Woe is me

About a week ago I decided it was time to stop mourning for my beloved Sput and go out and find a cat like Sput who needs us, realizing, of course, that no cat like Sput actually exists. I began to look through all the cat listings at the adoption agencies--and I must say, the number of cats that are up for adoption is absolutely heartbreaking. I was looking for an older male cat who probably wouldn't be adopted by "normal" people, but would be likely to get along with other cats. I wanted a sweet cat who really needed a home.

I came across a photo of this cool looking ten-year-old tuxedo cat named Tuffy who was taken to a shelter after his owner died. After his "time was up" at that shelter, he somehow landed at the Utah Animal Adoption Center in North Salt Lake. This poor cat has been at the North Salt Lake shelter since December, and who knows how long he was in the previous shelter. Look how cute he is:

When I called about him this morning, I was told that he was going to be getting some blood work done Wednesday "because of his age." They also mentioned that he'd recently been shaved due to excessive matting. I told them I didn't care about the shave or the blood work, and asked if I could come see him anyway. They reluctantly agreed. I thought they might be embarrassed at how he looks, and I don't care about that.

I drove to the shelter and they brought "Tuffy" out, all wild eyed and bare naked and scared to death. I spent 20 minutes with him, and after noting his loud, nonstop purr, his excessive drooling, his appreciation for vigorous petting, and his refusal to leave my lap, I told the nice shelter folks I wanted to take him home.

That's when they told me he probably has diabetes (Sput, you may recall, succumbed to diabetes in November), which is the real reason they ordered the blood work-up. They'll know the status of his long-term health tomorrow. That's why the tech was reluctant to have me meet this cat.

Tomorrow I'll call to find out the fate of "Tuffy." I'm heartbroken. Stay tuned.