Periodically we stop at the animal shelter to browse the cats. This time we came home with one.
Hi.
She’s about four years old, and she has a good Shelter Story: she was found with a wee little sign around her neck that said her name was Madeline/Madeleine/Maddie (all three names were on the sign in various places) and please take good care of her. We’re going to change her name, but we don’t know what it will be yet. I’m campaigning for Sally. (Or Lydia or Silvie or Phoebe or Hillary or Ginny or Linny or Bonnie or Heather or Angela or Ivy. You’d never guess it, but I find names interesting and important.)
She is the sweetheartiest cat I have ever met. The shelter has “interview rooms” where you can spend time with any cat you might be interested in adopting, and most cats (even the really sweet snuggly ones) spend most of their time exploring the room and sniffing all the corners, because that is the cat thing to do. But not this cat. She stayed right on my lap, snuggling in and wanting skritches. She was a cat that WANTED TO GO HOME RIGHT NOW PLEASE.
You don’t understand: I’m not MEANT for shelter life.I don’t BELONG here.
She doesn’t mind being picked up, even by children. This next picture was taken about 5 minutes after she came to our house, when by all rights she should have been skittish and freaked-out:
Doot-da-dooooo, just dangling my paws
I like to bring kids with me to the shelter, not only because it’s a fun thing to do with kids but also because if I find a cat possibility, the children’s presence is essential. A cat that doesn’t flinch when Henry makes a sudden loud sound, that doesn’t object to being scooped up inexpertly and unexpectedly, is a cat that will likely do well in our household.
She is not, perhaps, the sharpest kibble in the bag. She leapt up onto the windowsill of a closed window, an action that made a sound like this: “Scrabble scrabble scrabble!!! …THUNK.”
That was ONE HUNDRED PERCENT intentional.(And thank you for opening the window.)
Yay! She’s lovely and I love the picture of her dangling.
I do not know HOW you go to the shelter and don’t come back with a cat EACH AND EVERY TIME. I would. I would be a crazy cat woman, I swear.
Congratulations on the new cat! She looks very cute. Love the dangling paws picture.
Seasonal changes always left our cats doing the *scrabble, scrabble, scabble, thunk* dance as well.
She is absolutely beautiful! I love her face!! Clearly she was meant to be a Thistle.
hahaha! Your captions crack me up! She looks lovely. Congrats!
Heh – the photo reminds me of the old Peanuts cartoon – the girl who was forever walking around with the cat draped over her arms. Was that Frieda?
She is so cute! I had a cat once that looked a lot like her. Can’t wait ’til you name her.
Naw! She is lovely. We have a black & white cat with spotty markings like that and he is Domino. Looking forward to seeing what you choose!
Mrs. Irritation- Oh, man, THISTLE would be a good name for her!!
Congrats on the new cat. She does look quite mellow and suited to life with five children. With that backstory, though, I’d be tempted to keep the name (as much as I also enjoy naming).
I’m with Linda. I can’t go to the shelter without bringing one home. It sounds like her not-the-brightest-bulb personality will get along fine with the other cat, who if I recall, is “incredibly brave and/or stupid.”
Oh! She is lovely. Floofy and beautiful and very soft-looking too.
Oh, she is FANTASTIC; congratulations! She reminds me in both looks and personality of my sweet Henry, who died in February. I have so far been unable to re-cat but think I am close, and this helps!
p.s. my word is fredbob; perhaps a nice name to stick in your back pocket for future uses?
Oh this post makes me SO HAPPY! She is beautiful and she sounds like a wonderful addition to the Thistle household!!
She’s so lovely and fluffy! What a great cat!
She looks so sweet! I love the pic of her just hanging there. I wish my cat would let my son pick him up like that!
Kitty! She’s lovely.
Our middle kitty does the same *jump* *scrabblescrabblescritch* *thump* thing to get up in the window. After a few years we’ve determined that she must have some sort of eyesight/dept perception problem. When she jumps up on windows/furniture she most often just misses a bit. One of her litter mates was adopted by a friend of my wife and aparently he does the same thing.
Congratulations! She’s a beautiful cat. I wish my husband would let us get more cats (1 is his limit).
She’s beautiful. I love grey and white cats – I’m always drawn to them more than any other.
We don’t have a cat. I think my dog would eat it. =(
How sweet! I love the dangling paws. :)
She’s beautiful. Although I must say the doot da doooo reminded me of “Little Shop of Horrors” and now I think you should name her Audrey. Congrats!
sweet cat.
Nice kitty! And do you really need brains from your pets if they’ve got stellar dispositions? I think not.
Such a sweet kitty. Have fun enjoying her!
I like the scrabble scrabble scrabble thunk! Our cat would do that on the inside trying to get to the bird that just went thunk on the outside. Beautiful, lovely kitty!
I am a crazy cat lady who is convinced that my two cats are THE cutest o es in the universe, etc. But that head shot you took of Silvie/Phoebe/Lovey is the MOST beautiful cat foto EVER Love her. What an excellent addition to your fam!
I love the kitty smile/smugness in the window picture. Contented kitty. Good choice!
I love everything about this post, including the fact that you have an awesome new cat. But especially “scrabble scrabble scrabble THUNK!”
I can’t take my kids to an animal shelter. It would destroy our family. Our vet has adoptable cats in a big cage in the waiting room and every single time I have to take Sam there he cries when we leave because he falls in love with the cat.
If we went to a shelter we’d come home with four cats and then my husband would divorce me.
I LOVE THAT CAT!!!
I’m kind of sad you are changing her name though. I bet that sign was made by an 8 year old girl (hence the different spellings)who couldn’t keep her anymore. And I bet she named her with love :(
She is beautiful – so soft-looking and fluffy. I want to pet her!
Oh, I do like Madeline. But Thistle is also truly lovely.
She’s adorable! I think Sally would be such a cute name for a kitty.
Such a sweet story. LOVE the pic of her just dangling her paws, la la la… I am on the fence about a cat and scared to take the plunge. Can you REALLY expect to keep cats out of certain rooms or is everyone laughing at me right now?
What a sweet kitty!
We ended up getting the two cats we have now (brothers) because they never flinched, jumped, scratched, or freaked out in any way when my son jumped around, made loud noises, picked them up or anything. They were the most tolerant 4 month old kittens I’ve ever met. Have had them four years and now they are super tolerant with my toddler. They may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they have the necessary qualifications for being family cats.
Is the kitty really floppy? She looks like she might be part Ragdoll (plus what you said about her personality). If that’s the case, you made an awesome choice.
Congratulations on the new addition!
I love her! She’s so cute! Kudos to you for rescuing her! (Also, I LOVE the idea of the name Thistle!)
jen (melty)- I know people DO keep cats out of certain rooms, and I managed it for a short time when one cat was PEEING ON OUR BED FTLOG—but man, it was a pain. Like trying to keep toddlers out of stuff. It’s way easier if the cats are all-access types.
Allyson- I’ve been wondering, too, if she has a little Ragdoll in her! She’s just so affectionate and snuggly and sleepy. She’s not FLOPPY-floppy, but when she’s snuggled in I notice a sort of MELDING BONELESS feeling that makes me think of Ragdolls.
Ivy.
Oh, what a beautiful girl! I love her! And I’m with Allyson – I immediately thought Ragdoll when I saw her face. I have one that is half, only he’s black and white, but their faces are identical.
She looks like the perfect addition to the family. And even though I’m not crazy about Madeline/Maddie, I’d keep it just because of the story. That’s who she is obviously. :)
Obviously, she has ambitions of being a victorian-style muff, preferably one that is taken to the opera with a lorgnette.
She’s so beautiful.
I have never seen a cat that would just dangle like that. Too cute. She is definitely used to being around kids. I bet she’s loving all the skritches!
Oh, sweet thing! So glad she and your family found each other.
Congratulations =)!
She’s pretty! I think she looks like a Silvie.
eeeeeee hello third cat!
my oliver is quite similar: you can pick him up ANYWHERE at ANY TIME (i often pick him up so he dangles upsidedown to impress guests, while he just.. dangles. unperturbedly) and has been known to maaaaybe chase his own tail / fall off counters / the like. he’s pretty much the most awesome cat ever, so i suspect third cat will be very happy with you :)
She is sweet and very clean looking. I have a name suggestion…. Molly. You can call her Molly-By-Golly for short.
She looks so much like my Lily! Unfortunately, our cat is not so good with children, or anyone other than me really. Congrats on finding a good fit!
Oh, congratulations! Beautiful and sweet-tempered, you just won the cat lottery.
(I could never stand to visit the shelter without taking them home. But my brother is a volunteer at one, and enjoys playing with/socializing the cats very much.)
She looks just like a cat I had; her name was Charlotte. She was the sweetest and softest cat I had ever met. She would squeak instead of meowing.
Congrats on the new addition!
I LOVE HER AND WANT TO PET HER. You rock at picking out cats.
I love this.
Congrats on your new kitty!
Congrats-she is beautiful! My cats do the same thing to closed windows. I love her fluffiness :)