Finally

I know I announced this earlier . . . but then I deleted a bunch of entries . . . so, I'll do it again. In February, our much beloved siamese cat, Cleo died. Cleo was just shy of her 17th birthday, and had been ailing for a couple of years. At the end, we were taking her to the vet three times a week for IV fluids just to give her some level of quality of life. The day before she died, she seemed to draw her last strength and had an evening like before she was sick, including crawling into the Phenom's lap during dinner.

When the Phenom and I first hooked up, there was discussion of pets . . . since we knew reproducing monkey/human hybrids would be out of the question. The Phenom, drawing on previous pet ownership and loss and pain, said no. I fixed that, now didn't I? Surprisingly, I was the one who wanted to not get another animal right away. The Phenom came home the night Cleo died with ads about siamese kittens.

Being the technically savvy one in the house, I embarked on a search for a new siamese kitten. We found a breeder about 4 hours away with kittens that were from highly rated show cats. They were very expensive and looked a tad like bats. Then, I found that the animal control department of a nearby county had a young but not a kitten siamese. I went and rescued her from a late afternoon killing spree.

This is Fleur de Lis. She just might be the perfect cat. She is vocal, but not in a shrill or annoying way. More conversational. She is very affectionate and likes to sleep in between us or on the pillow.

I was starting to worry because she isn't playful. I have made a couple catnip toys and she only gives them polite notice. Tonight, I balled up some tin foil and tossed it to her . . . and BINGO! We have found her favorite new toy! She is quite the little soccer player and is having a great time chasing the tin foil ball up and down the hallway. And, it's good to see her playing.

And, despite looking identical to Cleo, her personality is so different we haven't once slipped and called her the wrong name. I can't do that for people . . . 'cause ya'll look alike to me.