MEET STANLEY!!

My family had to put our beloved cat of nearly 13 years, Dave, to sleep in November. This loss, which occured right before Thanksgiving, really made me appreciate what was still there. It also made me miss Dave more. It's true, absence does make the heart grow fonder. It wasn't unexpected, his health had been deteriorating over the past year or so, and it wasn't before his time, he was almost 13 and had already wasted 6 of his 9 lives. That's just the thing, though. He still had 3 lives left.

Life went on as it always does after the loss of a loved one. Gradually we removed the things that were his: his cat bed, his toys, his litterbox, his scratching post, etc. We moved on. Yet, I could never get past the fact of him not waiting for me after school, or sitting on the toilet seat after I took a shower. It was then that I decided we needed to get another cat.

With the agreement of my parents, we started searching for a cat. I volunteer at the Animal Humane Society so I'm always surrounded by an abundance of cats who need a new home. Easy to find one, right? Wrong. Here's where a wrench was thrown into our plans. Both of my parents are really allergic to cats and I'm kind of allergic. There are a few cat breeds that are "hypo-allergenic." (That's in quotations because no cat is truly hypo-allergenic, but there are many that are missing the protein in their saliva which is what people are allergic to.) We had lived just fine with a Devon Rex for 13 years, but when we went to go visit a Devon Rex, my mom broke into hives and my dad got wheezy. With our plans thwarted, we trudged back home with ouur hopes defeated. However, not long after that, we came across a breeder with Cornish Rex kittens. Longing for a cat and willing to risk another allergic reaction, on New Year's Day we went to visit these kittens. Success. Neither one of my parents were allergic and, on our way home, we decided to get one of those kittens.

I haven't had a kitten since I was 4 years old when we got Dave. I didn't remember how very small they are. We ust took him to the vet earlier today and he weighs 3 pounds, 11 ounces. He's black and white and scrawny and kind of shy and talkative and lively and cuddly and cute and just really great. His name is Stanley.

People always said he would never be able to replace Dave. That's true, but we're not looking for Stanley to replace him. Dave will always have a place in our hearts and Stanley will create a new place all his own. He's already a great addition to our family.