As Hurricane Irene was wrecking havoc up and down the east coast this past weekend, I was thinking about another hurricane that occurred years ago and the orange cat who was literally blown in the door of a house in Anne Arundel Country. The people named her Tornado Kitty but refused to keep her. We had no room in our little shelter, but I thought a cat who had been through a hurricane deserved better than a cage at Animal Control. And that's how Tornado Kitty became our first -- and last -- cat to live in the Adoption Center at the Columbia PetSmart. She was there for four hours! Meanwhile, I was thinking about her in that tiny cage in a huge noisy store and working the phones, trying to find a foster home for her.
When Katie agreed to take her, I raced to the store to retrieve her and got there just minutes before closing time. Katie had always had a soft spot for orange cats, and when she and Tornado Kitty met, it was love at first sight. Within a few days she'd gone from foster to probably permanent resident, the caveat being she couldn't stay if Katie's boyfriend was allergic to her. Thank goodness for allergy medication!
Over the years, Tornado Kitty and Katie became devoted friends. They celebrated together on Katie's wedding day and comforted each other when Katie got divorced. Every summer weekend, the two went to Deep Creek Lake together where they joined Katie's family, including all the pets, at her parents' cabin.
No matter what life threw her way, Tornado Kitty was always calm and cheerful. She loved catnip and fish flakes and being brushed. And she loved her human. Sadly, she's gone now, a victim of cancer. Katie adopted two more cats from us, but there will never be another Tornado Kitty. I loved her almost as much as Katie did and miss her almost as much, too.
Over the years, Tornado Kitty and Katie became devoted friends. They celebrated together on Katie's wedding day and comforted each other when Katie got divorced. Every summer weekend, the two went to Deep Creek Lake together where they joined Katie's family, including all the pets, at her parents' cabin.
No matter what life threw her way, Tornado Kitty was always calm and cheerful. She loved catnip and fish flakes and being brushed. And she loved her human. Sadly, she's gone now, a victim of cancer. Katie adopted two more cats from us, but there will never be another Tornado Kitty. I loved her almost as much as Katie did and miss her almost as much, too.
