I said I was getting out of the cat business when my former cats both died in the same year. Cats scratch up the furniture. They shed on everything. They cost a fortune in food and vet bills. Then, they die and break your heart. I did not quit liking cats, I just quit owning cats.

Nevertheless, “Once a cat person, always a cat person,” I suppose, as I’ve just adopted another one. A stray mouse realized we no longer had cats. It decided this was the opportunity it had been waiting for. Everyone told me, “Get a cat, get a cat.” I had tried everything else, up to and including an exterminator. The cat was my last resort.

“Where can we get a cat?” asked Honey.

“Are you kidding me? Everyone is trying to re-home cats on the Internet. Unwanted cats are as frequent as cat memes on Facebook”

Normally, cats choose you. One showed up on our patio, climbed up on the barbecue grill and wouldn’t leave. Our neighbor’s son found one at the airport. My daughter rescued one after almost running over it. These are just a few examples. NOT getting a cat is the hard part.

Having never adopted from a shelter, I had no idea it was so complicated. You would think I was adopting a baby, not a homeless, unwanted, shelter cat. I expected to walk in, say “I will take that one,” and they would wrap it up. Of course, things are never that easy.

I had a friend with kittens that she wanted to re-home. One was really cute, solid white with blue eyes. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Unfortunately, her son had bonded with it and she no longer wanted to give it away. Strike one.

After scouring all the rescue pets on Adopt a Pet, I found another white one at Metro Animal Control. It had green eyes, but I was willing to compromise. Before I got there to claim it, it was adopted by someone else. Strike two. Well, at least it has a home.

I found a white cat with blue eyes at another shelter. But it was a “special needs” cat because it was deaf. Did you know that 85% of white cats with blue eyes can’t hear? It has something to do with the genetic code. It needed a home with no other cats as it was fearful and nervous. I figured no other cats also meant no dogs. Strike three

While looking for a white cat, I noticed a ton of black cats were available, some quite striking. I have heard that black cats are hard to place as people in the U.S. associate them with bad luck. Oddly enough, in Ireland and some other countries they are considered good luck. Ancient Egyptians famously worshiped cats, even the black ones.

So, I picked out one and hoped it would not be adopted before I got there. It was a large, fluffy male cat, a gorgeous cat. I sent an inquiry and they sent me an application two pages long in fine print. “Have you ever owned a cat? Do you have any pets now?, Who will take care of the cat if you go on vacation? What if you can no longer take care of the cat? Yadda, Yadda, Yadda.

I filled it all out as “incomplete applications will not be considered.” A different shelter wanted a video of your home. I decided that was too much just to adopt a cat. It seems like an invasion of privacy as well as a security concern. Who else would see this video of your entire home?

Well, anyhow we got the fluffy black cat I wanted. We are trying to follow Jackson Galaxy protocol and separate it from the dog. On day one it was happy to stay in its room. On the second day we let it see the dog. Simba has never seen a cat, and the cat has never been around a dog. Eventually, they will adjust. I only hope it does not turn info a whirlwind of fur and claws.

Now it needs a name. I scoured the Internet again for lists of cat names. Some names are too common (Fluffy), some too cute (Eightball), and some linked to evil (Salem). Out of hundreds so far I’ve selected a few possibilities: Midnight, Shadow, Karma, TickTock, Stormy, and Twizzler.

As far as the mouse, I hope it is cursing and packing its suitcase.

Copyright 2025 Sheila Moss