Welcome Sasha!

On Saturday, August 15th, I brought Sasha home. Adopting Sasha was the easy part, but getting to that point was some five years in the making.

Just before relocating to Arizona, my cat, Cato, developed a devastating illness that eventually took his life. It was an amazingly stressful time. I had just decided to leave behind the life I'd known and was all wrapped up in finding an apartment, hiring a mover and packing up my belongings for the upcoming move across country. Cato's illness took me by surprise. It also created some pretty tremendous feelings of guilt that my decision to move had somehow caused or facilitated Cato's illness. After Cato was euthanized, I had him cremated and planned to bury his ashes in my parent's back yard (the customary place we planted our childhood pets lost to cars or natural causes) before I moved. However, after getting his ashes, I found I didn't like the idea of leaving Cato behind. So, his ashes moved with me. We made the journey together to Arizona.

I was so sure I'd never be emotionally strong enough to have another pet again, since I never wanted to live through another devastating illness and loss again. It took me over a year before I could even talk about Cato without crying. My sister was so sure I would get another pet within a year after my move, but it's been almost 6 years.

Time is truly a great healer. Perhaps it was the influence of spending so much time with my neighbor and her brood of 4 cats. It started innocently enough. I found myself searching sites for kittens and cats available for adoption. I even made a few trips to local animal shelters. But, each time I walked away empty handed. I kept telling myself that when it was my cat, I'd know. And, I was right. On Tuesday, August 11th, I saw a photo of Sasha. She was exactly what I wanted - a Siamese mix kitten with something in her face that I can't describe, but my heart instantly recognized. I emailed the poster inquiring on her availability and made arrangements to meet her in person on Saturday. I arrived early (2 hours early to be exact) with my borrowed pet carrier (Thanks, Carrie!) and entertained myself while waiting for the adoption organization to arrive. The minute I took her out of the carrier she arrived in, I knew she was going home with me. She clung to me, as I wandered through the store, picking up the essentials; food, cat litter and a litter box. I brought her home and spent an anxious day and night waiting for my little girl to acclimate to home. By Sunday morning, the quiet and clinging kitten was up and about and running around my home - giving me cause to question my sanity - but only briefly.

It's been just about 3 weeks since Sasha entered my life and I haven't regretted adopting her for a minute. She's so different than Cato, but then that's what I wanted. She fits smoothly and easily into my life.

I do believe that our surroundings often reflect our inner turmoil. I know my years with Cato were filled with angst, fear and insecurity - Cato's own personality mirrored my unsettled inner self and he was not an easy animal to live with. Cato was nervous, anxious around others and didn't welcome change - and he wasn't afraid to bite the hand that fed him. I wasn't feeling very positive in those days and while Cato was a loving pet to me, he was an animal easily stressed.

Sasha, well, she's a different personality all together, she's sweet and quiet, but is full of energy, too. She seems comfortable in her surroundings and gets more and more inquisitive about her environment every day. I hope this reflects my own more balanced and positive state of being. I look forward to spending many years of peaceful companionship with Sasha, along with a few manic moments thrown in for fun!