STAR CHART

She had four 2-month old kittens. Two met us at the door: a spunky orange kittyboy (I can’t remember his name) and an independent black kittyboy (Mensch). A cute black-and-white kittygirl (Audrey) hid for a few moments and then came out to play, and a little black kittygirl (Emma) stayed hidden until almost the end. I have always had a kitty who stayed under the bed when guests were over, and I really wanted a kitty who would come out and meet my friends. (I want a slut kitty.)

Since we can only get one, Judy recommended Mensch to us, because he was the most independent out of all of them. The orange boy is spoken for; he’s going to a home where he can be rambunctious and play with the kids and maybe dogs. Audrey and Emma are both a little more clingy and like to play together, so she really wants to adopt them out together. But Mensch is content to play on his own and do his own thing, yet he is still really sweet and affectionate. He was the runt of his litter, and he’s got a little bit of an inferiority complex, and when he plays he’s got a very serious “I can do this!” attitude, like he’s trying to prove himself. LOL So she thinks he’d be good for going solo, so he won’t have another cat he feels like he has to prove himself against, and just rule our household.

The second she said the word solo, I remembered my book Solo’s Journey by Joy Smith Aiken, which was one of my favorite books as a teenager. It’s about an orphaned black kitten named Solo who was the runt of his litter, living with feral cats and trying to prove himself among the toughest of them. He grows up to be a seer and a leader and leads the cats away from human habitations to live in the mountains, and even frees some cats from an animal testing facility. Anyway, I instantly knew he was my Solo. Dan and I still really love the name Mensch, so I want to keep that too. His name will be Solo Mensch.

I played with them all, and it was really interesting watching all of them interact. The orange boy, Audrey, and Solo all kept their eyes on the toys, but Orange would take over and play, and if he was busy, Audrey would take over, leaving Solo to play when neither of them were playing. Through all of this, Emma was just watching all the other cats and the people around her with wide eyes.

If I could have, I would have taken home both Solo and Emma. Emma was so skittish and afraid, but at the end I started scratching her ears and she just flopped down on her side and started purring like crazy. I was falling in love with her, but knew Solo would be a better fit for us, so I went over and started petting him where he was resting. I was stroking his little paw and suddenly he put his paw in my hand. That did it…I was totally, utterly, and completely smitten at that moment. Judy said he is a little quirky…he does a few things in his own particular way. He likes to “hold hands” like that, and he likes resting his face or head on your hand while he sleeps. As we were getting ready to leave he was starting to fall asleep, and I was petting him, and he moved his head so his face was resting against my hand. Awwwwww. And he was purrrrrring. <3

We went to the animal shelter, filled out the paperwork, paid for his neutering, and he officially belongs to us now! He is going to recover in Judy’s care, and since we’re going out of town next weekend, we’re going to pick him up afterward. 8D

I miss him already.

And I’ve always wanted a black kitty. I wish I would have brought my camera. But I’m sure I’ll be taking plenty of pictures when we bring him home…I’ll be sure to share! He’s so cute and tiny! Only two months old!!

He kind of looks like this little guy: