Devotional

Dear Abby

My husband and I had no pets, and then all of a sudden in August of 2004 three homeless cats arrived literally at our doorstep and we were suddenly 'new parents'. Not knowing much about cats I had quite an education in store for me. After some months had past I came to understand that the three cats that adopted us were not going to all of a sudden change into lap cats; something I longed for. After reality struck I began my search for this purrfect lap kitty. I had an ideal in mind, I wanted to have another tuxedo girl to be with my Baby Boo, who is our dainty little tuxedo girl kitty. I wanted this ideal kitty to be small, because Boo was, and to have a majestic tail, because alas Boo did not. Those were my four requirements; a small tuxedo girl kitty with a big fluffy tail. I began working with one of the rescue organizations in my local area. Every weekend I would go to PetsMart and visit all the kitties that they brought out for adoption. Each time I would go away without the 4 little paws that my heart longed to have and to hold. The ladies got to know me pretty well, and during our conversations they came to understand what I was looking for. They also told me to visit their website and see if there was a special cat listed that I wanted that was being fostered. BOOM there she was, her name was Gracie and from the small picture on Petsfinder she looked purrfect. I was so excited! So I emailed the rescue group and they agreed to bring Gracie in to PetsMart that following weekend. So my husband and I drive over to PetsMart to see what I hoped was our new baby. When we got there, Gracie was waiting. I felt so bad because Gracie really wasn't ready to show yet. She was so scared, it was her first time at PetsMart. But Gracie was twice the size of Boo. She just wasn't right. I felt so bad that I had subjected her to being put on display when she really wasn't ready . I felt really dejected too. Because I had been looking for months and months and I really wanted to adopt a homeless kitty and I kept wondering if I was being too focused on those four specific things. The following week, I got an email from Beth, the lady who worked with Lucky Cat Adoptions. She said I think I have found the perfect fit for you. The kitty was only 5 1/2 pounds and a tuxedo girl, but she was 1 month shy of her 6th birthday, did I mind adopting an older cat. Sixth, swixth, I didn't care one whit about her age. I had to wait nearly week until we could go to PetsMart to see her. I saw her almost immediately from across the room; Abby was sitting in her little kitty igloo at full alert. Do you believe in love at first sight, because literally it was for me? I thought I was actually looking at Boo the similiarites were so strong between the two of them. Before they even opened the cage Abby was in I knew she was going home with me. When they took her out and gave her to me she climbed right up to the top of my shoulder and hugged me. She stayed there the entire time we were in Petsmart. At that moment I thought she felt about me that way I felt about her. As we were doing all the paperwork, some of Abby's story emerged. She wasn't really a homeless kitty and never had been. But, her "family" wanted to give her up because she was too "affectionate". Beth also told me that the Father had taken her aside and told her if I didn't want Abby to just drop her off behind PetsMart, because he did not want her and but not to bring her back. When I heard that I knew he would never see my little baby again. There was more to that story, but it made me realize that Abby did not need to be in that home, and that the Father did not like her very much. So we took little Abby home. She made not a peep during the trip home, and because she was coming to a house with 3 cats we knew we had to introduce them slowly. Once we got home and tried to settle Abby in she became angry and enraged. Her true feelings were coming to the surface. She was angry about being rehomed, and who could blame her? I found out that we were her third home in her 5 short years. She hated me, she hated being in a new house, she hated not being with the family she knew in the home where she had lived the last three years of her life. I didn't know anything about Abby at that point, and didn't understand her reaction. But, I tried so hard to be friends and to let her know that I would love her and care for her. I remember sitting there on the bathroom floor near her with the tear flowing; what have I done now? She was not going to have anything to do with me, not that night. I was heartbroken, and began to wonder if I had done the right thing at all. I left Abby in the bathroom that night where she must have been so sad. We had set up a nice new bed, new toys, food and water and a litterbox. She must have wondered where am I, and why am I here, and where is my little girl? Yes, that Father had made his 10 year old daughter give up her only cat. I checked on Abby periodically but she did not want me to come near her. My work really began the next day and it continued for many many many months. Slowly Abby began to trust me. She would let me hold her for longer and longer periods of time as the weeks went by. It took more than 2 weeks to get her to come out of the bathroom and into the adjacent bedroom. It took 8 weeks before we could introduce her to the other cats. She actually hated them worse than she hated me in the beginning. It took another month before she would come out of the bedroom on her own, and it was nearly 6 months before I could comfortably leave them all together unsupervised. It is still a work in progress for her and the other cats and she has been with us for nearly 18 months. Abby is now totally devoted to me. She is extremely loyal and loving. She is that virtual lap cat I so longed for. She is small, and petitie, sassy and high spirited. To top it all off she has NO tail. In my eyes and in my heart she is absolutely purrfect. I would not change one thing that has happened along the way, nor would I change a thing about her. I am grateful that the family before me chose to relinquish her, and that she came to me. I was the right fit for her. I sometimes wonder do cats remember, and behavorialist seem to lean towards cats being only in the now. Well, I for one think she does remember, and I believe if she could chose her home,that she would never leave me. I know she is happy and she is well cared for and totally loved and she gives that back to me 1000 times over.

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Please visit Frend of Skeezix for more Tails of Devotion from other cat lovers.

Also don't forget to make a point to stop over at the Ark to visit with all the other devoted pet owner and their pets.

This weekend it's time for Carnival of the Cats this week being hosted by Mind of Mog.

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