Rent-A-Cat

After spending over a decade together, I have come to understand my husband very well.  Last week, he informed me of his desire to add a feline member to our household.  To anyone else, that might seem like a random request.

However, I have learned that hubs very rarely (if ever) acts rashly. That meant that he had been contemplating the addition of a feline friend for a while.

Since there are lots of worthy animals in our area awaiting new homes at our local shelter, my first stop was their website.  All available animals are listed at PetFinder, so off I went in search of a kitty to fit our family.  We located a couple online who looked promising and fit our desires (adult female, short-haired), so we planned on a trip on Friday to the shelter.

In the interim, I mentioned the search to my mother.  Since both boys have a history of allergies, she proposed an idea.  Instead of getting a cat who might have to go back due to the allergies, she recommended we ask Poppa about "renting" one of his kitties.  This would allow for us to try out the cat without worrying about the cost or sadness for Z if he got attached and the cat had to be returned.

So, last week, I ventured over to collect our Rent-A-Cat: Abby.  The first night was the "getting to know each other" night.  Lots of curious wandering for her...lots of following to make sure nothing was ingested, scratched, or left behind for me.

As you can see, I clearly needn't have worried:

Two days later, the question came.  I had expected it much sooner, so two days was a stretch.   The question?  "Mommy, can Abby live with us forever?"

Thankfully, Abby didn't trigger allergies the way our previous canine companion did.  However, the ultimate decision would be left up to Poppa.  Would he let her stay?

Apparently, the contract included a rent-to-own clause.

After years as dog people, we are now venturing into cat ownership, as we are officially Abby the Tabby Cat's owners.  While we don't have the basics to worry about (feeding, watering, litter-boxing have all been taught, since she's an adult kitty), we are quickly learning her personality and her quirks (not a fan of kitty treats or her new collar, loves plastic eggs).

So, we're getting to know one another, one day at a time.  So far, so good.

We might turn out to be cat people after all.