Mission Accomplished, Part Deux!

I am delighted to write with the news that Saint has found a wonderful home. I was beginning to have my doubts about whether I could find someone to adopt her. I was searching high and low for about a month, dispatching “kitty flyers” via e-mail and imposing on friends to post announcements about her on their firms’ Intranet sites. The idea of advertising a cat adoption right beside promotions for used-car sales was slightly foreign to me. But the online matchmaking system worked.

In fact, four people stepped forward electronically within two days to express interest in adopting Saint. I vaguely knew two of Saint’s potential parents, and I did not know the other two people. One woman also hailed from New Orleans and was attracted to Saint’s name, chosen to salute the Super Bowl champs. Ultimately I chose Saint’s new Cat Lady based on her oft-repeated desire to give an abandoned cat a safe home. This Cat Lady was eloquent in her e-mail messages, and her lilting voice truly sounds like that of an angel.

I had promised myself to be stoic when the time came for me to say goodbye to Saint. I had already experienced a bit of withdrawal after relocating her from our backyard to Dr. O.’s clinic. I missed the markers of her existence on the back deck of our house: the food and water bowls, the catnip toys, and the heating pad for when the nights were unusually chilly, at least for Houston. At the clinic, I told Saint that I knew she was ready for the next stage of her life, and that I had been privileged to take care of her briefly. In case you’re wondering whether the staff of Dr. O.’s clinic thinks I’m nutty for talking this way to a cat, I can assure you that they know me all too well. My not saying farewell would have been out of the question.

I had asked my husband if he, too, wanted to meet me at Dr. O.’s so that we both could bid Saint a very fond and sweet adieu. He said something that has stayed with me: “That's OK. We’ll always see Saint in our memories.” This has proven to be true, although I have imagined the Friday evening when Saint went “marchin’ in” to her forever home. Mission accomplished!

Query of the Day: How many people do you typically contact before you are able to find a home for an abandoned cat?