Family reunion impending
Oct. 9th, 2015 07:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseLongtime readers might remember Adora Belle, a cat we adopted some years ago as a companion for Dexter shortly after Mr. Jerry Brown died. She'd had an unhappy past, shunted between multiple homes as her various families left town, at least one of which had mistreated her, but was a very sweet and affectionate cat when she wasn't feeling skittish. Unfortunately, when Brian and I went on our honeymoon, she ran off, probably afraid that she was going to end up somewhere else unhappy. I can't really blame her, but as you might guess, we were rather sad about it - I think Brian in particular felt like he'd failed her.
Six months or so after we moved, we got word that she was still in the area. As it happened, one of our former neighbors took her on, making up a warm dry place for her to sleep under the house and putting out food for her. They've gotten to be friends over the years; Taf (the neighbor) spent quite a lot of time hanging out on her porch talking to her, while Adora Belle sat on the stump nearby and listened.
A week or so ago, I got a message from a mutual acquaintance that Taf was in the process of selling her house and had decided to trap Adora Belle and take her to the humane society, as that seemed the best option. I got in contact with Taf, who was more than a little torn up about the decision - she's an older cat, and with her history might have trouble finding a home, especially in Juneau where options are limited - and assured her that we'd be happy to take her in. She did manage to trap Adora Belle, and took her to the humane society for assessment and to make sure she was still in good health; luckily they said she was skittish but still in good mental shape, and got her shots and dewormed and de-fleaed. (Taf was kind enough to foot the bill for all of this; she must really love her too.) Thanks to them and our friend Jeanne (who, serendipitously, works for Alaska Airlines), she got on the red-eye flight last night, and will soon be waiting for us at the cargo office.
Last night I cleaned up the second bedroom, and we went over to the PetSmart that (conveniently) just opened on the next block over, and got her a bed and a new litterbox and a few toys and food dishes. So now I just have to go navigate the massive distortion of space-time that is O'Hare's satellite neighborhood and find the Alaska Airlines cargo office (no mean feat), rescue Adora Belle from the labyrinth, and bring her home. I'm excited, if also nervous - she got along with Dexter fine, but we've acquired Leo and Tripp in the interim, and frankly we never had plans to be a four-cat household. But Taf has told us that if she doesn't fit in here she'll take her once her house is sold and she's moved, so she won't be without a home no matter what happens.
I do hope everything goes well and she fits in here, though. I've missed her more than I realized.
Six months or so after we moved, we got word that she was still in the area. As it happened, one of our former neighbors took her on, making up a warm dry place for her to sleep under the house and putting out food for her. They've gotten to be friends over the years; Taf (the neighbor) spent quite a lot of time hanging out on her porch talking to her, while Adora Belle sat on the stump nearby and listened.
A week or so ago, I got a message from a mutual acquaintance that Taf was in the process of selling her house and had decided to trap Adora Belle and take her to the humane society, as that seemed the best option. I got in contact with Taf, who was more than a little torn up about the decision - she's an older cat, and with her history might have trouble finding a home, especially in Juneau where options are limited - and assured her that we'd be happy to take her in. She did manage to trap Adora Belle, and took her to the humane society for assessment and to make sure she was still in good health; luckily they said she was skittish but still in good mental shape, and got her shots and dewormed and de-fleaed. (Taf was kind enough to foot the bill for all of this; she must really love her too.) Thanks to them and our friend Jeanne (who, serendipitously, works for Alaska Airlines), she got on the red-eye flight last night, and will soon be waiting for us at the cargo office.
Last night I cleaned up the second bedroom, and we went over to the PetSmart that (conveniently) just opened on the next block over, and got her a bed and a new litterbox and a few toys and food dishes. So now I just have to go navigate the massive distortion of space-time that is O'Hare's satellite neighborhood and find the Alaska Airlines cargo office (no mean feat), rescue Adora Belle from the labyrinth, and bring her home. I'm excited, if also nervous - she got along with Dexter fine, but we've acquired Leo and Tripp in the interim, and frankly we never had plans to be a four-cat household. But Taf has told us that if she doesn't fit in here she'll take her once her house is sold and she's moved, so she won't be without a home no matter what happens.
I do hope everything goes well and she fits in here, though. I've missed her more than I realized.
