"Your speech returns me clearly home."*

I'm sure that many of you may recall the dark days of December last.  Except that no one really knew they were dark because I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone that my Smaller, Less Fluffy Kitty had been diagnosed with a very aggressive fibrosarcoma in late November.  Or that my whole stupid life was revolving around writing checks to the vet and coming up with ever more creative bargaining offers to present to The Fates.  But the days were, in fact, quite dark and they got darker still.  And then, the day after Christmas, there was no more Smaller, Less Fluffy Kitty.

Well...there sort of is.  She's still here.  Except that she is in a jar and that is nowhere near the same as having her here in fluffy form.

I did what I suppose most people do at that point.  I began frantically searching for a new cat.  The Big, Fluffy Kitty was rather lost without her nemesis and had no one with whom to share her daily reflections on life.  She was sharing them with me non-stop.  And I was paralyzed by the thought that she might also fall ill and then who would be the Fluffy One around here?  I was ready to take home the first thing that crossed my path with vaguely cat-like features.  It is only by the grace of some higher power that I didn't just bring home a squirrel or something.

Finally, I came to the realization that I was really just trying to make everything go back to the way it was.  I wanted it fixed.  And that seemed like an awful lot of responsibility for someone small and fluffy.  I needed to wait a bit.  The time wasn't right.  So I sat down and waited.  

The BFK continued to chatter non-stop.  She never used to talk this much.  And when I say 'talk' I mean howl, yowl and yodel.  Still, I waited.  

People asked me weekly if I'd considered getting another cat.  I'd just smile and tell them, "not yet."  I continued to wait.

Finally...the time was right.  I woke up knowing that the day had come.  It might have had something to do with the fact that a certain Fluffy One was babbling merrily away in my face in the very wee hours of the morning.  But I like to think that I just knew the time was right in something of a more mystical sense.

I am a sucker for a sob story.  I'm not the girl who goes out looking for a furry friend who has a pedigree or who knows what the salad fork looks like.  I gravitate towards the ones who seem to need a little of the good stuff to finally come their way.  

I am an Animal Shelter's dream come true.

Meet Prometheus:

Yes.  It is a very blurry picture.  And yes.  That is a ceiling fixture.

Cut me some slack.  Quality photography is tricky when you are frantically tossing Greenies treats to a madly hissing BFK  below while simultaneously dodging your collection of vintage/vintage-looking tins as they are flung at you from above. 

Let's take a look at the stats, why don't we?

History:  Poor, sad stray kitty who has maintained a gentle demeanor in spite of it all.

Age:  Approx. 1 year.

Color:  Orange and White.  And pink.  Because most of his fur had to be shaved off due to horrific matting.  (are we starting to see how I might be unable to resist this kitty?)

Weight:  Somewhere between seven and eight thousand pounds.  This is an absurdly gi- normous kitty.  Heaven help me if he turns out to be a lap cat.  I'll need some sort of pulley system to remove him if I need to go get a brownie.  

And yet, he is remarkably good at hiding.  I have spent many hours today trying to locate this large mass of feline.  We are in the "adjustment" stage of the process.

And the BFK?  To say that she is unimpressed by this turn of events would be an understatement.  She sounds like she's sprung a leak.  This is very much unlike her usual, placid self, but not really all that unusual when kitties start negotiating territory.  I dealt with far worse from The Smaller, Less Fluffy Kitty when I brought her a new sister.  They will work it out.  For now, everyone has decided to take turns in the open and that seems to work.

But I still had to go out and buy her a new scratchy box before she would speak to me again.  Which is ironic since the whole idea behind getting a new kitty was to give her someone else to whom she could blather on about Greenies and the joys of organic catnip.

She is considering the offer.  Her lawyers will be getting back to me sometime before the weekend.

She'll come around.  Her new brother is a beautiful boy and sweet beyond what one could ever hope to see in someone who has wandered for so long without a family to call his own.  The time was right and the right cat came home today.  I think Prometheus will bring a much needed spark to the place.  

For anyone in the Portland area of Maine who is also thinking about bringing some fluff and excitement to their lair, please consider The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.  Due to over-crowding, they currently have most of their cats on clearance.  Cats aged one and over are a mere twenty-five dollars while older animals and those with special needs are eligible for a waived fee.  It is the perfect time to bring a new friend into your life, microchipped, fully vaccinated and with a free vet exam if you so desire.  There were so many beautiful animals there who narrowly escaped being crammed into my car so I could just have them all as my own.  They have also streamlined the adoption process so that you can take home your new friend today with a minimum of papery fuss.  Heck, they'll even provide the carrier if you happened to fling yours into the dumpster after you got it back from the vet that last time because you maybe couldn't stand to look at it for even another second.  Or if you just can't find yours...

But you can't have this one.  He is mine.  And, to answer the question that is on everyone's mind right now, let me assure you that it is a rousing no.  He has not once touched the yarn.  

It was meant to be.

SA    *Tonight's post title is from "Prometheus Bound"