a bit crazy so far. She rolls around in her litter and runs at top speed throughout the apartment. Madeline likes to chase her or at least to chase the beeping electronic mouse at the end of the plastic fishing rod and string that I bought at Stop and Shop. Unfortunately it hasn’t been easy to catch sleep since we brought Annabelle home. Madeline has been very fussy at night and is apparently refusing to sleep in her crib. Our solution for now is to get her to sleep on the floor of her room on the carpet. This plan worked two nights in a row. The first night I got a nice sore back from sleeping with her. The second one I decided to leave her and to sleep in the bed. She slept fine but was about twenty feet from where I laid her down. She is a sleep crawler. So tonight we are trying to put her on the floor within a makeshift pillow barrier system. It was working for most of “The World’s Fastest Indian” but she woke up and Sarah had to go back to try to nurse her and calm her down. Hopefully things will improve on the sleeping front soon. I feel like the mouse front is under control of commander Annabelle.