It’s been quite a long time coming and it only took three tries, but we finally got a cat! We first went to the shelter on Saturday, ready to bring home a cat. Little did we realize how long furniture-shopping would take. By the time we got to the shelter, we only had an hour left before they closed adoptions for the day. The time flew by as we got to know Kaotix (who is kind of like a male version of Missy) and then Bella. Both had just arrived that very day, so they were scared and confused. After we missed the adoption window, we stayed a little longer to hang out with Smokey. She didn’t come out of her cat “condo” to the visiting room, so it was hard to tell how she’d be, but things seemed quite promising.

Yesterday, Smokey climbed on the shelves, ever the curious one.

The shelter was closed Sunday and Monday and after nearly three agonizing days, I happily went back yesterday to go adopt a cat. I was pretty sure I’d go with Smokey, but then I noticed Isis, who had been in a public room the other day. I only briefly went in the room before, so now that Isis was on her own I thought I’d see how she was. After spending some time with her, I then went back to Smokey. By that time, Panda had arrived and we hung out with Smokey for awhile. I wanted Panda to also see Isis, so we went back to the room with her. As we were spending time watching her, I suddenly thought about the time – turns out it was 6:35 and they wouldn’t allow us to adopt anymore! I was so upset, but that did give us a chance to spend enough time with Isis to decide that she was too vocal for our styles.

We were allowed to “reserve” her for the next 24 hours, so we had to return today no later than 6:30 to claim her. I had Panda head over first since I wasn’t sure I could make the time, so at least he could get the paperwork started. I definitely wanted to be the one to drive her home though!

We left last night with a note that Smokey was pending adoption.

She came to greet me when I arrived!

We played in the room as the adoption paperwork was being processed.

Choosing a tag for her.

Wow, all kinds of free goodies for new pet owners!

Smokey, you’re going to your new home!

One last look at the adoption center.

During the drive, she managed to claw a massive hole.

Out came the head (and when the head can fit, soon the body follows).

She pushed her way out and started climbing around.

I think she liked being able to see her surroundings.

She even took a backseat for awhile.

When we arrived at home, she took over the dash.

As soon as the car door opened, she perked up.

I carried her in and let her explore. Of course she loved the closets.

She briefly sat on the bed before deciding she liked it better underneath.

The free items we took from the shelter’s offerings.

Can you spot her? She’s starting to stake her claim.

I discovered that she likes to lay out with her legs straight behind her.

Ah yes, more confident by the minute.

By now she’s explored the whole place many times over, enjoys laying down on the hardwood, and even started purring. She is quite the curious one and doesn’t really sit still. She loves nudging us and being pet, but won’t stay long. She’ll hop on the bed, make a round, and then jump right off again. She discovered some paper on the ground that crinkles wonderfully when she steps on it. For a brief moment, she did start massaging the blanket like Missy does before she settles in to sleep. For now she’s still far too alert to sleep though! I can’t wait to spend a good portion of the weekend with her and see if she’s the type to snuggle. We’ll be getting our couches Saturday and hopefully she’ll like lying on those too.

Oh, and I’m pretty sure I want to rename her even though we had her tag made with “Smokey” on it. I’ve called her Smoka/S’mocha, Silky [Smooth], and a number of other “S” names. Panda even called her Shadow at one point. I find myself calling her little girl a lot, so maybe she doesn’t need a name. 😛