Fur people fans

Today another cat found us. Last week I snapped a charming photograph of our Gracie and Max sleeping together on my favorite chair; I immediately sent it out to the woman who fostered Gracie and to the woman who made it possible for us to adopt her from our local PAWS shelter. Both of these women dedicate large portions of their lives to helping rescue and care for cats, in need of homes. Heretofore, I categorized such people as eccentrics, perhaps slightly turned from people for some odd reason. I was so wrong. I sit in awe of Jackie, the woman who set up business on 88 posted acres of woods to create a lodge for boarding and caring for animals. Her grooming room is home to the revolving colony of the cats she keeps, providing rescue and shelter to some of the too many kittens continually bred out-of-control or safety. Hermione Grace, our darling Gracie, was one of those kittens and her story of living in a barn, raided nightly by coyotes chills us as we cherish the black sprite prancing through our house and our hearts. Jackie asked us in July if we might consider taking another kitten, a little tiger-striped one whose eye was scarred by a birth infection. We were tempted, but it was too soon. This week she asked again (people who rescue must get good at this). This time, it seemed right.

I believe in pet therapy and have seen our pets work magic on our Matthew when he spends his weekend with us. We thought having his own pet, learning how to care for a pet, and calling one of our cats "his" might be good for him. So we took Matthew out to meet this little cat, and she will be joining Max and Gracie and us as soon as next week. This will be the fourth cat who has entered our lives and our home, all of them finding us at just the right time. Her given name is Athena. Matthew said he thought Tiger was a good name and I added Lily, a nod to Peter Pan, a reference to a flower, and fitting recognition of her gender. He already says her name, "Tiger Lily" ; I already think of her as Lily. And she will have a home here with us...three people and two other cats who will grow to love her.