Cat tale

It took us a while to get on the road to the Denver Dumb Friends League, the local pet shelter organization from which we got Sugar (nearly three years ago!).  Church, then brunch, then some cleaning up after the dinner party last night, then some work on a book report …

Finally, we headed out.

They have the process at DDFL down to a fine science.  Go in.  Dogs on the right, cats (and others) on the left.  Visit a little computerized kiosk, where, based on answers you give about your home situation, they have recommendations on what sort of cat would work best for you.  Go through the “cattery” — clean, well-kept, plenty of human attention to the cats, plenty of chance for the more social cats to interact.  Write down some numbers/names of cats that look likely.  Go back to the front, desk, passing on the short list.  Get called (eventually) to a meeting room where you get to spend some time, one at a time, with the prospects.  Make a decision …

We knew we wanted a female cat, just to cut down on the masculine posturing (and other masculine activities) around the house, especially with Indy now ruling the roost.  There was no choice over whether the cat would be fixed — that’s pretty much a prerequisite of getting pets from DDFL (and rightfully so).  The main question was whether we would find one that was already spayed (which would mean we could take her home today) or that would need spaying still (which would mean taking her home Tuesday, since they don’t do that on Mondays).

It being a bit before 1 p.m., most of the cats were — well, kind of sedentary.  Those that weren’t tended to catch the eye — most of them unfixed males, alas.  We did the rounds of the shelter area several times, coming up with a too-long list of about eight cats we wanted to see more of.

This was going to be Katherine’s choice, primarily (with us along to provide some advice and, if needed, veto power).  Her first pick, a medium-haired black-and-white pixie named Chili, was, while we were still looking around, grabbed for evaluation by another family.  Instead, we took a look at a “large-boned” brown tabby named Honey (ironically, Katherine’s first name for Sugar).

Honey was very affectionate, and weighed a ton.  A good prospect, but there was something just a bit missing about her.  Her size would be good in case Indy caused her problems, but …

Chili was still under consideration, as was another cat from the sick ward that had caught Katherine’s eye.  We hung out for a while.  Eventually Chili was brought in — small, very attractive, much longer-haired than expected.  She didn’t seem all that affectionate, though, much more interested in just plunking down on the floor.

Evaluating cats like this is 80% guesswork, of course.  Time of day, previous viewings, a dozen other factors can play a role in how a cat presents.  But first impressions weigh heavily, and Chili, disappointingly, didn’t pass muster.

While we’d been waiting, we’d gone back and looked at some of the other cats on the list.  When Chili didn’t pan out, we told Katherine she could evaluate one more. She picked Mimi, a small blue-cream tabby.  Indeed, very small — though 2 years old, she was still more of a runt than Indy, but cute as a button and a very attractive short-hair color.  Though the notes for her indicated she was a bit fearful, it wasn’t at all apparent in the eval room as she was vocal, explored the whole room, enjoyed petting and being picked up, but also was on the move pretty constantly.

It was a hard choice, and while we offered Katherine our advice on Honey vs. Mimi, she made the decision.  Mimi seemed to have a more rounded personality, was more attractive, and was easily picked up by Katherine.

Mimi’s biggest short-term drawback was that she was unfixed.  DDFL only spays/neuters upon sale (which makes sense); the ones that come in that are identified as spayed or neutered is based on either history from the folks giving up their pets, or from examination.  Katherine was reluctant to go for Mimi based on that delay, but we convinced her that, really, that was the least important factor in the long run, and she eventually agreed.

So Mimi is still at the shelter, and will get spayed on Tuesday. She’s already had a microchip stuck in her shoulders, and will also be tested for various cat diseases.  Katherine has the craft room all set up as her temporary quarters while she acclimates to us (and Indy) and vice-versa.  And with Jim and Ginger coming to visit later in the week, that will mean lots of human company for her as she settles in.

Neat.

Name is as yet undetermined.  After the frequent name changes with Sugar, we’ve decided to leave the actual naming for a few days after she arrives, once we get a better gauge of her personality.  Given both her size and her demonstration several times of sitting up like a meerkat to peer out at things, I thought “Merely” would be cute, but I suspect we’ll end up with something more prosaic than that.

I pick her up Tuesday night after work.