Simon Says...

     You never know when something great may happen. It was just an ordinary day a few weeks ago. It had been enjoyable enough, as far as ordinary days go. Nothing too bad had happened at work. I had received some encouraging news about a new writing project. I was anticipating some ice cream after dinner.
     My husband happened to mention a call he had received from our veterinarian. They had received a call from a dear older lady that resides at a local retirement community complex. She has two cats that she loves dearly and had lately been visited every morning, while out on her little patio, by a sleek stray cat. She was hoping the vet might recommend someone that would be interested in welcoming another cat to their home.
     Our vet thought of us right away, remembering our recent loss of Taz back in May. Jim called the dear older woman and made arrangements to drive over to her apartment to meet this new cat. He found the cat to be a fine fellow and wanted to bring me over to visit the very next day.
     Unfortunately, due to miscommunications, our dear older lady thought that since Jim didn't immediately take him home, we were not interested in the sleek cat. She called animal control and they came and picked him up. When we showed up the next day, she was distraught. We reassured her and said we would call as soon as we got home and figure out how to welcome the cat to our family circle.
     The cat had been taken to the local humane society, so now we needed to fill out a rather extensive application for "adoption." I was actually a wee bit nervous. Things have changed over the years-for the better. They had questions such as-if there are issues with your other pets-how will you integrate your new pet to your home and family? If there are behavior issues, how will you work to resolve them in a caring way?
     We were alerted a few days later to let us know that our adoption of Simon had been approved. I was happy they had named him, as I have always felt that naming another being is not one of my strong suits and this took off a lot of pressure. The name fits our new elegant kitty. He has a regal air about him as he sits on the new stand my husband bought him, so he can look out the windows in the guest room, where he is quarantined until his cough clears up and he is off all medications. The medicines are just a precaution. He stayed at the human society for six days-in case his original family was able to claim him back.
     By this weekend we should be able to introduce Simon to our other cats and let him have the run of the house. It should be interesting to hear what Simon says about his new home!