Cat-Time

Day 1

Meet my new cat, Fairy Floss.

Yesterday when I brought her home, I put her in the cat guest room. Kevin and I both thought she would hide, as we were told she was a shy cat, but she didn’t. We watched her for an hour; exploring every nook and cranny. She did start to get crabby and tried to swipe Kevin. At that point, we decided she was tired, and we left her so she could nap.

Oh, I guess I should go back to the very beginning. I tragically lost Thunder, but I won’t get into that. Let me just say that the cat who was supposed to live weeks after he was diagnosed with a fast moving, stage 4 kidney disease lived for just over 7 months. My heart is completely broken. He was my best buddy for more than 17 years, and I don’t expect to ever have a

relationship with a cat that is as special as the one we had. There is a huge hole in my heart.

I decided that the best way to fill it was to get another cat–one that needed someone to take care of her. Thunder gave so much to me that I wanted to give it back to a needy cat as a tribute to him.

I was watching a cat on the Cleveland Animal Protective League website for a long time. No one was adopting her–in spite of her singular beauty. A couple weeks ago, they featured her on their Facebook website, and I found out why. She was recovering from a bad case of Dermatitis. Fairy Floss had a problem that no one wanted to take on.

Dermatitis isn’t fatal–but a condition to manage–and it can be difficult. She needed me. I needed someone to help with my emptiness. She was also older–6 years old–and they said she was a little shy. No one wanted her.

When I went into the cat room at the APL, they asked if I was interested in a particular cat. When I told the woman I wanted to see Fairy Floss, she seemed very enthusiastic. She brought me to the cage, and the first thing I saw was a warning on it saying she could be sassy. Well, I can deal with a little snarkiness in cats, so that didn’t bother me. I opened the cage and gave her some pets. She seemed receptive until I rubbed under her chin, and she smacked me. I tried again, and she repeated the smack. That is when I noticed her chin was red and probably sore. She was just telling me.

I took the card from her cage and started to leave the room. Another employee saw me and asked if I needed help. I told her I had decided to adopt Fairy Floss, and she seemed very surprised and happy. I then went up front to talk customer service. The gentleman opened her file and read me a long list of items. She was surrendered back on February 2. Her family had a baby, and she didn’t handle it well. Apparently she became depressed and started having litter box problems. She also had ear mites, blood in her urine and was so difficult that they had to put her on medication to calm her down for further diagnostics. They couldn’t find the cause of her bad urine but did give her an antibiotic shot. She also had the dermatitis–itchy skin.

She did find a home, but they returned her when her new owners realized they couldn’t afford to help her with her problems. So after about a month, she was back in the cage–and it sounds like her dermatitis was much worse. They gave her antibiotic shots and put her on steroids. She improved, but no one was adopting her.

When Thunder passed away, I was so distraught–not necessarily the best time to make big decisions. I found myself sitting in the customer service area listening to all of poor Fairy Floss’ problems. She was definitely a project cat–she needed me. Was I making a mistake? Maybe, but she needed me.

I told them I would take her, and that is when I was informed that there would be no fee. She qualified for a special program. Not only that, but they would pay $250.00 towards her vet bill.

They took away my carrier to get her for me, but the man soon came back because he couldn’t figure out how to work it. I went back there to get her. They didn’t take her out of her cage like they did when Kevin got his cat. Instead they told me to. Okay, I am going to reach into a cage and pull out an unknown snarky cat. I took a deep breath and did it. She just melted in my arms. They took my picture with her, and I loaded her into her carrier. I started blathering about how I just lost my cat to kidney disease and he was only supposed to live weeks, but he lived 7 months and I just wanted to help a cat who needed someone. I looked up and there was about 5 people there standing around, watching me without saying a word. Then I said that Fairy Floss meant Cotton Candy, and I hoped that she was sweet and not named that in an ironic way. They still stared. Were they happy she was getting a home or did they think I was nuts for taking this on? I’ll never know. I just walked out saying, “I just got a cat.”

I brought her home and put her in the guest room. I thought she would hide, but she explored and finally decided to take a nap. I let her rest the rest of the day and just peeked in now and then. Later in the evening, I decided to watch a DVD with her. She was sleeping on a chair by the window, and I just let her be. After a long while, she walked up to me, meowed, bowed and laid down next to me. As I petted her, she started to purr. She decided that she is my friend.

The next day, she acted like we’ve known each other forever.

The rest is history. She has turned into a wonderful companion. I couldn’t ask for a sweeter cat–the name Fairy Floss is so appropriate. She is as sweet as cotton candy.

I took her to my vet, and she was so well behaved. I opted to get some blood work done that should show us what she is allergic to, and then we will work up a management plan.

I unexpectedly hit the jackpot with Fairy Floss.