Day Twenty-Six

What a busy busy day! I woke up earlier than I intended -- really wanted to sleep in a little today, but was wide awake at 8:00. I know, this seems late for some, but it was only about an hour and a half later than normal ... and I had stayed up past midnight on Friday, despite my attempts to fall asleep sooner.

My plan for the day was to drop off some donations (canned food that may go bad before I get another cat) at the SPCA, see about volunteering for them, then get my car detailed -- there's just something satisfying about having all of the nooks and crannies in the car cleaned out and the glisten of Armor All on the dash -- and then meet up with a friend for wine tasting and then dinner at her place.

My day ended up with me getting my hair cut and then spending several hours browsing the cats at the SPCA. They are having a "special" right now that if you buy $30 worth of stuff (collars, carrier, dish, anything pet-related), they'll give you a cat or dog that is 7 years old or older for free (i.e. waive the $80 adoption fee.) It's being sponsored by 7-Up. So, I asked the volunteer to show me all of the cats that were 7 years or older. None of them really struck my fancy. I played with a few but just didn't feel any chemistry. The volunteer took me to see this one cat "Big Kev" -- who was named this due to a rather large set of ... um... cat testicles. As we passed this row of cages, a paw swiped out and snagged my shirt. I disengaged myself and continued to "Big Kev". He was a nice cat, but he kept sneezing and snorting and the volunteer told me he was prone to upper respiratory infections and I just knew I couldn't go through that with another cat. I congratulated him on his large package and headed back into the main room. Again, this paw reached out and snagged my shirt. This time, I stopped at the cage to see who was so frisky. It was a small shiny black cat with huge amber eyes named "Abra" (as in "abra cadabra"). She looked up at me and started rubbing her head against the cage door. I rubbed her head and scratched her ears. I noticed that she is only 1 year old, which meant no discount. Still, she interested me. So, I took her into a room and we played for about 30 minutes. She was very affectionate and playful. The volunteer told me this was unusual because she normally stays in the back corner of her cage and doesn't seek out attention. So, I placed a 48-hour hold on her. We had chemistry and I felt drawn to her -- just as she felt drawn to me. I just can't tell in my heart of hearts if I'm ready yet. I keep asking myself how I'll feel if the hold expires and someone else adopts her and I tell myself one moment that it means it wasn't meant to be... and then the next, I tell myself that I'd kick myself for not getting her for myself.

I think I may go back tomorrow to see if the chemistry is still there. I don't want to be disrespectful to Molly. I miss her every day. All of my friends keep telling me that 6 months is the average time to grieve the loss of a pet. Why can't I grieve the loss of one pet and still love a new one?

Anyhoo -- after the visit to the SPCA, a friend picked me up and we went to wine tasting. Then, we went back to her place and she cooked dinner -- Maine lobster and corn on the cob. We drank adult beverages and sat outside. She invited along some other friends of hers and it was a fun evening. We laughed a lot, which I needed. I slipped a couple of times and called her dog "Molly".

Now, I'm home and quite tired. How does one know when they are "ready" for something like bringing in a new pet? I don't want to get a cat just to have a cat, but I'm also not liking this not having someone to care for and love either.