Andy

We went to the Adoptathon held by the Franklin County Humane Society on Saturday at PetSmart. Andy immediately caught my eye, even though he was in a kennel with several other cats. His smoky grey coat with the unique circular and triangular white markings was striking, but what really amazed me was his calm and relaxed attitude despite all the hustle and bustle of activity going on all around him. When I took him out of the kennel to hold him and carry him around the store, he sat quietly in my arms, observant but fearless of his surroundings, even though he is only five months old. It didn't take long for Steve and me to decide we wanted to adopt him, so after filling out the paper work and having our references checked, we were approved. Once we had purchased the items we would need for our new kitty, we gathered him up in the carrier and brought him home to meet his new brother and sister. To our surprise, once inside the house, he immediately hopped out of the carrier as soon as the door was opened and walked right up to both Zoe and Spyder to casually introduce himself. Since Andy is Zoe's third "cat sibling", she adapted immediately to him being here. Spyder is still requiring a little extra attention to reassure him that he is still my baby, which he always will be, but he is beginning to accept Andy, even letting him sit on my lap without getting upset. Andy himself is incredibly adaptable. After investigating every inch of his new home, he was immediately content to lie on the couch and boldy greeted our neighbors who, of course, wanted to come see the new addition. He has yet to run and hide, preferring to be in the center of any activity, and was immediately comfortable and at home in his new surroundings, including sleeping on the bed with Steve and myself, purring so loudly he sounded more like a lion rather than a housecat!

I think he is going to be a pleasant and comforting companion for me as he is small enough to lie on my lap and is happy to do so, especially now since my current orthopedist has determined that I am going to need surgery on both my knees. The right one will be done first, on September 25, with the left one to be done as soon as the right has recovered sufficiently, hopefully within a couple of months after that. Apparently the knees have degenerative patellofemoral osteoarthritis, patellar tilt, a thickened and scarred plica, as well as bone spurs and tracking disorders, so I am going to have arthroscopic surgery to try and repair these problems. I am aware that the rehabilitation and physical therapy is going to be long, slow and painful, but I'm prepared and willing to undergo it in order to restore my physical abilities without the severe pain I am currently experiencing. And it certainly should help me get through those long boring winter months when I can't do my regular activities to have both my dogs and my new kitty around! Steve is going to be playing tennis in the Avery Cup this fall, so I'm hoping that I will at least be on crutches and able to get around sufficiently to go watch him play some as well. More updates on both the animals and my knees as things progress.