Y’all, this is Evelyn. I’m the first to admit I’m not a cat person. I don’t dislike them; they’re just not my choice of companion animal. But I have an unreasonable and unending love of Evelyn. She came into our rescue program with a host of issues: stomach problems, skin problems, and a bad left eye. She was fostered by one of our foster coordinators, Laura, which meant that she came to work with Laura a lot and took up residence in a cat condo in the area where the foster coordinators work. Anytime I went to the clinic, I’d see Evelyn.
Whether she was asleep or up playing with a toy, as soon as she’d see me, and I’d say, “Evelyn!” she’d jump up and be all happy and watchful. She did this with everyone, not just me. No matter how she might have felt physically or what she was coping with, she was always happy, always affectionate, and always glad to see new and old friends. A lot of times she wasn’t in the cat condo because someone would be holding her and letting her drape herself around their necks. She had surgery to remove the bad eye and spent a little time in the cone of shame, but even that couldn’t daunt her spirit.
I’m talking about her in the past tense not because anything bad happened to her. Instead, today she traveled to her rescue in Colorado so a home can be found for her. I’m happy for Evelyn, but as for the rest of us–we didn’t want to see her go! It was a tough goodbye. If we had our selfish way, she’d have stayed at our clinic forever as our mascot cat. But that isn’t the best life for Evelyn. She deserves a home with people who can marvel at the wonder she is and give her even more love than we have.
Farewell, little pirate cat. I know I’ll be glancing at your cat condo for a long time, hoping to see your happy, inquisitive face looking back at me.
