Apparently we're adopting!

My daughter-in-law called me Wednesday morning. Unusual, so I know something's wrong:

"What would you do if you had a cat?"

In my teens I used to take care of a neighbor's Persian while they vacationed; my great-grandmother had a tabby I grew up around. In about the 5th grade I developed grass, pollen and mold allergies, but was fine around pets. Until I was about 20...

I was partying at a friends who had a long haired white cat I had played with on other occasions. This time my eyes swelled shut! I thought I must be reacting to something else, grass, something. I few days later I was fine; the next time I visited them the same thing happened.

Then it got to the point where most any cat would set me off.

As I entered my 40's my grass allergies seemed to get a bit better. My sister's orange tabby would get to me sometimes but not everytime. Now Chip doesn't bother me at all. My other daughter-in-law has two orange tabby siblings (Willow and Alley); no reactions in 3 years. The daughter-in-law who called me has 2, one very old calico who bothered me a bit 6 or 7 years ago, and a kitten who doesn't at all.

So more than once I've thought I wouldn't mind; I've cruised PetFinder and looked and even bookmarked a few, but my wife steadfastly has said no, if for no other reason than our dog is almost 10 and it wouldn't be fair to her.

My daughter-in-law was crying hard by the time she finished asking me her question. She was leaving our vets after finding out that it was time to put her old cat to sleep (Missy is 18, not eating and when she does she can't hold it, she can't walk the last few weeks, etc.) and that the stray she had been feeding and had moved onto the porch and then into their entryway over the last month and half had just tested positive for feline leukemia, which meant she couldn't keep him around her year old adoptee.

But she really wanted to find him a good home; one where she could visit him if she was lucky...

So I'm in the middle of vacuuming and moving cords and trying to kitten proof the living room before Frankie comes to live with us tomorrow night, while someone is home over the weekend to make sure Frankie and Angel (our dog) don't become like Frankie and Johnny (in the old song). My wife is off this weekend, I work Saturday but I'm off Sunday.

So apologies in advance if I don't get a recipe up this Saturday or if I miss Photo Sunday. I usually draft those in advance of her off weekends on Thursday night, and instead I'm cleaning, lol!

I should be careful what I wish for, I know!

alan

On a sidenote: State Farm's claims adjuster saw our car and wrote us a check today for $1847 for the hail damage on the Malibu and said if I take it to an approved body shop and they find more damage or if it's more than that then they will pay whatever additional amount is needed!