Andrew Bajda

When I recently heard that there is a cat up for adoption, it brought back memories of a little kitten that I would have never guessed would steal my heart. But that was before Little Girl trained me to be her loving provider. How did this happen, given that my first response was, “you are NOT bringing a cat into my house.” When my two daughters brought her to my house ten years ago, they were young teens smitten by the cute kitten. “Just for a few days, dad. We’ll find her a home,” they assured me. I had just recently moved into the house backing into the woods following my divorce, with an opportunity for a fresh start to decorate with my own taste and identity. And a cute kitten was not part of the planned rustic décor. Sure enough, just as I expected, they didn’t find her a home. But I was determined to find an owner. I found someone. My Dean at the college lived in the country and somewhat reluctantly agreed to take the kitten to join other cats in their barn. So here I was on a lazy Sunday afternoon, napping on the living room couch with the kitten in her normal hiding place in an upstairs bedroom. When I think back now, I’m sure she KNEW exactly what was going on and knew she had this one opportunity to stay and become the queen of this domain. Out of nowhere, I felt a soft landing as she nestled and purred on my chest. Needless to say, she found her home. If you ask me now, I am so glad that she came into my life. Not only are cats extremely low maintenance, but they make such interesting and enjoyable companions. I never even came up with a name for her. When they asked her name the one time I took her to the vet, I simply told them I call her Little Girl. So that’s what they wrote down, and that became her name. Now someone else will have a wonderful opportunity to bring this cute kitten home and make new memories. If your experience is anything like mine, it will be a decision that you will not regret. (On the picture above is Ella: “Hello, I am Ella and I am looking for a GOOD home. I am approximately 6 months old. I am extremely friendly but I can have an “attitude”. “Pure white, beautiful, always happy”- my foster mom says about me.”)