Editor's note: Today's guest blogger is Tracy Kennedy, who shares her adoption story.
I have to say that I've never considered myself to be a so-called "cat person." I was raised in a dog-centric home with a poodle and a schnauzer, and the few cats I had met at friends' homes were always so shy and withdrawn from me that I had started to assume that I must exude an anti-cat aroma.
He certainly lived up to his name when I spent my Kitty Calming session with him last Sunday. Snuggles was constantly cuddling up to me, slowly making "air biscuits" with his white mittened-paws while I scratched his head. I had never met such an affectionate feline and I ended up spending over an hour just tickling his belly and brushing his back.
Over the next couple of days, I couldn't get him out of my head. I kept checking the Richmond SPCA's adoptions section for cats, fully expecting to see Snuggles get picked up and unsure of how I'd feel if he did. Jealous? Happy? It was hard to tell. As Monday and Tuesday both passed and my anxiety over him grew, I realized that I had fallen for the little guy and decided Monday night that I was going to adopt that cat.
The following Tuesday morning went by entirely too slowly. To say I wasn't nervous would be a huge lie. I feared the unknowns of cat ownership: what would I do if Snuggles started overtly hating me? What if he became an incorrigible furniture destroyer and territory marker? What if the canned food I bought for him wasn't to his liking? My "what if" fears were countless and gave me pause even as I pointed him out to the Adoption Counselor, but getting to spend time with him again before adopting him calmed some of them and reminded me why I was there.
After an hour of form filling, I happily paid Snuggles' adoption fee and carted him home.
To my great relief, Snuggles settled in almost right away. The Friskies I had bought was exactly to his liking and he gobbled it up that first night. The laser pointer I had picked up is now his favorite toy and he meows for it whenever he gets bored. Whenever I've needed to study, he's always been quick to jump up beside me and cuddle against me while I work, and at night he's started sleeping on my feet.
He's constantly purring and curling his tail, so I take it that he's happy with his adoption, too.
Since he wasn't responding to his old name, I did end up renaming him "Fritz," though in reality, he ended up choosing it himself because it's the only name he perks up to. Whenever I call for him, he comes to me now just like a little dog and then starts begging for cuddles, which I'm more than happy to give.
I think it's safe to say that Fritz/Snuggles has found his forever home. Thank you all for all of your help and guidance during this adoption process, and for taking care of Fritz while he was between homes. I'm so glad that I took a chance on Fritz, he's an amazing cat.
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