Wednesday, March 28, 2012


A mere three days after we said goodbye to dear Scarlet, Val received call from Dr. Shaw's office letting us know that a 6-month-old male orange tabby cat had been dropped off on the veteranarian's office steps. Huddled under a plastic tub with holes poked into it for air, was this sweet little thing. Dr. Shaw tested him for leukemia and watched him to see what his personality was like and finding him to be the most affectionate, relaxed little feline that should would take home in a heartbeat if she didn't already have a house full of pets, she thought of Val. She knew it was quite soon after little Scarlet's death, but invited Val to meet him.

So, Val and I met at the vet's office last week and spent a good twenty minutes becoming acquainted with him. Upon us entering the break room where he was being kept, he immediately began to purr. He was very interested in making friends and let Val pick him up right away. His purring was so loud, it made us laugh and before long, we were both falling for him. By the time we left, Val was sure.  And she had already thought of a name.

She questioned whether it was too soon, but we agreed with Dr. Shaw that he is just an incredibly special cat and such a perfect fit for Val.  He is different from Scarlet, which will be an easier transition.  Originally, Val was considering getting another Siamese, but we agreed that it might be hard to see a cat that looks very similar to Scarlet and Val thought it would be hard not to continually compare or miss her.

So, as of last Friday, we have a new housemate:  Jackson the orange tabby cat.

  
I still miss Scarlet and her little Scarlet-isms and the townhouse still feels strange and incomplete without her.  And yet, separately from missing her, I am happy to have this new little one keeping Val company and waiting outside my bedroom door every morning to share with me the morning mews and follow me downstairs to see me off.

canon powershot:  jackson  |  © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved

1 comments:

Bryan said...

I love the picture of him looking up on the stairs. Purr-fect.