Charlie

Yes, we went back to PetSmart to look at Ashleigh, but the volunteer from Four Paws thought she was too shy and probably wouldn’t get along with another female cat. So we decided on Charlie, a 4-month-old black and white short hair male. Here he is, and doesn’t he look like a little devil?

We didn’t realize what we were getting. Charlie has to be the most active little person we’ve ever known, completely uninhibited. And before much longer he will own us as well as Squeakie. Squeakie is presently hiding behind the tv in our Arizona room and refuses to come out. But she will eventually. And eventually she and Charlie will become best friends. That may take awhile, though. Like most of 2012.

Charlie came home with us at 3:00. Squeakie, when she first saw him, went up and touched noses, after which her tail blew up like a balloon and she would have nothing more to do with him. "Where's Dusty" she must have been thinking. "I don't want a substitute Dusty." Every time Charlie approached wherever Squeakie was hiding, we would hear a growl. And the threat would send Charlie off on another romp through the house, romps which continued until it was time for us to go to bed. We had no more than got in bed when we felt this tiny black and white presence with a man-size purr, back and forth across our blanketed bodies, nuzzling whatever hand was out, telling us he wasn’t quite ready to go to sleep. Finally, though, he did, and slept between us for the entire night. Now we just have to figure out how to talk Squeakie out from behind the television set.