Someone Else's Loss - Tugboat

It’s not often that I meet a cat who makes my Montana http://www.catster.com/cats/717069 look svelte and pretty – but Tugboat is that guy. He’s massive, a good sized beast to start with, who’s carrying a distressing load of fat. He’s ten, black and white, with an inquisitive funny face and wavy fur on his belly, which I see in all its glory because he’s really into lolling on his back for a belly rub.

Such a sweetie! He’s affectionate but not pushy, and seems well adjusted despite being here at the shelter with a weight problem. He does this thing where if you move your hand away after petting him, he reaches out with a large paw and pulls it back. He came from Animal Care and Control; they think his former owner was a elderly person who died, poor fellow.

A playful middle aged couple stand at Tugboat’s door and exclaim over him. But they want to adopt a long hair and have a couple picked out to meet. I escort them in. Our different languages keep me from providing more than the most basic info, but it’s easy to read their body language with the cats. They quickly decide on the more outgoing kitty and better match, a splendid confident tortie named Latte.

There in hallway 1, I’m disappointed to see Baby, the charming and sweet old tabby, is back. And I heard that Citi was adopted but returned the next day. Returns are hard on everybody. But there are numerous reasons for them – allergies, problems with other animals in the household, plus things less easy to quantify.

The fact is, I considered returning Montana. I had purposely picked a cat very different from the beloved girl who had been my companion for so many years. But that difference made him feel like an awkward guest in the house at first (surely this would have been as bad if the cat was similar but of course not at all the same). And he was so needy, he wasn’t letting me sleep with his frantic nighttime affection.

The thing is, it wasn’t him, it wasn’t me, it wasn’t us. It was more the long process of letting go after the devastating loss of my girl, and letting someone new start to squeeze into that intimate private place in my heart reserved for my special pet.

This is something that’s hard to convey to people pet shopping at Maddie’s – that as great as the animal they bond with is, as wonderful as all the strokes and purs make everyone feel, there will be times at first when the new animal seems wrong just because it’s not the old one. Like any new relationship, they need time to build and solidify.

It probably took seven or eight months with Montana, but now he really is my boy. Glad it was me who found him.