teddy greybear

Every once in awhile you get a hunch and you act on it. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. in any case, i don't think much happens without a reason, and such is the case with teddy greybear.

i woke up on a recent saturday thinking about o.c., the cat that i had considered adopting back in july. i had seen that o.c. was still not adopted yet, and i woke up this particular morning and something said "go to petsmart." i did.

i didn't know for sure if o.c. would be there. it is sort of hit and miss as to which cats are brought out each weekend for adoption. but i drove on out to short pump anyway in hopes he would be there. he was. i was looking at him in the cage, and something said to me, this isn't the cat. i knew immediately, and i felt bad because no one has taken him. but i happen to glance at the cage next to him, and there he was...teddy G.

the sign said "part maine coon" and he is obviously not a purebred. he is smaller, about the size of santini, but he has all of the regular maine coon affectations: the pointed hair on the top of the ears, the bushy tail, the tuffs in his toes. and he is solid grey all the way. i have never seen a solid grey maine coon before.

i asked if he was a male, and they said, yes, he was. he was also declawed, fully vetted, and had only been with the rescue group for a few days. this was his first trip out into the world. this cat had no name...the family that gave him up just called him cat, and apparently they gave him away when their daughter went off to college. something about a dog being liked better.

teddy was the missing cat for me. so i paid $90 (vs. $800 for a purebred) and brought him home hoping he would be okay with the girls. at first, it wasn't. he found a hole under the chair in the san francisco room, and stayed in there for a couple of days. but slowly he started coming out. he is quite a talker and loves to be rubbed on his belly and back. his fun spots are the exact opposite of thing's favorite spots. as a matter of fact, he is the opposite in personality from thing. while he is still skittish, he is around me now. he isn't a lap cat, but he will sit right next to you on the arm of the sofa and around you on the bed, just like thing. however, he is a morning cat, and has a daily routine of following me to the bathroom, jumping up on the sink, and talking. he likes, as evidenced by the picture, to let the water run over his head and then drink it. i have never seen a cat that likes water, but this one does!

the girls have pretty much accepted him, and they still hiss at each other, but so far, so good. olive is jealous, but she would be of any cat. freckles seems to be much happier as she is no longer the low man on the totem pole. he doesn't play with them, but he is around. if you move too fast, he runs. he is still a bit skittish, but he likes reiki!

i haven't seen o.c.'s picture in the paper since then, so i am thinking he was adopted. the rescue lady said there had been some people who had called about him, and i am thinking that this worked out. o.c. got a home, and so did teddy. like all teddy bears, he is sweet and kind, and that is why i named him teddy. all of the ted's and teddy's in my life have been sweet, kind men, and i think this cat is one of those!