Cats!

Every time my boyfriend and I go to Target, we also go to PetSmart because it's right next door and I like cats. On the weekends, PetSmart hosts adoption fairs. They bring the dogs and puppies outside and have cats in just-big-enough cages on the left side of the store. We had visited PetSmart last week but, because it wasn't an adoption day, did not get to pet the cats. Instead, we watched them from behind plexiglass, trying our best to interact with them even though we could not hear or touch them. There were a few cats I remember, including a calico named Candy and a fluffy gray cat named Ghost.

Candy and Ghost were both at PetSmart today, still waiting to be adopted. Candy was still behind the plexiglass, but Ghost was out in a row of four or five cages. No one seemed to be paying much attention to Ghost so I went over and opened up the cage so I could reach in and pet him. He was one of the silkiest and nicely-groomed cats I've ever pet. Ghost took to me immediately, sniffing at my hand and rubbing his face all over it when he was satisfied with the smell.

This is Tigger.

I have two cats at home, in New Hampshire: Tigger and Sergeant Pepper.  I got (and named) Tigger when I was six. (We got Pepper at the same time, but he's not "technically" my cat.) As Tigger has aged, he has become more social with others and less social with me. This may be because I leave for lengths of time for school and he doesn't trust me when I return. When my boyfriend and I visited home a few weeks ago,
Tigger was fairly aloof to me but was all over my boyfriend. Of course, once my boyfriend left a bag of open prosciutto on the dining table, Tigger hopped up the minute we were gone and ate about a third of it. Now, Tigger's a big eater (despite his small frame), but I've never seen him eat anything as excitedly as he ate that prosciutto.  We joke that, next time I go home, I should stuff my pockets with prosciutto so Tigger will come to me more easily.

Anyway, Ghost was very friendly and I fell in love with him immediately.  For a while now, my boyfriend and I have discussed getting a cat.  There are, however, a few problems with that.  Neither of us really make enough money to guarantee that we can take care of a cat consistently well and once I go back to school, he'll be the only one taking care of the cat for a year.  While there isn't a whole lot involved with caring for a cat, I sometimes have to nag my boyfriend to even feed himself -- this makes me concerned for any animals that might join our little "family."  (The names we've picked out for cats, if they haven't yet been named, are Oopsilon and Mr. Giggles.)

I tore myself away from Ghost to pet a calico named Katrina who clearly did not want the company.  After one last look at Ghost and a puppy-eyed look at my boyfriend, we left the store.  I spent the entire shopping trip in Target moping and talking about how wonderful Ghost (or, Ghostie, as I was now calling him), was.  He was soft and sweet and I'll never have another connection with a cat like that again!

My boyfriend could see how badly I wanted this cat. Slowly, his resolve began wearing away and we began to consider the logistics of everything. However, the hope which had started to flicker in me was soon smothered. After the adoption fee (which would be anywhere from $60 - 150) and the initial deposit for owning a pet in the apartments we live in ($200) and the litter box ($10), we'd already be spending a huge chunk of money.  And this is not including food dishes, toys, and a collar (which I typically wouldn't get for a cat given my past experience with my cats and collars, but given the urban-ish environment, would feel safer with).  Oh, and cat litter and food, both of which would be recurring costs.

I consoled myself by deciding that Tigger, my cat back home (who is approaching fifteen years old!), would be jealous if I got another cat. (Trust me, I know Tigger. He totally would.)  So until we're both actually working and we've moved to perhaps a more convenient space (because I'm not sure there's a good place for a litter box in this apartment and it's not necessarily big enough for a cat, either), we probably shouldn't get a cat. As much as I would love one. And boy would I.

I hope Ghost goes to a good family who deserves him and has as much of a connection as I do with him. In addition to having an awesome name, Ghost has an awesome personality. The moral of the story, folks, is this: Don't go into pet shops if you can't feasibly get a pet. It will break your heart.

Just kidding -- moral of the story: Adopt cats (and other pets) responsibly. Consider their well-being before your own loneliness.


Moral of the story image courtesy of Dinah Lord.