The Gs Go Paw to Paw

Glenwood Paw to Paw with Grace

Five things I've noticed:

1. When Glenwood surprises me, my first reaction is that she got out of the bathroom.  It's an odd experience of past and present.
2. Until Grace arrived, Glenwood still looked like a kitten to me.  Now I see she is a cat, albeit a tiny one (aspiring to seven pounds).
3. I believe Grace is missing a rear toe.  There's a missing bit of fur where it was or should be.  The two extras in the front make the entire arrangement even odder.
4. I gave Grace the orange bouncy ball, which was Dr. Ryan's gift to Glenwood on our first visit.  And, as with Glenwood, it is typically in the food or water bowl when I come in.
5. I gave Grace access to the hall yesterday, with a screen between her and Glenwood.  This too brought the past forward, as it echoed the meeting of Glenwood and Timmy.  The Gs visited, but Grace was quick to return to the bathroom.

By the way, I have an entirely new bathroom since it was Glenwood's home. It's a little harder to have a kitten living in there than it was in the prewar version, but that's what Method is for.  I should buy stock.

Grace Under No Pressure At All

After a couple of months in a cage, however roomy and well cared for, my bathroom must seem like the Ritz.  Grace is perfectly content, though I don't expect it to last.  We're almost through the first week and she's now meowing a bit after I leave, though she resettles quickly.  She eats, she plays, she uses her box (quite neatly, I might add), she climbs me, she does somersaults.  She is a total love bug.  I crack open the door so she and Glenwood can look at each other and touch noses, which inevitably ends with Glenwood hissing and running away.  Grace is unfazed.

Resting comfortably under the sink.

This toy extends under the door, where Glenwood can play at the other end.

This is a new perch for Glenwood, atop a vintage photo album .

Timmy Is Smiling on Us

I picked up Grace yesterday!  She is home and I love her.  She was cautious for the first hour then raced out of her shell and is now doing rolls.  She makes great eye contact.

Unfortunately, one of the One Love cat crowd had coccidia, so Grace is being treated preventatively and needs to stay in the bathroom for two weeks.  As the posts from October through December 2009 document in great detail, my bathroom was home to Glenwood for nine lo-o-o-o-o-ng weeks.  Timmy sat outside the door waiting for Glenwood to appear; now Glenwood will wait outside for Grace, as Timmy watches from the Big Window Sill in the Sky (which has a radiator beneath it).

Meet and Greet in the Foyer

Exiting the Carrier (See Her Thumb?)

Dining from Beneath the Sink

Meet Grace

I visited Grace yesterday at One Love and spent about half an hour with her.  Our relationship progressed from the first photo to the third (with 15 in between that I will spare you).  She is sweet and it's going to be a wonderful match.  I like that she looks like Timmy all colored in.  I love her big front paws.  (Her cagemate was also adopted, which is good news for him and for me, as he is a beauty and had haunted me a bit.)

Grace at First

Grace After About 20 Minutes

Grace Upon My (Reluctant) Departure

One Love Needs Help

We miss Timmy.  For me, that's been two-plus months of missing his big, funny self at my feet, in my lap, on the bathmat, at the door, by my side as I slept.  For Glenwood, it's been two-plus months of looking for him, then adhering herself to me (Gluewood), then venturing into his special spots, and now wanting me to be her everything.  It's a lot of pressure, made worse by me not being nocturnal or good at banking off the couch to chase a toy.

Glenwood needs a pal.  Last weekend, an infection in her good ear brought us to One Love, which brought us our answer.  These wonderful people took in 45 cats from a hoarder in Coney Island during Hurricane Sandy, even emptying their offices out to add cages.  The cats needed care and weren't adoption-ready, but Dr. Ryan let me peek in the room.  I told her to sign us up.

I met everyone today at our follow-up appointment and, among all the beautiful kitties, found ours.  She is an older kitten with the beautiful deep-gray coat of a Russian Blue and double feet.  It was hard to have to choose, but in the end I didn't have to; she did.  Her One Love name is Samoa, but she is really Grace.  I will post a photo as soon as I have one, and will go get her as soon as she gets the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

If you or anyone you know is in need of a good cat, One Love needs good people to adopt.  Please spread the word and help if you can.  Their phone is 718.532.7410 and they are located at 317 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn (Boerum Hill).  Thanks.