NINA FARINA

We are owned

This weekend the population of my small household doubled in size. John and I are now proudly owned by two cats.

First I had no idea that the cat adoption process had become so complicated. As I looked up animals shelters the processes all involved an application (expected), a visit with the foster families? and then an inspection of our home. Apparently, cats are not kept in shelters in Tallahassee, they are fostered out to people who take care of them until they are adopted.

So I decided to take it to the newspaper, figuring someone had to be giving away some kittens. I did see an add for a woman looking for a home for two velvet black cats. In my head bells went off, my first cat, Samantha, was a velvet black cat and she came with her brother, Darren (who looked exactly the same). I called the woman and we talked. She told me the story of the cats. Here it is:

Annabelle Lee was a pregnant cat when some FAMU students left her behind in their apartment after moving out. I have to believe that the students thought that she would be found quickly or maybe they didn't know she was there. Either way she had the kittens in the apartment and was locked in there for a week, just drinking out of the toilet, until she was found. The landlord called cat-woman (what I am calling the woman we got her from) and cat woman rescued them. The kittens were in a sorry state but she nursed them back to health and found homes for all but one. SO now cat woman has Annabelle Lee and Domino (Annabelle's daughter) and wants a new home for them (they have already tried being adopted once and the situation didn't work out).

John and I get to her house Saturday and in total cat woman has six cats (three foster, three are hers). However, you cannot tell there is a single cat in this house aside from the toys. She had air filters everywhere and they really worked. So Annabelle Lee and Domino check John and I out play with us and give us the stamp of approval. The next day, yesterday, cat-woman comes over, checks out our house, gives us her stamp of approval and lets the cats out of the cage. Cat-woman was super and gave us a ton of stuff (a scratch post, some toys and twenty pounds of food). She said goodbye to the Ladies (as I have dubbed them) and was off.

The ladies then hid. They hid for twelve hours until they decided to wake me up at 12:30 because that, apparently, is a great play time. Annabelle Lee (yes she is named after the poem, no I didn't name them) is still under our bed and hopefully will come out soon. Domino, who looks almost exactly like Samantha, has taken over the house. They meowed all night (probably looking for their "lost" friends) and John and I didn't get enough sleep. I am so happy they are here though and will figure out how to post pictures just so I can put a pic of them up.