In Other News... (Non-Bookish Post)

On Wednesday, my mom stopped by the animal shelter to renew our dog licenses. Our little city recently moved its shelter into a brand-new facility, so naturally my mom had to check it out. She saw a few kitties she liked the look of (calicoes), and a volunteer mentioned the cats were available for an uber-low price, with all the fixings (spay/neuter, microchip, all the necessary vaccinations, tags and collar, plus cardboard cat carrier) due to June being Adopt-a-Cat month (even though it's not yet June). She piqued my interest when she mentioned a Siamese cat being there that didn't like other cats, but was good with dogs. As many of you may know, I have a terrible twosome/dynamic duo of smallish dogs. And as a former shelter volunteer I know cats rarely get along well with dogs, unless they're raised with dogs, and not uppity (no offense meant to felines, but yes, most kitties got some major cattitude going on), and that combo is sometimes really hard to find.

So I found George on Petfinder and salivated over him all night long, pretty much making up my mind that if he was still there/available, we'd take him home. He was there, and we took him home, stopping at a store to pick up cat essentials that we hadn't bought for years (we last had a cat 6+ years ago, so it's been a while).











I had first thought I'd change his name (which he doesn't know is his- he doesn't even respond to anything but 'Here kitty, kitty' much like Curran), because I believe cats should have unique names, and George is just... George. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked it, because...

George... R.R. Martin

George... Lucas

George... Takei

George... Orwell

George... Harrison

George... Custer

George... Clooney

George... Washington... Carver

There are many more famous Georges, but the point is, by George, George isn't a half-bad name. It has a lot of puns and phrases associated with it. Although Torrie has a hard time discerning her name from George's when I call (fruitlessly) "here, George", I don't mind keeping a pet's old name, much like I did with Torrie and Keisha, especially if they've had it for awhile. In George's case, he's been rehomed twice and got into spats with other cats that gave him his distinctive 'battle tear' on his ear. I'm unsure if he kept the name or they gave him a new one, but he's had it tough, much like all the animals I own. So he's George. And unless Torrie or Keisha suddenly goes spastic on him and gives him a new 'battle tear', he's staying with us.

Interspecies Nap Time

I was surprised at how quickly George and the dogs have adapted to each other. The only hold-out so far is Torrie- her genes make her an excellent hunter, and chasing George sounds like fun to her. Luckily, this has only happened twice and she's ridiculously obedient- every time she gets a 'time out', she's much less likely to make the same mistake again.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling post, but pets are the most exciting part of my life (next to books), and George is an exceptional feline for putting up with my two terrors and not hitting the road back to the shelter when Torrie stalks him like a rabid fangirl. He's one cool cat.

Until Sunday,