Albert was a hard act to follow
A bruiser of some note, he struck fear into the backbone of every vet nurse within a ten mile radius of Trelawnyd .
He hated medical intervention with the single minded passion of a serial killer.
Today , after college , I filled some paperwork at the local animal rescue centre.
I’m looking for a cat, well versed with canine company.
They know I’m fickle but I’m sticking to my guns
I met two this afternoon , One an older Tom with certain health problems which I discounted and a middle aged Queen called Dolly who looked as though she could hold her own alongside a grizzly bear in a bar fight.
Neither felt right, and I have to remember that when I met Albert everything just felt right when I saw him.
I will take my time here
I won’t rush things .
Visiting the animal centre on the way home from college did me some good.
Psychology-wise the day had been challenging as our group started group therapy in our counselling course.
I had a headache when I left university, my fellow counsellors all feeling the same
You're so right - you'll know Albert's replacement when you meet him (or her?). No hurry.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
I should have added that our last cat showed up yowling at our door and when I opened it, she shot indoors. She was a tiny thing but was in labor (I told her that's what was happening!) and she gave us 3 kittens that very day, Whe had to rehome two of the kittens but the mail we named Tom and his mother was Boorts. They are missed.
DeleteHugs!
"He hated medical intervention with a passion of a serial killer." Brilliant, just brilliant!
ReplyDeleteVery sensible. Don't be rushed into a choice. After a lifetime of rescue horses and dogs (seriously allergic to cats, sorry) I know that for a new person to be right it is one of two situations; either the animal chooses you, or it mutual empathy at first sight. What an adventure. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI prefer the animal to choose me. Take your time and the right pussy for you will show up. Gigi
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the stars will align and the angels will sing when you meet the purrfect cat to share your life and home! That's how it was with HRH and me too.
ReplyDeleteLikely you have noticed that I am strongly in favor of you getting another cat,
ReplyDeleteJohn.Your not having one just doesn't feel right to me.I am glad you're searching for whichever one will be right - for both of you . This post has me all smiling with happy sighs,thanks, Mary
Looked to me like Albert needed a manicure, or a pedicure, I'm not sure of the proper term for a cat. Glad you're thinking of another cat but be sure your dogs can tolerate it.
ReplyDeleteA well and true cure for a headache...animals. Have fun in the search.
ReplyDeleteYou will do well in the group therapy course.........and....you will find the perfect cat one day very soon, I am sure. You will know him/her when you meet him/her! I'm still looking for the perfect barn cat to replace (follow) our dear Lily....haven't found him/her yet.....but we cannot rush these things.
ReplyDeleteSusan M/ Calif
With all 9 of my dogs I was unsure whether I would be right for them - We didn't click straight away but the universe had decided - perfectly x
ReplyDeleteNine dogs? My goodness that's a lot, do you have to have several exercise sessions? I couldn't manage nine at once.
DeleteOh yes you are so right. I was looking for a female tabby but the orange male kitten fit just right. Wanted a male black poodle and adopted a white/cream female standard poodle. Have never regretted these decisions. Well, maybe when the cat sings at 2 a.m…………
ReplyDeleteYes... wait till you feel right. All my gud dugs were love at first sight but I made a mistake with Winston. He needs someone who can really let him "Run With Coyotes" not hobble around like me. He needs to be a ranch gud dug.
ReplyDeletecheers
All my cats have either just turned-up, or have been given to me. I've never really had any choice.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny, same here. I never went out to look for a cat, they just appear. The first one was brought here by a friend who thought I needed one, I was on a downer. He stayed 20 years.
DeleteCro - I dont have a blogger account but read about your Billy -My lily was very ill through poisoning -resulting in severe panreatitis - she was very ill for weeks x
DeleteSame here. My three cats have all chosen me! - turning up to live here, giving me no choice but to cave in. They simply KNEW (correctly) that I was such a big old softie that I'd never turn them away. Heigh-ho!
DeleteThe right cats out there just looking for you.
ReplyDeleteVery sensible to make sure you get the right cat ..... he/she will need to fit in with the dogs although you never know until they are at home with you. Like Cro, all of the cats we have had were given to us/ homeless ....... they were all lovely and very affectionate so I thought all cats would be like that but, our daughters cat never sat on anyones lap. Our sons British Blue , who we look after sometimes, is so lovely. You just never know with animals do you ? XXXX
ReplyDeleteTake Dorothy with you - she will either have a breakdown at the sight or decide immediately where to put the chosen one in the pecking order (no need to ask who is 'top dog'! x
ReplyDeleteYou are wise to take it slow and be deliberate. My problem is I'd want to adopt them all and I'd feel horribly guilty to pass any of them up! Not a good mindset with which to approach animal adoption.
ReplyDeleteWhat a photo!!...That look saying Mine!! And the claws hanging in there.
ReplyDeleteYou will be chosen by the right one, whom I'm sure will be a worthy successor to Albert
One of our (sadly gone now) rescue cats was a real scaredy cat, it took him 3 days to venture out of the room we put him and his igloo in! He'd have hated being in a house with young, noisy children running around. You'll know the right one when you meet him/her. The counselling course sounds challenging, but I think you've made the right choice. You'll make a great counsellor. xx
ReplyDelete"Kittens and Group Therapy": My immediate and persistent image is people in a circle mobbed by kittens on laps, around ankles etc. Surely someone is doing this?
ReplyDeleteSon adopted a chronically ill older cat because he had a nice purr. Sadly that cat died after a year, but his last year was as a cherished companion. Current cat was abandoned as an older kitten when horrible people moved out and left her in a closet. One can only imagine their karma. She has taken months not to hide but now sits cautiously on selected laps so the outlook is good.
Ceci
That sounds like my kind of group therapy! xx
DeleteAlways good to take time choosing a pet - I wish I were as sensible
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
In the 'olden days' cats just showed up literally on our doorsteps. First an all black kitten in a thunderstorm - we named him Kit Kat - next a Maine Coon kitten we named Tiny who became huge over the years. We chose to keep her from a litter actually born on a Sunday morning outside the front door, she stayed with us 21 years........I miss them both.
ReplyDeleteYour new kitty will find you I'm sure John.
Your dogs are accustomed to cats, so a 'new' cat won''t be a problem for them. Cats rule, anyway, so he/she will soon have them licked into shape.
ReplyDeleteDon't rush, you will be chosen by the right cat when the time comes. And like just like with Albert, the cat will determine his (or her) place in the furry gang in its' own time.
ReplyDeleteSuper pleased you are searching for another feline friend. Somewhere a puss is waiting for you.
ReplyDeleteAlbert looks pretty scary in that photo.
ReplyDeleteCats are like wands, they choose you.
ReplyDeleteAlbert was always going to be a very hard act to follow.
ReplyDeleteI could never go to a cattery for the purpose of looking for a cat to give a home to. It would be a case of my taking the very first one offered, finding it impossible to leave a homeless one behind when it might have been given a chance - and a home with a kind, caring 'master' too!.,
Hello,hope John does not mind my replying to your comment Ray, but we always take the wonky one that others overlook. My daughter has asked for the one that has been there the longest! Everyone of them needs a home though! Tess
DeleteThat's so kind of your daughter, Tess. My daughter and son in law took in the cat who all other cats hated- and she hated all of them. She had been at the shelter for 4 1/2 years! JanF
DeleteGod no tess answer away xx
DeleteYes, I'd actually been torn several ways - to take the first cat offered - on the assumption that I'd been deliberately and at my request, NOT shown any other cat - to take the one that had been homeless the longest - to take the least popular one - or to take an all-black one, as I'd assume that they'd be harder to home for not having 'pretty' colours or other attractive furry features. Oh, what an agonising quandary I'd be in!
DeleteOhh this feels my heart with joy. Another little one to be re-homed, into a loving happy family home. Thank you for caring John. Some of us have to! Tess x
ReplyDeleteI once went to a farm to collect a kitten that was 'free to good home', his mother having been run over by a tractor. The farmer's wife said "I don't know if you will want this remaining one because he's black." My husband snorted and said "She'll want him!" I adored him from that first minute, and he was with me for 18+ years, through thick and thin (and divorce!!). It was years before I could face having another.
ReplyDeleteOur local cat rescue say the black ones are the ones that get overlooked, I've never understood why. All of my cats (all rescues) have been black, some with existing health problems but they've all been lovely. Sadly the ones that have health issues get overlooked too.
DeleteWhen we collected Malcom, One of our Springers, He widdled all over my jumper. I feel that he claimed me hehe x
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're taking your time and waiting for the "just right" feeling when it comes to a new cat in your life/home. Stay safe & well, John dear.
ReplyDeleteI feel certain that if you simply step out the door and shout into the night -- "Opening here for cat who can cope with me and the dogs!" -- The Cat Distribution System will deliver an ideal candidate. Keep an open mind, they do know what they're doing!
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to go for the feline equivalent of a psychopath! Hopefully there is a normal cat, with character, and you two (and the dogs) will get on like a house on fire. I have to say, I thought long and hard before getting two kittens last year (half Siamese sisters) but they are the best thing I've ever done, and bring such joy. They are such characters. The three older cats tolerate them well, even in their bouncing off the ceiling mad spells!
ReplyDeleteDuring the covid debacle we lost our fifteen year old cat. She had diabetes and other ills. We are both in our 70.s and I said "No More cats now" Minnie was our twelfth cat. We could not abide the silence. So we contacted the local cat protection and owing to Covid we had to choose a photo of a cat. We did, and Bobbi has been with us nearly four years. She is nervous, hates all our large family and still acts as though we are the devil incarnate. Except sometimes, just sometimes she purrs, lets us rub her head and generally behave like a cat that has a loving home. The rest of the time she is a bitch, we, of course, adore her. Good luck, John.
ReplyDeleteLike many of your commenters, I believe that the right cat will pick you at the right time. Best to be patient on these things. Do not rush the process.
ReplyDeleteI envy you the challenge of your course. I am sure that it seems overwhelming at times, but I am quite confident that you will come out on top.
Albert looks such a wild spirit in that photo! It seems a good idea to take time in meeting your new family member.
ReplyDeleteWishing you luck. My recent cats have all been rescues, all with distinct characters and much-loved. The right cat will appear, maybe sooner than you think.
ReplyDeleteHappy kitty hunting!
ReplyDeleteAlbert was such a stunning cat
ReplyDelete