My cat Jimini was old when we moved to Kentucky. He settled in well there, but as time went by, he deteriorated more and more. We eventually had him put to sleep at the local vets office. It was NOT a pleasant experience. We took him home and buried him in the back yard. We were broken hearted.
I was traveling back and forth from Lexington to Pittsburgh regularly. Keith was home alone and although he had a couple friends there, he was missing my company and probably Jimini’s as well. We wanted to get another cat so bad. We were poor. We just couldn’t afford it.
One day, because we had NO money for entertainment but needed to get out of the house, we visited the humane society in Lexington. I pointed out this adorable reserved gray kitty that I thought was pretty. Keith was drawn to the obnoxious orange tabby that was screaming for attention. We learned that adoption fees were $99 and that included spay/neuter and a vet check. Disappointed that we had not $99 to spare, we went home. We talked about the crazy orange kitty and decided to try to save some money to get him. We named him Demetrius.
Shortly thereafter, I was sharing the story with my Mom. She was so touched that she transferred money to our bank account just so we could get this new pet. Thanks Mom!!! Keith absolutely could NOT wait. He wanted to go back to the shelter NOW!!! I was busy working, so I sent him on his own. “What are you going to do if Demetrius is no longer there?” I asked. “Come home without him and we’ll go back together to look for another some other day.” He replied. So off he went. About an hour later I got a call. “Demetrius is gone.” He said. “Oh, sorry Honey.” I sympathetically replied. “But there’s this other one…” (silence) “I knew it!” I said. “Get whichever one you want.” He was so excited!
A while later he appeared with a box. When he opened it up, a shy gray kitty was hiding in it. She was clingy and hid in the first secluded spot she could find. We named her Crystal. The funny thing is that she was the one I had wanted him to consider in the first place, except he didn’t know that. He said when he took her out of her cage at the shelter, she clung to him. He needed that. She needed someone like Keith.
She soon became well acclimated with our home. She woke us up in the morning. She bit the tops of my toes on the way from our bedroom to the kitchen because she was so anxious to be fed. She scaled the back of our couch like a gecko. She chased ping-pong balls like crazy. If we threw one in the bathtub, she’d run after it and emerge with it in her mouth. How she got her jaw open that wide I have no idea, but it didn’t stay put long before it would come shooting out and she’d chase it some more. She’d sit at the window and chirp at the squirrels and birds. She was cute and cuddly. We love her.
To this day, she is Keith’s cat. Yes, she loves me, but she L-O-V-E-S Keith. I feed her. I treat her. I even sometimes give her little bits of ham. (shhhh) But still… Keith is her favorite.
No comments:
Post a Comment