Meet Sleepee :)

I have had a few cats over my lifetime, but only one for a long time. I got Bruce when he was 7 months old, and he died at 15.5 years old in September of 2009. I loved that cat so much...and it has taken me this long to be ready for another cat. I've been watching our local animal shelter for cats on a weekly basis all through 2010, and have seen some lovely animals. But I just wasn't ready.

Then last week I saw Sleepee. The information about him stated, "Sleepee is an owner surrender which is sad when they are older cats and their home is the only one they know. He was loved big time and it shows in his personality. He is the condo room greeter and you will not get out there without being rubbed on by Sleepee. Please consider an older cat, he is already neutered and knows what it is like to be loved and wanted. We are trying to move many of our cats that have been at the shelter for a long time, as there is an endless supply of cats coming into the shelter daily and Sleepee has been there for a very long time. He is around 10 years old and I don't know how much longer we will be able to keep him from being put to sleep."

He touched my heart. And a calm older cat is exactly what I wanted! So I wrote to the shelter to get more information. A reply email told me that he is good with dogs and other cats and children, and that he's an indoor cat and not a hunter (essential since I have parrots, even though I have no intention of ever having my precious birds out when he could access them in any way). They said that he is friendly, loving, and laid back. He sounded perfect!

I discussed him with my husband and got his blessing. Before I could act, however, I was taken ill and hospitalized for several days. Thankfully Sleepee was still there when I got out, and after I took a couple of days to recover we decided to go bring him home. I called the shelter to let them know that we were coming.

On the way to the shelter this afternoon (hubby works nights and needed some sleep first) we stopped at Tractor Supply for a litter box and litter and cat food. (BTW, they have their own premium brand of foods for dogs and cats now, no dyes or fillers or anything, we've had our dogs on it for a while and now Sleepee is on it too, great food!) As we were checking out the cashier asked if we were getting a cat, and I told her that we were on the way to the shelter to pick one up. She is apparently involved with the shelter, asked which cat, and when I told her she gave us 10% off of everything! That was really nice :).

We got to the shelter and asked to see Sleepee. We were put into a room to get acquainted with him. As soon as he was brought in to us, he jumped right up and demanded to be petted. I checked him over, noting that he seemed much younger than 10, perhaps 7 if that, so he must have been very well cared-for. His eyes, ears, and mouth/teeth all looked great, as did his coat and skin although he was in need of a good brushing and had a few mats on his back legs. Given this, and his friendly demeanor, we brought him home. They packed us up a nice package of kitty goodies and his medical records and we were on our way, Sleepee in his carrier seat-belted in the back seat.

On the way home Pete started reading his records, and we found out that his DOB was May 29, 2005! He WAS much younger than the website had stated! That was definitely good news! He and Pete had gotten well acquainted in the room while I had left to do the paperwork and pay for him, and we also had to stop on the way home for something, so he and Pete again spent time alone while I ran into the store for a few minutes. When we got home we set up his litter box in a cubbyhole, and he made himself at home on a deep shelf in the closet just above it. (That is where his blanket and food reside, now.)

So now he is part of our family :). He loves Pete especially which is fine with me, I just like having a cat around, watching them do cat things, hearing them talk, etc. but if he bonds more strongly to my husband that is good. (Pete just lost his special little dog that was ALWAYS with him - or on him - less than a month ago. And Sleepee lost his family...) He has spent much of the day under our bed, but will come out when Pete calls him. The dogs and he know each other now even though they aren't 100% comfortable around each other yet. He has sniffed around the bird cages earlier, setting off panic (I'd shown the birds pictures of him this morning, and told them he was coming to live here) but now they just keep a wary eye on him, and he ignores them.

I believe all will go well. Once he is settled in I will brush him and cut off the mats and give him a bath, and then life will go on. A better life for us, one with a cat :)