It's been almost three years since my Simon passed away (I still miss him a lot), and my husband…read morelooooooves cats, so we decided to adopt a cat, specifically an older cat, as kittens, while adorable, are a little high energy and high maintenance for us. We were planning on adopting a cat sometime this summer, when last week, I found out that the SPCA is reducing the adoption fees on older cats (not kittens) by 50% between May 25th and May 31st. So while we weren't planning on adopting a cat just yet, we decided to take advantage of the promotion this weekend -- it was the puuuurrrrfect opportunity!
We had looked at the website ahead of time, and there were some cats that we were interested in, based on their description and appearance, but you really have to meet the cat before making a decision. At the SPCA, there were a couple that we liked (neither of which we had considered from the website), and in the end, we chose the oldest cat there, at ten years old. (According to his backstory, he was surrendered because a child in the family was allergic -- so sad that after ten years he was given away.) Not only is he old, but he's also really fat, at nearly 20 lbs! But he's a lovely cat, very friendly and affectionate, although a little shy. (So far, he's spent the majority of his time hiding under the couch or bed, but he purrs a lot and likes being pet, and he has come out a few times for cuddles.)
While my husband and I had been discussing adopting a cat, and from where (SPCA, VOKRA, Cat Therapy & Rescue, etc), I was worried that it would be a huge hassle and that we would be rejected for some ridiculous reason. (VOKRA and Cat Therapy & Rescue seem a little intense -- I understand wanting to make sure that a cat goes to a good home, but good grief! Their rules and requirements are ridiculous!) However, we had no issues at all with the adoption at the SPCA. Once we decided on a cat, we filled out an application, a staff member asked us a few reasonable questions, as well as patiently answered all our questions about the cat, and it was done -- we had a kitty to take home!
The cat's name was Seth Rogen, a name we hate (I don't even care for the actor), but it's wrong to change a cat's name when he's so old, so we tried calling him Seth. But the name just doesn't fit, and in the end, I'm calling him Beau, after Beau Nugget, an extremely obese cat whose weight loss journey can be watched on YouTube.