Cat Interviewing, Part V

We recover from this disappointment.  The cat was greyish and looked like it would be willing to change its name to Charles.  Perhaps it will work out later.  I email my multiple consultants.  They reply with advice about how to care for a cat with such problems.  They are not too discouraging; they propose care that is not too demanding upon the owners (that is to say, us).  They say, wait and see.

Although, by contrast, one writes to advise us that there is a pretty nice cat in a local pet shop.  By local, I mean a nearby town in British Columbia, because we have very few local shops of any sort and certainly no local pet shops here in Point Roberts.  We make plans to visit the pet store the next time we go cross the border.

A few days later, we do have plans to cross the border and we drop in at the pet shop.  Ed is immediately charmed by the cat (who also has some dopey and disrespectful name).  He's a very big cat, 4 or 5 years old, grey and brown (clearly not the grey cat from the dream, but perhaps the grey cat has gone to live with someone else?).  He climbs all over you, hangs on to your shoulders, purrs, appears to be doing whatever is possible to say, "I'm yours!  Make a deal!"

The shop worker, a beautiful young woman named Maya has had considerable experience with this cat and assures us that if she didn't already have several cats, she would keep this one. (Or maybe that's what they always say about all the cats, even the biters?)  We are enthusiastic about this cat, but I have to go to the grocery store before I take on a cat.  It seems unkind to initiate a cat adoption by leaving the cat alone in a car while I go grocery shopping.  We assure Maya that we will be back in a bit to spirit the cat a way.  She says, "Great!" and we are reassured by her.  She will contact the shelter that actually is responsible for this cat and get the paperwork started.  It does not occur to us that a warning light has just gone on.  Clueless, we walk away to conduct our chores, now adding to them the obtaining of a litter box.

(The end of Cat Interviewing, Part V)