by TerrieLynn Bach
Last month, we heard about Donkey, a calico kitten who found love with his new furever family’s pitbull-mix, but he isn’t the only cat to find love at first sight!
Several years ago, I fostered Harriet and her litter of adorable kittens. A former street cat and part feral, part somewhat-socialized, Harriet had a tortie-cattitude. She suffered no fools and was quick with claws or a hiss if you displeased Her Highness.
Tortoiseshell cats are a form of calico; they have the genetic DNA for the three-colored fur pattern, but, rather than white for the base color, their base color is black or gray. Calico or tortoiseshell cat, they all seem to have this extra little diva attitude thing going. We like to call it Cattitude.
With Harriet’s extreme tortie-cattitude, we had concerns about her adopt-ability. Over a couple of months in foster care, living indoors off the street, with plenty of love and good food, Harriet seemed to mellow a bit.
We wanted to give her a chance at a real home, so we took her to an adoption event at the 1832 Farmers Market one Saturday, where we put her in an adoption crate towards the back of the booth, away from the other cats, to give her space to settle. But Harriet wasn’t having any of it! She snarled and hissed at anyone that even looked at her.
To try to calm her, we mostly covered her crate with a sheet to give her less visual stimulation. As people came by, they were reluctant to get too close to the cat with flattened ears and a Cattitude to beat all Cattitudes! At one point, we had a discussion about Harriet, sadly thinking that maybe the only option for her to be happy would be to find a barn cat home for her.
Later in the afternoon, with fewer kitties there and the crowd beginning to thin, I was sitting by Harriet and feeling very sad for her. A woman walked up to us; she said she saw our sign and stopped to see if we had a cat for her. I pointed out a couple of good candidates and started talking to her about their personalities. Suddenly, she interrupted me, pointed to Harriet’s crate and said, “Tell me about that one.”
So I did. Honestly. Because I will not lie to an adopter ever. It’s important to give them all the info we can so that they can make an informed decision on adopting a new kitty.
Deborah asked if she could see Harriet. I pulled the sheet back a bit and carefully and slowly reached in to pick up a –surprisingly– NOT hissing Harriet.
Deborah reached out a hand and stroked Harriet’s head. They made eye contact. I swear to you, the heart emojis went fluttering like butterflies over both their heads! Deborah reached out, gently took Harriet into her arms, and for the first time ever, I heard Harriet purr!
Deborah said to me, her eyes never leaving Harriet, “I’ll take this cat. What do I need to do?” We filled out the paperwork and she paid the fee, never letting go of Harriet. Deborah told me that she just “had a feeling to stop– that her cat was here.”
Totally amazed, I told her I would put together a cardboard adoption carrier, but Deborah said, “No thanks; we’ve got this.” Dumbfounded, I watched Deborah, with Harriet still in her arms, walk across the parking lot and get into the car.
They sat there for at least ten minutes without leaving, and then I got concerned. I walked over to them and asked Deborah if she was sure she wouldn’t like a cardboard carrier. I accepted her refusal when I saw Harriet lying in her lap, making biscuits and purring. Well, okay then.
A few minutes later, they drove off, and I offered up a silent prayer for the best possible outcome. Eileen looked at me with a concerned look and asked, “Did I just see that lady take Harriet into her car without a carrier and drive off??”
“Yep, you sure did!” I assured her with a big, silly grin on my face!
The next day, Deborah texted that they made it home just fine. She also included a picture of Harriet and two schnauzer dogs, laying on a bed together: “Harriet walked into my house like she owned it, quickly put both dogs into their proper places as subservient, and established herself as the new queen in charge.”
Harriet found her furever home, and it was the purrfect match!