Part One – Finding Angel
Sometimes in life a small, seemingly insignificant decision
can change your life’s trajectory.
That happened to me and my family. It was lunch time, and I
left our office building in Trenton and headed to my car. I was going to go to
a restaurant across the river in Pennsylvania for lunch. The minute I got
outside the warm spring-like weather hit me. You know how the first really warm
day of March feels after months of winter weather. Just as I was about to open
my car door I stopped and turned away from my car. I decided to enjoy the
weather by walking a few blocks to get a sandwich at a local deli called
Lucy’s. A fateful decision.
As I was walking down the sidewalk, I could see in the distance, a woman and a boy
with a large white dog standing in front of some run-down townhouses. I thought
the woman had a white puppy in her arms, but when I got closer, I saw that the
white puppy was actually a white kitten. They seemed to be a bit upset. I
greeted them pleasantly when the woman said “This cat just fell out of this
window. I need to check to see if anyone is there. Could you hold her while I
check?” I replied “Sure.”
She quickly put the kitten in my arms and went inside. The
second I held this gentle kitten in my arms, my heart melted. Our fates
together were sealed when the woman said the apartment was vacant. She couldn’t
keep the cat. Just as we were discussing what to do a man walks by and says to
the white kitten “Hi little guy. I hope you are okay.” He then told us
he was going to give the cat to the pound but they wanted $5 and he didn’t have
it. As I looked at this cat I thought of my daughter Lisa. If I told her the
story of this kitten and mentioned that I had just left her in the streets Lisa
would have been furious at me. Quickly I told the woman I would take her. I
asked her if she could hold her for one day so I could get my pet carrier.
When I got home that evening I told my wife the story. She
was okay with me bringing her home but in no uncertain terms we were not
keeping her. We already had two cats and that was more than enough. It so
happened that a woman at work said if we didn’t keep her than she would take
her. Great, I had saved her and found her a great home.
The next day I picked up the kitten. I was not really sure
whether she was a kitten or cat as she was
so small. As it so happens, I did not need the pet carrier. As I carried her to my car she snuggled with
me. She laid curled up on my lap for the entire hour and a half drive except
for one time when she got up and walked to the back seat and then came back to
my lap. Her willingness to snuggle was winning me over. While we had two cats
that we loved neither one was a lap cat. Her ability to frustrate me also came
because when I looked in the back of my car I could see three little poop turds
on the floor. I was not mad but just laughed. That was also the beginning of
her getting away with almost anything with me.
My kids who were in elementary school at the time, embraced her quickly, even though they knew she was only staying with us temporarily. The new kitten would stay in their rooms because we did not want to introduce her to the other cats.
We needed to take her to our vet for a check up. You name it,
she had it, including mites and fleas. The vet was examining her and mentioned
that the cat might be pregnant. My wife looked at me and said with disdain “Pregnant!” I said “Don’t look at me. It’s not like
I’m the father.” The vet laughed. It turns out she wasn’t. The vet
estimated that she was around ten months old.
We also had to name her. A big decision. I wanted to call
her Lucy since that was name of the deli I was going to when I found her. While
I thought it was a great idea, my kids shot it down. They settled on Angel.
Because of her white fur and gentle affection, it seemed appropriate. Later
when she was healthy and settled in, we saw her more mischievous side and it seemed
like a less suitable name.
Yet the day was coming that we would have to give her away.
I wanted to keep her but my wife was adamant, so I remained silent. I am a softy,
and I found her, so my connection was strong. My son Evan, however, had fallen
in love with her. He broke down in tears when my wife said that we would have
to give her up and that she would have a good home. My wife liked the bond that
they had formed and came to me. “Is having three cats too many?” I had
my opening. “No” I said. “It will be okay and she is good for Evan.”
That sealed the deal.
There was an adjustment period for Angel. Mostly around
food. She had been on her own and food was scarce so when we put the food out,
she attacked it and ate so fast that sometimes she got sick. We had to find
ways to slow her down. Which we eventually did.
One of our other cats, Midnight, was not entirely thrilled
with our decision to keep this energetic cat, she was more solitary anyway and
adjusted by keeping her distance. While
we had three cats if someone visited they thought we only had one – Angel. The
other two, Midnight and Sterling scrambled for cover when someone rang the doorbell
or entered the house. Angel would get excited and greet the guests as if it was
obvious to all that they had come to see her.
Our family life would never be the same. We had a new member
of the family, and that new member would often take center stage at our house.
See Part two – Living with Angel
