muninnhuginn | New Cat (Not)

Mr Oswald has never been an only cat. He arrived in a pair with Mr Socks to keep Little company. When he ended up an only cat, he wilted. He was lonely, sad, and, for a while, left alone a good part of the day. We got Mia and for three years they kept one another company, at a respectful distance.

With Mia gone, he's lonely again.

Or he was. Mr Oswald may be the being that most loves the pandemic. He's not alone or lonely anymore: his people are stuck at home and can substitute for the missing feline companion. But, come September LL is due back at uni in person, I could be working at my employer's premises right now (were it not for being ill, again), and even M may return to ARM.

So we're trying to adopt a new cat. We held off at the beginning of the year as it seemed unfair to get a new pet and then go away on holiday (remember them?!) at Easter. Then we waited whilst the Blue Cross weren't offering any pets up for adoption (and rightly so). Now there are cats coming up, not many, and not many fit our requirements (indoor, lives with other cats) let alone our preferences (elderly, problematic).

Yesterday, a cat came up via M's work. stray/feral just had kittens (the kittens were bagged pretty much instantly). She looked very pretty (tortie-and white) and I... very firmly said no. We knew we'd be taking on a cat that needed vaccinations and neutering, but when have vets' bills deterred us? But, we'd presumably also need to test for FIV. We don't have a house where we can keep two cats separate long term, and if she'd turned out positive we'd be risking the health of a 17-year old with arthritis and kidney disease.

I'm sure someone else, without another cat to worry about, has taken her. But, yes, I feel sad. She was very cute.