My brother is here. We are working on scheduling things to do other than sit around the house. Monday evening when I picked him up, he told me his wife insisted I needed a cat again because I was all alone in this house. She told him to make sure we went looking for a cat and for him to buy it for me.
Well, that opened up the desire for the companionship. Yesterday, we visited Cat Welfare. What an experience for a person who has lost their furry children. When we walked through the door, we were greeted by fat cats coming to meet us and rub against our legs. Cats of every variety! My heart was instantly lifted and when the lady who was in charge asked what brought us there, I tried to tell her about my cats being gone now, and I started crying. She told me this was a good place to spend time with cats and find comfort. And I did.
There was a room for shy cats, one for kittens, one for visitation, a sun room, outdoor play areas, and two large rooms for playing. Cages lined the walls of the large rooms, too, with various cats inside. Some were under veterinarian care, and some were placed in a cage for time out if they got too rambunctious. I lost track of my brother several times. He was petting all kinds of cats. I found him in the kitten room where the little ones were in cages awaiting neutering and spaying. One of the kittens was so adorable. It was a fluffy little guy, brown with white feet and a white neck and belly. It just kept wanting to be loved and reached through the bars of the cages to touch us if we stopped petting it. I really didn’t want to go through the early kitten claw stages again, so I finally left the room.
I entered the sunroom and found Opal sunning herself at the top of a condo tree. I could tell she’d been recently spayed. Her coloring was unique, and I was instantly drawn by her eyes. They were almond shaped which I thought looked Siamese though they were a light green. Two young women who arrived at the same time as we did stopped to say goodbye to Opal. They thought she was so sweet and her eyes looked like alien eyes. Opal kept purring and loving me and was so gentle, I fell in love with her.
We asked the lady in charge about her. She said Opal was about a year old. Though she didn’t know her backstory, she said Opal was very sweet and loved attention and could get rambunctious. She did have a health issue. She gave a technical name which I can’t remember. The disease is autoimmune and has something to do with the white blood cells. It causes mouth ulcers which would most likely be treated with steroid injections. As I researched the internet, I found several different things that cause mouth ulcers in cats. I did call my vet and was told to contact the lady at Cat Welfare to get the name of the disease. Then my vet could tell me the kind of treatment and costs, etc. that would be needed. So, that’s what I plan to do today.
As much as I’d like to rescue Opal, I cannot get into a financial medical situation with adopting a pet. I’m on the fence as to whether I’ll continue to pursue a new pet if Opal’s condition isn’t minor. I could go back on Thursday as rescue the kitten Bob and I found irresistible. I also have the option of seeing what might be available through another option my BFF told me about. In the meantime, I’ll pray about this, and know God will open the door if it is one that is good for me.
Next time I’ll take pictures!
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 